Best Cheeses To Pair With Riesling: A Guide

Riesling is a versatile wine that can be paired with almost any type of cheese. The best cheese to pair with Riesling depends on the type of Riesling you have. For instance, a dry Riesling pairs well with creamy and nutty cheeses, while a sweet Riesling pairs better with saltier cheeses.

Riesling is an aromatic and versatile wine that pairs well with many different types of food thanks to its high acidity and hint of sweetness. When pairing Riesling with cheese, consider the wine's characteristics: very high acidity, a hint of sweetness, and an aromatic profile.

If you're looking for specific cheese recommendations, a dry Riesling goes well with goat cheese, brie, and muenster. On the other hand, a sweet Riesling is a good match for parmesan, aged gouda, and feta.

Sweet Riesling and salty cheese

Parmesan is a great choice to pair with a sweet Riesling. Its saltiness and strong flavour offset the sweetness of the wine. Another good pairing option is aged gouda. The older the gouda, the more intense its flavour becomes, making it a perfect match for a sweet Riesling. Feta is another salty and tangy cheese that pairs well with a sweet Riesling. Its crumbly texture and salty aftertaste work well with the wine, as the softness of the cheese mitigates the effect, preventing the wine from being overpowered.

If you're feeling experimental, you can also try pairing a sweet Riesling with a strong blue cheese like Stilton or Roquefort. The sweetness of the wine will offset the bitter sub-flavours of the blue cheese, while also complementing its zesty, crumbly texture.

While sweet Riesling and salty cheese is a classic combination, it's important to note that the right pairing also depends on the specific characteristics of the cheese and wine. For example, a dry Riesling pairs well with creamy and nutty cheeses, while a sweet Riesling is better suited for saltier options. Additionally, the hardness and aging of the cheese can also impact the pairing.

Semi-dry Riesling and semi-hard, medium-aged cheese

Semi-dry Riesling is a versatile wine that can be paired with a variety of different cheeses. The best pairings for a semi-dry Riesling are semi-hard, medium-aged cheeses.

A semi-hard cheese retains its shape during slicing, is easy to shred, and is slightly softer than a hard cheese. These types of cheeses are usually aged from two to six months and include Raclette, Emmental, and Gouda.

Raclette is a semi-hard, mellow, and versatile cheese that blends well with the high acidity and stone fruit flavours found in Riesling. The aromatic scents of the wine bring out a subtle and surprising nuttiness in Raclette. It is important to consider a Kabinett or off-dry Riesling so that its sweetness doesn't overpower the cheese.

Emmental is another semi-hard Swiss cheese. It is not too strong and has no overpowering flavours, but it has enough fat and a tempered saltiness to act as the perfect cheese course for a meal. A medium-strength white wine like Riesling is an obvious choice for Emmental, making this pairing a great crowd-pleaser.

Gouda is a drier cheese that has been made in Germany for hundreds of years. A drier Riesling can stand up to the stronger, saltier flavour of Gouda, which might prove overpowering for typically sweet Rieslings. The very best dry Rieslings are known as Grosses Gewächs, which are well-aged and consistently rank among the most sophisticated of Rieslings.

Dry Riesling and soft, creamy cheese

When it comes to specific cheeses, goat cheese is an excellent choice to pair with dry Riesling. Its earthy and tangy flavours will be accentuated by the wine's crispness. Brie, with its buttery and nutty characteristics, is another fantastic option. The wine's acidity will cut through the richness of the cheese, resulting in a well-balanced pairing.

If you're looking for a French cheese to accompany your dry Riesling, consider Munster, a cheese from the Alsace region. This combination will result in a delightful interplay of flavours, with the sweetness and acidity of the wine balancing the strong flavours of the cheese.

For a more adventurous pairing, try dry Riesling with blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Stilton. The saltiness and pungency of the blue cheese will be beautifully offset by the crispness and sweetness of the wine.

When serving dry Riesling with soft, creamy cheese, it is best to enjoy them at just below room temperature. Remove the cheese from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving to ensure the best flavours.

High-acidity Riesling and melted cheese

When cheese is melted, the flavour molecules concentrate and umami comes to the fore. Wines high in acidity, such as Riesling, are great pairings for melted cheese, as they act as a natural palate cleanser.

Riesling is a semi-sweet German wine that is known to be an all-rounder when it comes to food pairings. It is naturally sweet, palate-cleansing, and light-bodied. The wine is aromatic and versatile, pairing well with many different types of food thanks to its high acidity and hint of sweetness.

Riesling's high acidity makes it a good pairing for fatty, salty, and acidic foods. Its sweetness also makes it a good pairing for spicy and sweet foods. It is one of the few wines that can be matched with stronger flavours and spices, which makes it a safe choice with Asian and Mexican cuisine.

Riesling is also a good pairing for pungent washed-rind cheeses like Munster, Morbier, Raclette, Taleggio, and Livarot. The sweetness and acidity in the wine will balance the strong flavours in the cheese.

Riesling's versatility when it comes to cheese pairings means that it can be paired with almost any cheese. However, the best cheese to pair with Riesling depends on the type of Riesling. A dry Riesling pairs well with creamy and nutty cheeses, while a sweet Riesling pairs better with saltier cheeses.

German Riesling and German cheese

German Riesling is a versatile wine that can be paired with almost any cheese. However, the best cheese to pair with it depends on the type of Riesling you have. Riesling ranges from sweet to dry and light to medium-bodied, which means that it pairs well with a variety of different cheeses.

If you have a dry German Riesling, it is best paired with soft, creamy, and nutty cheeses. Some examples of cheeses that pair well with dry Riesling include:

• Goat cheese, which has earthy and tangy flavours
• Brie, which is also creamy and nutty, but more buttery compared to goat cheese
• Muenster, a cheese from the Alsace region in France that pairs well with an off-dry Riesling
• Feta, a salty and tangy Greek cheese that is heavy on sweetness and acidity

On the other hand, if you have a sweet German Riesling, it is better paired with saltier cheeses. Some examples of cheeses that pair well with sweet Riesling include:

• Parmesan, which is salty and can offset the sweetness of the Riesling
• Aged gouda, which has more intense flavours than younger gouda
• Feta, which is also tangy and salty
• Blue cheese, such as Stilton or Roquefort

When pairing German Riesling with German cheese, it is important to consider the relative strength of the wine and cheese. Since Riesling is not overly heavy, it is best to avoid hard, salty cheeses that might overpower the wine. Instead, opt for medium-strength or bold Rieslings to pair with harder and saltier cheeses like Emmental.

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