Randy Chandler
Wine and cheese have been enjoyed together for centuries, but finding the perfect pairing can be challenging. Cabernet Sauvignons are bold red wines with a variety of tastes, from light notes of strawberries and black currants to heavier flavours of dark chocolate and cedar. This makes it difficult to find a cheese that doesn't get lost in the intense flavour profile of the wine. Nevertheless, there are several types of cheese that can enhance the flavour of Cabernet Sauvignon while balancing out its tannins.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cheese Type | Semi-hard, aged cow's milk cheese, such as Vermont's Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Beemster 18-Month Aged Gouda, or Pleasant Ridge Reserve |
| Semi-hard sheep's milk cheese, such as Ossau-Iraty, San Andreas, or Ewenique | |
| Aged cheddar | |
| Goat cheese | |
| Blue cheese | |
| Barricato al Pepe | |
| Bay Blue | |
| Garrotxa | |
| Wine Type | Cabernet Sauvignon, especially with berry notes |
| Wine Characteristics | Bold, intense, high tannin levels, dry |
| Wine Food Pairing Notes | Avoid creamy or soft cheeses as they can make Cabernet Sauvignon taste bitter or metallic; super hard cheeses can also be too drying |
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What You'll Learn
- Semi-hard cheeses, such as aged cow's milk cheddar, are a good match
- Aged goat's milk cheeses, like Garrotxa, complement fruitier notes
- Blue cheese is recommended, especially California's Bay Blue
- Gouda, especially smoked, is a great choice to cut through dryness
- Avoid creamy or soft cheeses, which can make the wine taste bitter
Semi-hard cheeses, such as aged cow's milk cheddar, are a good match
When it comes to wine and cheese pairings, it's important to consider the balance of flavours and textures. Cabernet Sauvignons can vary in taste, ranging from lighter notes of strawberries and blackcurrants to heavier, tannic flavours of dark chocolate and cedar. Thus, it's essential to choose a cheese that complements the wine's characteristics.
Semi-hard cheeses, such as aged cow's milk cheddar, are an excellent match for Cabernet Sauvignon. The ageing process gives the cheese a slight crunch and enhances its rich, nutty flavours. This milder, nutty texture and smooth taste beautifully highlight the berry notes in both young and older Cabernet Sauvignons. The wine's tannins also bind to the cheese's protein and fat, creating a delightful contrast and cleansing the palate.
Vermont's Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Beemster 18-Month Aged Gouda from Holland, and Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Wisconsin are all renowned pairings with Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon. These cheeses have the ideal amount of flavour and fat content to balance the tannins in the wine.
When selecting an aged cheddar, look for one with a sharp and robust profile, as these characteristics complement the boldness of Cabernet Sauvignon. The cheese's richness and complexity can stand up to the wine's strong tannins, creating a harmonious blend of flavours.
In addition to cheddar, other semi-hard cheeses can be excellent choices. Goat cheese, for instance, offers a tangy and acidic profile that can balance the wine's tannins. Firm, aged goat cheeses like Garrotxa, with their earthy and woody notes, can pair well with the fruitier, smoother styles of Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Aged goat's milk cheeses, like Garrotxa, complement fruitier notes
When it comes to wine and cheese, it's an art to blend flavours and enhance the tasting experience. The perfect pairing creates an unforgettable dining experience. While some believe that cheese diminishes the fruit, tannin and acidity in red wines, others argue that several types of hard and semi-hard cheeses can pair with and flatter Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged goat's milk cheeses, like Garrotxa, are a great example.
Garrotxa is a firm, aged, and strong goat's milk cheese that pairs well with fruitier, smoother Cabernet Sauvignons. Its crumbly, earthy, and woodsy characteristics make it a perfect match for jams made from dark fruits. Some Cabernet Sauvignons have similar flavour notes, almost like plum or huckleberry jam. The cheese's earthy and woodsy notes complement the wine's fruitier tones, creating a symphony of flavours on the palate.
Aged goat's milk cheeses tend to have more complex flavour profiles, which can add depth to the tasting experience. The tanginess and acidity of goat's milk cheese can also help balance the sweetness and fruitier notes in Cabernet Sauvignon. The contrast between the cheese's sharpness and the wine's smoothness results in a delightful flavour combination.
When pairing wine and cheese, it is essential to consider the intensity of both elements. Aged goat's milk cheeses, with their stronger flavours, can stand up to the boldness of Cabernet Sauvignon. The cheese's robustness ensures it doesn't get overwhelmed by the wine's intensity, creating a well-rounded pairing.
Additionally, the texture of both the wine and cheese plays a role in the overall sensory experience. The smoothness of Cabernet Sauvignon can be a nice contrast to the crumbly texture of aged goat's milk cheeses. This textural interplay adds another layer of enjoyment when savouring the pairing. In conclusion, aged goat's milk cheeses, such as Garrotxa, can beautifully complement the fruitier notes in Cabernet Sauvignon, resulting in a harmonious and memorable dining experience.
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Blue cheese is recommended, especially California's Bay Blue
When it comes to selecting a cheese to pair with Cabernet Sauvignon, blue cheese is recommended, especially California's Bay Blue. This is because blue cheese has an intense and creamy nature that complements the bold flavours found in red wines. Its pungent aroma and velvety texture create an intriguing contrast with medium-bodied reds, enriching the tasting experience. A sweeter blue cheese is preferable to a grassy, barn-y variety, as the wine's tannins can push the latter towards an overly animal flavour.
