Delicious Pairings: The Perfect Matches For Cheese

Cheese is delicious on its own, but combining it with other foods can create some amazing flavour profiles. There are many different types of cheese, from soft and mild to hard and sharp, and each type goes with different foods. For example, soft cheeses like mascarpone and feta go well with fresh berries, crisp cookies, biscotti, and salty or spicy nuts. Harder cheeses like Romano and Parmesan go well with nuts, honey, olives, salted meats, and fresh vegetables.

When it comes to drinks, wine is a classic pairing with cheese. The general rule is that lighter cheeses go with white wines, while stronger, sharper cheeses are better with red wines. For example, a Chardonnay pairs well with a creamy Colby jack, while an aged parmesan or sharp cheddar is better with a Cabernet or Merlot.

But it's not just about the type of cheese, it's also about the flavour. Sweet and salty is a classic combination, as is salty and sweet. You can also pair 'like with like', matching similar flavour notes, such as a smokey cheese with smoked meat.

So, if you're looking to create the perfect cheese board, or just want to elevate your grilled cheese sandwich, there are plenty of options to try!

Wine and cheese

Choose Your Cheese

Firstly, decide on your cheese. It's best to select 3-5 different varieties, offering a range of textures, colours, and flavours. Play around with different levels of firmness and sharpness, from mild to sharp.

Match Companion and Complementary Flavours

When matching flavours, create a harmony of similar weights and tones. Pair mild cheeses with mild accompaniments, and strong cheeses with strong flavours. Use your sense of smell to guide you, pairing nutty notes with nuts, or fruitier cheeses with fruits and jams.

Contrast Flavours

Opposites attract, so don't be afraid to experiment with contrasting flavours and textures. For example, pair salty foods with sweet wines, or crunchy crackers with soft cheeses.

Build a Bridge

Introduce a third element to bring the wine and cheese together. For instance, a fig spread or honey can complement a bold, spiced cheese with a tart apple slice.

Go Where it Grows

Items from the same region often pair well together. For example, Tuscan cheese goes well with other Italian favourites like wine and meats, while an aged Manchego from Spain is excellent with jamón serrano.

Create an Intensity Journey

As with wine or beer tasting, create a progression of flavours when pairing cheese. Start with mild, soft cheeses and move towards stronger, harder varieties.

Wine Pairings

When it comes to wine, tannin-rich reds are best suited for strong and aged cheeses, as the bitterness can overpower more delicate flavours. White wines, which are lower in tannins, pair well with lighter cheeses and some dry, sharp varieties. A Chardonnay, for instance, goes well with an aged Parmesan or a creamy Colby Jack. Sweet wines are the perfect balance for unique, eclectic, or stinky cheeses. Sparkling wines, with their higher acidity and carbonation, act as a palate cleanser for soft and creamy cheeses. If in doubt, firm and nutty cheeses complement both red and white wines.

• Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Cabernet Sauvignon
• Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Merlot
• Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Zinfandel
• Garlic Herb Cheddar Cheese & Sangiovese or Chianti
• Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Red Blend
• Colby Jack Cheese & Chardonnay
• Monterey Jack Cheese & Sauvignon Blanc
• Mild Cheddar Cheese & Pinot Grigio
• Pepper Jack Cheese & Moscato
• Habanero Cheddar Cheese & Riesling
• Pepper Jack Cheese & White Blend
• Monterey Jack Cheese & Champagne
• Colby Jack & Sweet Rosé
• Mild Cheddar Cheese & Dry Rosé

Beer and cheese

When pairing beer and cheese, the general principle is to look for balance. The biggest factor is weight or intensity. Trying to match a strong beer with a mild cheese, or vice versa, probably won't work very well. Once you've narrowed down the possible beers to those with a similar intensity, you can look for complementary or contrasting flavours. Some cheeses are best with a beer that has a completely different flavour, while others shine when paired with a beer that features many of the same flavours.

