Creating a meal can be like writing a play. You want each act to be memorable, but especially the last one.
The simple combination of cheese, crusty bread and a glass of wine served at the end of a meal opens the door to relaxed conversation.
You should give yourself a bit of flexibility because you never know exactly what you are going to find at the cheese counter. The blank page of this course also allows you to think outside the box and experiment with wines less savored. Feel free to experiment because that is the only way to discover new worlds of taste. Here are suggestions for pairing wines with cheeses.
Ports
Ports come in several styles that pair with a variety of cheeses. These fortified wines are made from several varieties of grapes grown in the Upper Douro valley in Portugal.
Vintage ports are the most well-known and are on the top end of the price pyramid. The other 98 percent of the port made is much less expensive and well worth discovering. It comes in two broad categories, ruby and tawny. Ruby ports are excellent with any type of mild or savory goat cheese. Tawny ports can be served with aged Gouda and Pont L'Eveque.
The most famous pairing for vintage port is Stilton. It also works very well with Roquefort. Although an open bottle of port will keep for a few days after it has been opened, you may want to consider buying half bottles. They will serve four to six people.
Soft vs. hard; old vs. young
If you are serving soft cheeses such as Brie, Fontina or Camembert, you should avoid very tannic wines because they fight with the delicate flavor. Try serving a Pinot Noir, Malbec, Chianti or Rioja. You also could serve a white wine with a little sweetness such as a German or Austrian Riesling.
Hard aged cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gruyere and Pecorino-Romano can stand up to full-bodied wines such as red Bordeaux, Shiraz, Amarone, Zinfandel or Barolo.
Young goat and sheep cheeses can be served with crisp, fresh white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre or New Zealand, Pouilly-Fume or Albarino. For goat and cheeses with more zing consider young reds such as Barbera or Cotes du Rhone. If you are serving some very pungent cheeses such as Muenster, consider a fortified wine such as an oloroso Sherry, Sauternes or Tokaji.
— ROBERTA SABBAN