Bay Blue, a bold blue cheese from California, is an excellent choice for Cabernet Sauvignon. It offers a pleasant sweet and savoury balance, with a good tang from the blue and a salted caramel finish. The sweetness of Bay Blue prevents the tannins in the wine from becoming overwhelming, resulting in a harmonious pairing.
Blue cheese, in general, is known for its strong and creamy characteristics, which make it an ideal match for the robust flavours of red wines. The pungency and smoothness of the cheese produce an interesting contrast with medium-bodied reds, enhancing the overall tasting experience.
When selecting a blue cheese to pair with Cabernet Sauvignon, it is advisable to opt for a sweeter variety. The tannins present in the wine can accentuate the grassy and animal notes in a barn-y blue cheese, leading to an overpowering flavour. By choosing a sweeter option like Bay Blue, you can avoid this issue and create a more balanced and enjoyable pairing.
In addition to its flavour profile, Bay Blue's texture also contributes to its success as a pairing for Cabernet Sauvignon. The cheese's slight crunch and rich, nutty flavours, characteristic of aged cow's milk cheeses, complement the wine's berry notes and structure. The tannins in the wine bind to the cheese's protein and fat, creating a palate-cleansing effect. This textural aspect further enhances the pairing, ensuring a well-rounded sensory experience.
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Gouda, especially smoked, is a great choice to cut through dryness
When it comes to selecting a cheese to pair with Cabernet Sauvignon, it's important to consider the wine's intensity, acidity, and tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon is a bold, robust red wine with high tannin levels that can make your mouth feel dry.
Gouda, especially smoked, is a great choice to cut through this dryness. Its high fat content helps balance the tannins, creating a satisfying flavour combination. The aging process of Gouda also enhances the tasting experience by bringing out fruity notes in the wine and making it taste lighter. Beemster 18-Month Aged Gouda from Holland, for example, has been a past favourite pairing with Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon.
Smoked cheeses, in general, can be an excellent match for Cabernet Sauvignon, as the smokiness can provide a pleasant contrast to the wine's flavours. The smokiness of Gouda, in particular, can complement the wine's berry and fruity notes, which are more prominent in smoother, fruitier Cabernet Sauvignons.
When selecting a Gouda to pair with Cabernet Sauvignon, consider opting for a semi-hard, aged variety, as these tend to have a higher fat content, which, as previously mentioned, can help take the edge off the wine's tannins. Aged Gouda also tends to have a more pronounced flavour, which can stand up to the boldness of the wine.
While Gouda is a recommended choice, it's worth noting that other semi-hard cheeses, such as cheddar, can also be excellent options to pair with Cabernet Sauvignon. The key is to look for cheeses with a higher fat content and some age to balance the wine's tannins and enhance its flavours.
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Avoid creamy or soft cheeses, which can make the wine taste bitter
When it comes to wine and cheese pairings, the main goal is to enhance the flavour of both the wine and the cheese. The right pairing can ensure that the wine and cheese complement each other, and one doesn't overpower the other.
Cabernet Sauvignons are known for their bold, rich, full-bodied flavour profiles. They often taste like dark fruits such as cherries and blackberries, and they may also have notes of vanilla, chocolate, or cedar due to ageing in oak barrels. They are considered dry wines, not sweet, with minimal residual sugar, and they tend to have more tannins, which contribute to their dryness and slight bitterness.
Creamy or soft cheeses, such as most Bries, Camembert, and triple-crème cheeses, can make Cabernet Sauvignon taste a little bitter or metallic and mute its fruit flavours. This is because the creaminess of the cheese can accentuate the tannins in the wine, making it taste drier and more bitter. Hard cheeses, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, can also have this effect, as the salt in these cheeses will exaggerate the tannins in the wine.
To avoid these flavours, it is recommended to pair Cabernet Sauvignon with semi-hard or hard cheeses that have a higher fat content, as the fat will help to balance out the tannins in the wine. Aged cheeses are also a good choice, as the ageing process brings out fruity notes in the wine while making bolder wines taste lighter.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several types of cheese that pair well with Cabernet Sauvignon, including semi-hard, aged cow's milk cheeses, such as Beemster 18-Month Aged Gouda, and hard cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano.
The aging process of semi-hard cheeses brings out a slight crunch and rich, nutty flavours, highlighting the berry notes in Cabernet Sauvignons. Harder cheeses with higher fat content help to balance the tannins in the wine.
Yes, several sources recommend cheddar, specifically sharp, aged cheddar, due to its ability to complement the tannins in the wine. Other recommendations include smoked gouda, barricato al pepe, and sweeter blues like Bay Blue.
Yes, it is recommended to avoid creamy or soft cheeses, such as brie, as they can make Cabernet Sauvignon taste bitter or metallic. Super hard cheeses should also be avoided as they can enhance the tannins, making the wine overly dry.
When pairing wine and cheese, it is important to consider the acidity and intensity of both the wine and cheese. Aim for a balanced flavour profile where neither the wine nor the cheese dominates the other.
