Cheese And Mead: A Perfect Pairing Guide

Mead, or honey wine, is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from honey, water, and yeast. It is believed to be the original fermented drink, dating back over 10,000 years. The drink has been referenced by Aristotle, Plato, Chaucer, and Shakespeare, and was consumed during the honeymoon period in medieval times to promote fertility. Mead is often paired with food, and one of the most popular combinations is mead and cheese. Dry meads, for example, are considered a good match for cheese, just as dry wines are. Blue cheese is a popular choice, with varieties such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and Stilton being recommended. Harder cheeses, such as aged gouda, gruyere, parmesan, and sharp cheddar, are also suggested, as well as softer cheeses like goat cheese, brie, and fromage blanc.

Dry meads go well with cheese

For example, a dry mead with notes of orange blossom honey will have a wonderful aroma of citrus. This will go well with a Tomme-style cheese with mild, buttery flavours and grassy aromas. A dry mead with a rich floral aroma and wonderful syrupy sweetness will complement the complex fruitiness and nutty caramel characteristics of a farmstead cheese like Pleasant Ridge Reserve.

When it comes to cheese types, a good rule of thumb is to have a minimum of three cheeses. For five people, have four cheeses, and for eight people, five cheeses. Add one more cheese for every three to four people. It's also a good idea to have a mix of hard, soft, and novelty cheeses. Hard cheeses include aged gouda, gruyere, parmesan, and sharp cheddar. Soft cheeses include goat cheese, brie, and fromage blanc. Blue cheese is a good option for a novelty cheese, or you can choose a flavoured cheese like chilli or lavender.

When serving, pre-cut the cheese into cubes and use fancy toothpicks. Label the cheeses and suggest pairings. Serve the mead in small glasses to encourage your guests to be adventurous.

Blue cheese and sweet meads are a natural pair

For a classic pairing, try a sweet mead with a blue cheese such as Stilton, Fourme d'Ambert, Rogue River Blue, Berkshire Blue or Cabrales. Blue cheese is often salty and tangy, with a sharp, pungent flavour. The sweetness of the mead will balance the sharpness of the cheese.

For a fun party idea, serve a selection of blue cheeses with a variety of sweet meads. You could also include other strong cheeses such as aged gouda, gruyere, parmesan, or sharp cheddar, and offer sweet and salty condiments such as nuts, dried fruits, honey, and quince paste.

If you're looking for a more delicate pairing, a semi-sweet mead will also work well with blue cheese.

Stronger, more intense cheeses require more intense meads

When it comes to pairing cheese with mead, it's important to remember that stronger, more intense cheeses require more intense meads. This means that if you're serving a strong, pungent cheese, you'll want to choose a full-bodied, robust mead to stand up to the cheese's flavour profile.

Blue cheese, for example, is a strong and pungent cheese that pairs well with sweet meads, such as Kookoolan Farms Elegance mead, or a sweet, late-harvest Riesling. Aged cheeses, such as a mature Gouda or Gruyere, can also benefit from being paired with a sweet mead, such as a lavender mead or a mango mead. These sweet meads provide a delightful contrast to the sharp, salty, and chalky flavours of aged cheeses.

If you're looking for a more unusual pairing, consider smoked cheese with an oaked mead. The smoky flavour of the cheese will be beautifully complemented by the oak notes in the mead.

For those who enjoy a full-flavoured, complex cheese, such as a Tomme-style cheese, a juniper Mountain Honey Wine can be an excellent choice. This mead, made from a blend of orange blossom and desert blossom honey, offers a wonderful combination of sweetness, earthiness, oak, and vanilla that will enhance the mild, buttery, and grassy notes in the cheese.

When creating these pairings, it's important to remember that the intensity of the flavours is key. Stronger, more intense cheeses require more intense meads to create a harmonious pairing that will delight the palate.

Sweet meads go well with aged cheeses like Roquefort or Gorgonzola

When it comes to pairing cheese with mead, it's an art that many have been honing for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and medieval newlyweds enjoyed mead, also known as honey wine, and today it's growing in popularity.

Sweet meads are best enjoyed after dinner, and they go well with aged, strong blue cheeses like Roquefort or Gorgonzola. These cheeses are salty and sharp, so the sweetness of the mead balances the intensity of the cheese. The mead's sweetness can also stand up to the strong flavours of the cheese, creating a delightful contrast.

When serving cheese with mead, it's a good idea to offer a variety of cheeses, including hard, soft, and novelty cheeses. Hard cheeses like aged gouda, gruyere, parmesan, or sharp cheddar tend to be sharp, salty, and chalky, so they pair well with a medium-bodied mead. Soft cheeses like goat cheese, brie, or fromage blanc are usually mild or tangy and can be nutty or slightly sweet, so they pair well with a delicately-flavoured semi-sweet mead. Novelty cheeses like blue cheese or flavoured cheeses such as chilli or lavender also go well with sweet meads.

In addition to the cheese, it's nice to offer condiments like nuts, olives, dried or fresh fruits, and honey. Bread or crackers are also a good idea, and it's important to consider the intensity of the flavours when making your selection. Delicate cheeses need delicate breads and crackers, while robust cheeses require more intense options.

So, if you're looking to pair sweet mead with cheese, aged blue cheeses like Roquefort or Gorgonzola are an excellent choice. The sweetness of the mead and the saltiness of the cheese will create a delightful sensory experience.

Sweet meads also go well with hard cheeses like sharp cheddar

Sweet meads go well with hard cheeses like sharp cheddar, as the sweetness of the mead offsets the sharp, salty and chalky notes of the cheese. The sweetness of the mead also helps to highlight the medium intensity of the cheese.

When creating a cheese and mead pairing, it is recommended to include at least one hard cheese, one soft cheese, and one novelty cheese. Hard cheeses include aged gouda, gruyere, parmesan, and sharp cheddar. Soft cheeses include goat cheese, brie, and fromage blanc. Blue cheese is a good option for a novelty cheese, as well as flavoured cheeses like chilli, lavender, or mango.

When pairing cheese and mead, it is also important to consider the intensity of flavours. Delicate cheeses should be paired with delicate breads and crackers, while robust cheeses require more intense bread or crackers. For example, a rich, bloomy-rind cheese like Camellia pairs well with a dry mead that can cut through the cheese's richness.

In addition to the type of cheese, the specific flavours of the mead should also be considered. Classic flavour combinations can be used as inspiration, such as pairing a plain sharp cheddar with a lavender mead, or a mango mead with a cheddar that has been made with mango.

Sweet meads, in particular, tend to pair well with stronger, more intense cheeses. The sweetness of the mead can stand up to the intensity of the cheese, creating a balanced and enjoyable flavour profile.

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