• Wheat beers go well with aged goat cheese. The bright notes of citrus in wheat ales complement the lemony tang of goat cheese, together tasting like lemon meringue pie.
• Sour ales pair well with fatty cheeses. Sour beers have a lot of funky acidity, which is balanced out by the fat in indulgent, voluptuous cheeses.
• American lagers are a good match for cheese spreads. This is a simple and satisfying combination.
• American pale ales are a good match for American cheddars. The slight sweetness from the malts in the beer goes well with the tangy flavour of cheddar.
• IPAs pair well with clothbound cheddars. The barny flavours in earthy clothbound cheddars mellow the bitter hops in the IPA and bring out the fruity bits.
• Farmhouse ales go well with Alpine-style cheeses. Aged Alpine cheeses have complex, lasting flavours that can range from nutty to floral to grassy, and farmhouse ales have a funky, earthy flavour that can complement these intricacies.
• Belgian ales pair well with washed-rind cheeses. The yeasty, banana bread flavours in these robust ales calm the strong flavour of washed-rind cheeses, and their boldness stands up to the rich, custard textures.
• Amber ales are a good match for aged sheep's milk cheese. Amber ales have a lot of sweet, malty notes that create a praline pecan effect when combined with salty, nutty sheep's milk cheeses.
• Stouts and blue cheese are a good combination. Bold blues have a robust character that stands up to big, chocolatey stouts. It's a salty-sweet combination that's perfect for dessert.
• Scottish-style ales go well with pepper jack cheese. The phenolic character in some examples of the beer seems to provide a bridge to the smoky and spicy flavours of the cheese, while the malty sweetness envelops the vegetal spiciness.
• German-style pilsners, American-style pale ales, and Belgian-style wits, golden strong ales, tripels, and saisons are good matches for goat cheese.
• Imperial IPAs, barley wines, tripels, quads, Baltic-style porters, and imperial stouts are good matches for bleu, stilton, and gorgonzola cheeses.
• German-style doppelbocks, English bitters, American-style amber ales, and Scottish ales are good matches for gruyere.
• British or American barley wines, Belgian-style gueuze/lambic, salty gose, or the grassy hop notes of an IPA are good matches for parmesan.
• German Berliner Weisse, pils, IPA, and dry stout are good matches for havarti.
• British bitters, stouts, porters, Irish-style reds, browns, and Scottish ales are good matches for cheddar.
• Earthy rye IPAs and barley wines are good matches for manchego.
• German or Bohemian-style pilsners, weissbiers, IPAs, or Belgian tripels are good matches for brie.
• Saisons are a good match for Camembert.

Fruit/vegetable and cheese

Fruit and Cheese Pairings

The best fruit and cheese pairings depend on the type of cheese you are working with. The general rule is to avoid citrus fruits, as they tend to overpower the flavour of the cheese. However, you can't go wrong with anything in the berry family, along with apples and pears. Here are some specific examples of fruit and cheese pairings:

• Habanero Cheddar Cheese & Mango
• White Oak Cheddar Cheese & Grapes
• Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Plums
• Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Pears
• Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Peaches
• Lite50 Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Strawberries

Vegetable and Cheese Pairings

When pairing vegetables and cheese, it is best to pair raw veggies with bold cheeses. For example, a crisp slice of radish goes well with a rich cheese. Roasted, sauteed, and pickled vegetables also have very different flavour profiles that can be used to your advantage when pairing with cheese. Here are some examples of vegetable and cheese pairings:

• Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Eggplant
• Farmhouse Reserve Cheddar Cheese & Pickled Radishes
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Roasted Red Peppers
• Lite50 Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Portobello
• Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Sun-dried Tomatoes
• Monterey Jack Cheese & Kimchi

Herb and cheese

Herbs are a less common but truly delicious cheese pairing. When pairing herbs and cheese, the best way to decide which herbs go with which cheese is to determine the strength of the herb's flavour. When you stick with fresh herbs and high-quality cheeses, you can't go wrong with almost any combination.

