Cheese and wine pairings to wow your guests this Christmas
Below, the drink specialists at The Bottle Club reveal their top tips on finding the best wines and cheese pairings guaranteed to add a touch of sophistication to any soiree you plan on hosting this festive season:
1. Camembert with Chardonnay
Chardonnay and Camembert make an unbelievably perfect partnership in the run up to Christmas. The key with the pairing is to find a wine (such as Chardonnay) that will augment but not overwhelm the delicate flavours within the dish, and one sip of a dry Chardonnay can cut through the rich creaminess of the cheese.
The subtle fruit flavours in the wine also give a good depth of flavour and character, yet won’t be overwhelmed by the Camembert, or vice-versa. In fact, both items enhance each other perfectly.
Pairing suggestions: Cloudy Bay Chardonnay
2. Aged cheeses with a French red
The key to finding the perfect wine combination is simply to match the food qualities with the wine qualities and experiment with what works best for your own palette. The rule of thumb is that wines should be more acidic and sweeter than the foods you are choosing to pair them with.
Cheese becomes richer in flavour as it ages thanks to an increased fat content and loss of water. This makes them ideal for matching with bold red wines, as the increased fat will counteract the high tannins in the wine.
French reds, such as merlot, gama and syrah, and aged cheese such as cheddar, gruyère, manchego, gouda, provolone, or parmesan-style varieties like parmigiano-reggiano and grana padano would be a perfect pairing for Christmas Day.
Pairing suggestions: Croix de Marsan, Château de Marsan
3. Creamy cheese and sparkling wine
What Christmas celebration is complete without some flowing bubbles? When it comes to choosing the perfect sparkling wine and cheese pairing, your choice in colour and flavour wine should be guided from the ingredients within the cheese.
For rich, creamy, sticky cheeses such as brie, camembert, cremont, or époisses, a sparkling wine, such as prosecco, brachetto, bonarda and lambrusco will compliment well as they have a high acidity and carbonation, which offer a palate-cleansing effect.
Cream-based cheese will also go well with a lightly oaked Chardonnay.
Pairing suggestion: Bottega White Gold sparkling wine
4. Strong smelling cheese with a Sweet White Wine
Try to match the intensity of your wine with your dish. The sweet flavours from white wine help tame the unique flavours of the cheese and make it taste even creamier.
Washed-rind and blue-veined cheeses will bring out the sweetness of wines such as moscato, gewürztraminer, and dessert wines such as riesling and port.
Pairing suggestions: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie
Pinot Noir and Gruyere
Red wines such as Pinot Noir give a good depth of flavour and character to popular cheese pairings such as the classic gruyere.
Gruyere is a softer, swiss cheese with a nutty, tangy flavour, and Pinot Noir is one of the lighter red wines available with a medium-high acidity, making this cheese and wine pairing near identical in intensity. The silkiness of the Pinot Noir seamlessly complements the softness of the Gruyere.
Pairing suggestion: Bourgogne Pinot Noir
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