Frederic Melton
When it comes to pairing red wine with cheese, it's important to remember that heavy, full-bodied wines can easily overpower lighter cheeses. However, this doesn't mean that red wine and cheese are incompatible. In fact, there are several types of cheese that pair beautifully with red wine, creating a harmonious flavour combination. The key is to match the style of the cheese and the wine, taking into account the weight, flavour, and acidity of both.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cheese type | Aged, strong cheeses such as Aged Gouda, Extra Mature Cheddar, Parmesan, Pecorino, Grana Padano |
| Cheese type | Light cheeses such as Double Crème, red smear cheese, white mold cheeses |
| Wine type | Dry and heavy red wines |
| Wine type | Light and fruity red wines such as Pinot Noir, Gamay, Bourgogne, Beaujolais |
| Wine type | Sweet red wines, red dessert wines |
| Wine type | Fortified wines such as port, sherry, Madeira |
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What You'll Learn
- Aged Italian cheeses, such as Parmesan, Pecorino and Grana Padano, go well with heavy red wine
- Light, fruity red wines, such as Pinot Noir or Gamay, go well with light cheeses, such as Double Crème
- Sweet red dessert wines go well with heavy and blue cheeses
- Fortified wines, such as port, sherry and Madeira, go well with rich cheeses, such as English Stilton
- Dry, heavy red wines go well with stronger, aged cheeses, such as Extra Mature Cheddar
Aged Italian cheeses, such as Parmesan, Pecorino and Grana Padano, go well with heavy red wine
If you are serving a selection of light cheeses, such as Double Crème, red smear cheese and other white mould cheeses, it’s a good idea to serve a light and fruity red wine. Pinot Noir or Gamay are especially lovely – and you rarely go astray with a light Bourgogne or Beaujolais, both of which come from northeastern France.
If you like bubbles, try serving an Italian Lambrusco with your light cheeses. We’re not talking about the overly sweet, low-budget Lambrusco, but rather the higher quality varieties that also come out of the Italian wine district and are often quite reasonably priced.
Another good rule of thumb is to match the style of the cheese and the wine. The more unusual a wine is, the more unusual a cheese you can pair it with. If you have a light cheese, you’ll want to serve it with a light, natural wine.
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Light, fruity red wines, such as Pinot Noir or Gamay, go well with light cheeses, such as Double Crème
If you're serving a selection of light cheeses, such as Double Crème, red smear cheese, or other white mould cheeses, it's best to serve a light and fruity red wine. Pinot Noir or Gamay are especially good choices, and you can rarely go wrong with a light Bourgogne or Beaujolais, both of which come from northeastern France. If you like bubbles, try serving an Italian Lambrusco with your light cheeses. However, make sure it's a higher-quality variety, as the low-budget versions tend to be overly sweet.
When pairing wine and cheese, it's important to remember that the cheese should match the wine. Heavy, flavourful wines, such as Amarone, can be quite expensive, and may overpower lighter cheeses. If you want to drink a heavy wine with cheese, opt for stronger, aged cheeses, such as Aged Gouda or Extra Mature Cheddar. Fortified wines, like port, sherry, and Madeira, also go well with rich cheeses. A classic match is English Stilton and port, but other blue cheeses also taste lovely alongside a glass of sweet, flavourful port.
Most red wines contain tannins, or tannic acids, which come from grape skins. The amount of tannins in red wine differs greatly, and they are found in high concentrations in young wines, but generally fade with age. High-tannin wines go very well with aged cheeses that are full of flavour, such as Parmesan, Pecorino, and Grana Padano.
Another good rule of thumb is to match the style of the cheese and the wine. If you have a light cheese, serve it with a light, natural wine. Unusual wines can be paired with unusual cheeses.
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Sweet red dessert wines go well with heavy and blue cheeses
If you're serving a selection of heavy red wines, it's a good idea to serve them with strong, aged cheeses, such as a lovely aged gouda or extra mature cheddar. Aged Italian cheeses, like parmesan, pecorino and grana padano, also go nicely with heavy red wine.
Tannins are what make it possible for wines to develop over many years. High-tannin wines go very well with aged cheeses that are full of flavour.
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Fortified wines, such as port, sherry and Madeira, go well with rich cheeses, such as English Stilton
When pairing red wine and cheese, it's important to match the style of the cheese and the wine. Light and fruity red wines, such as Pinot Noir or Gamay, go well with light cheeses, such as Double Crème, red smear cheese and other white mould cheeses. If you're serving bubbles, try an Italian Lambrusco with your light cheeses.
However, if you're serving a heavy red wine, it's best to go with a stronger, aged cheese, such as an Aged Gouda or Extra Mature Cheddar. Aged Italian cheeses, such as Parmesan, Pecorino and Grana Padano, also go nicely with a heavy red wine.
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Dry, heavy red wines go well with stronger, aged cheeses, such as Extra Mature Cheddar
Many of the red wines we drink are dry and heavy, and these are wines that generally go well with meat and rare steaks, but not with cheese. Heavy wines can easily overpower lighter cheeses, such as Double Crème. However, if you do want to drink your heavy wine with cheese, then go with stronger, aged cheeses, such as a lovely Aged Gouda or Extra Mature Cheddar.
Aged Italian cheeses, like Parmesan, Pecorino and Grana Padano, also go nicely with a heavy red wine. Most red wines contain tannins – or tannic acids – which come from grape skins. The amount of tannins in red wine differs greatly. They are found in high concentrations in young wines, but generally fade with age. In fact, tannins are what make it possible for wines to develop over many years. We see this in the Italian Barolo wines, for example, which are extremely heavy with tannins when they’re young, but grow softer and more flavourful with age. High-tannin wines go very well with aged cheeses that are full of flavour.
Another good rule of thumb is to match the style of the cheese and the wine. The more unusual a wine is, the more unusual a cheese you can pair it with. If you have a light cheese you’ll want to serve it with a light, natural wine. If you are serving a selection of light cheeses, such as Double Crème, red smear cheese and other white mould cheeses, it’s a good idea to serve a light and fruity red wine. Pinot Noir or Gamay are especially lovely – and you rarely go astray with a light Bourgogne or Beaujolais, both of which come from northeastern France.
You can also go all out and serve a genuinely sweet red wine with your cheese platter. There are plenty of wonderful red dessert wines – some are even quite acidic, which is another plus – and they generally go quite well with heavy cheeses and blue cheeses, where the sweetness balances out the saltiness. Fortified wines, like port, sherry and Madeira, also go very well with rich cheeses. A classic match is English Stilton and port, but other blue cheeses also taste lovely alongside a glass of sweet, flavourful port.
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Frequently asked questions
There are some general rules to follow when pairing red wines with cheese. Light reds like Beaujolais go with most cheeses, while mid-weight reds like Tempranillo go with stronger cheeses.
Grenache is a light red wine with spicy notes that can take slightly stronger cheeses. Try gouda, mature cheddar, red Leicester or Manchego.
Gamay is another light red wine that can be paired with mild soft cheeses like Brie and Camembert, but it can also handle stronger cheeses like Ardrahan, Monterey Jack and young cheddars.
Tempranillo is a mid-weight red with rich flavours of red and black fruit, as well as oak and tertiary notes of smoke, menthol and barnyard. Try earthy, farmyard-like cheeses like Fleur Du Maquis and Ossau-Iraty, or blue-veined cheeses like La Peral.
New Zealand's Port Nicholson is a good match for Pinot Noir.