• Pepper Jack Cheese & Oregano: Pepper Jack combines beautifully with the earthy, bitter notes of oregano. Serve with fresh vegetables for a tasty snack.
• Alpine Cheddar Cheese & Thyme: Alpine Cheddar's Swiss-inspired flavour is accented perfectly by thyme's gentle earthiness and subtle citrus.
• Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Sage: The complexity and slight nuttiness of Seriously Sharp Cheddar pair well with the savoury, pine-like flavours of sage.
• Monterey Jack Cheese & Dill: Monterey Jack's creamy, mild nature pairs well with the slightly bitter, herbaceous flavour of dill.
• Lite50 Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Garlic: Lite50 Sharp Cheddar's creamy texture and buttery mouthfeel is a perfect match for the strong, pungent flavours of garlic.
• Horseradish Cheddar Cheese & Rosemary: Horseradish Cheddar's intense flavour and luscious creaminess are accented by the slightly minty, peppery taste of rosemary.

When it comes to pairing cheese with other foods, herbs, or beverages, there are a few guiding principles to consider:

• Choose your cheese first: Select 3-5 different cheeses with a variety of textures, appearances, and sharpness of flavours. Play around with firmness, and offer a range of colours from stark white to pale yellow.
• Match complementary flavours: Create a harmony of tastes by pairing similar weights and tones. Mild goes with mild, and strong goes with strong. Pair nutty flavour notes with each other, or fruitier cheeses with fruits and jams.
• Contrast flavours: Opposites attract, so try pairing salty with sweet, or sour with savoury. Varying flavours and textures provide a more interesting pairing experience because they engage multiple senses.
• Build a bridge: Introduce a third element to bring the pairing together. For example, a fig spread or honey can complement a bold spiced cheese with a tart apple slice.
• Go where it grows: Choose items that hail from the same region of the world, as they will likely pair well together.
• Create an intensity journey: Start with mild cheeses and progress to sharper, stronger flavours, just like you would with wine or beer tasting.

Chocolate and cheese

Selecting the right cheeses

Choose a variety of cheeses with distinct flavours and textures. Opt for both mild and strong cheeses to provide a range of options for pairing. Some popular choices include:

• Parmigiano Reggiano
• Goat cheese
• Blue cheese
• Milk chocolate
• Dark chocolate
• Extra dark chocolate
• Monterey Jack
• Brie
• Gruyere
• Gouda
• Cheddar
• Roquefort
• Langres
• Taleggio
• Bufaletto
• Willoughby
• Comte
• Beaufort
• Farmhouse Cheddar
• Pleasant Ridge Reserve
• Medium-aged gouda
• Stilton
• St. Agur
• Fourme D'Ambert
• Rogue River Blue
• Bayley Hazen Blue

Considering texture

When pairing cheese and chocolate, pay attention to the texture of the cheeses you select. The general rule of thumb is to pair creamy and softer cheeses with smoother chocolates, while harder and aged cheeses go well with darker, more intense chocolates. However, feel free to experiment and trust your taste preferences.

Matching intensity

Aim for a balanced pairing by matching the intensity of the cheese and chocolate. Lighter, milder cheeses work well with milk or white chocolates, while stronger cheeses can stand up to the boldness of dark chocolate. This way, neither the cheese nor the chocolate will overpower each other.

Complementary flavours

Look for complementary flavours between the cheese and chocolate. For example, a sharp cheddar can be paired with a dark chocolate with nutty or fruity notes. A creamy brie can be enhanced with a milk chocolate infused with caramel or honey.

Trying contrasting textures

Experiment with contrasting textures to create an interesting mouthfeel. Combine a creamy, smooth chocolate with a crumbly, aged cheese or a crunchy, nutty chocolate with a soft, creamy cheese to provide a delightful contrast that enhances the overall experience.

Selecting accompaniments

Consider incorporating complementary accompaniments to enhance the pairing. Fresh fruits like figs, berries, and pears can add a touch of sweetness and freshness. Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts can provide a crunchy element. Additionally, crackers or bread can serve as a neutral base for enjoying the cheese and chocolate together.

Frequently asked questions