Fun with Wine and Cheese Pairing

When trying to put together a tasty wine and cheese pairing, the only thing you have to know is: If it tastes right, do it! I’m sure you’ve heard all the fancy chefs explaining about what cheese works with a wine; however, when you make your selection, it’s all about personal taste. You may prefer one cheese with a particular wine while someone else may like an entirely different pairing. My recommendation is for you to be in a mood a fun afternoon. Choose several cheeses and several wines. You will find one pairing that is best for you and another for someone else. You will enjoy yourself more if you are open to all combinations. wine and cheese pairing will create conversation. It will be a great time. It will be delightful. And it will be enjoyable.

Cheese and wine have much in common, and they have been enjoyed together since antiquity. Both are products of fermentation. Both may be consumed while fresh, simple, and young or in their more abstuse forms when they are aged.

When paired up, wine and cheese do their part to bring out the best in each other, and even the wine snobes can’t agree on any absolutes in the wine and cheese pairing match game. Now obviously, if you’re reading this, you’re a smarty pants like the rest of us, and with snobs, there’s no worry about flubs in wine and cheese pairings — say like nibbling american cheese while sipping boxed Ripple.

There are no hard and fast rules as to which wines should regularly be served with a precise} cheeses. There is a tradition that cheeses of a certain locale are best enjoyed with wines of the same locale. But, just as one bottle of zinfandel from the Napa Valley is not like that of another vintage or another producer, neither is one Blue Benedictin exactly like another. Both are living and constantly changing. This is what makes pairing cheese and wine alluring as well as delicious.

Even though it comes down to personal taste, certain guidelines have been proven favorable by most of the experts. Here are some of those general rules:
• White wines combines favorably with soft cheeses and stronger flavors.
• Red wines combines favorably with hard cheeses and milder flavors.
• Fruity and sweet white wines (not dry) and dessert wines combines favorably with a broader selection of cheeses.
• The more pungent the cheese you choose, the sweeter the wine should be.
• Rapport should always exist between the cheese and the wine. They should have similar strength. There should always be a balance - strong and powerful cheeses should be paired with similar wines and delicate cheeses should be paired with lighter wines.
• A complete list of well paired wine and cheese pairings can be found at temecula-wine.net.

When offering many cheese selections in a wine and cheese party, white wines are recieved better than reds. That’s because several cheeses, particularly soft and creamy ones, leave a layer of fat on the palate that interferes with the taste of reds, making them monotonous and bland.

Just the opposite, most of those sweeter whites nicely complement many of cheeses. Additionally, the “sparkle” in a sparkling wine or champagne can help break through the fat in heavier cheeses.Therefore, the spicy zing of a Gewürztraminer or the peachy zip of a Riesling is perfect if you’re going for wide-reaching appeal.

If you’re new to cheese tasting, pick a big wine to back it up. Try a French Bordeaux or a buxom California Cab. Ports and dessert wines are your best choice if you like mold-donned or blue-veined cheeses.

When having several wines, choose Parmigiano or Romano cheeses. They go with most wines.
A Wine and Cheese Pairing Party to Remember

Here are a few suggestions for setting up a memorable wine and cheese pairing tet-together for your friends:
• Purchase your cheeses in large wedges for the best display.
• Cheeses should be eated at room temperature. Pull them out of the refridgerator a couple hours before your tet-together.
• Serve most wines fairly cool — whites between 50-55 degrees and reds between 60-65 degrees.
• Let your reds breathe 15-20 minutes after you open them.
• Create handwritten name cards for all your cheeses.
• Display cheese on a cheese tray, a wood cheese board, or even a nice piece of china.

Ultimately, the perfect wine and cheese pairing is not a guideline that professional chefs dictate. It is a match made on the taste buds of each person individually. Start with the basic guidelines above and then try the unfamiliar. You will be surprised which couple will eventually be your choice.

David Cragg is an SEO expert for the Temecula Valley with over 30 years of work with the biggest high tech companies. His work started with IBM and then was supported by Microsoft. Today he is retired and offers his assistence to winery managment to support with their SEO to support expand their businesses. You can read more about his work for Temecula wineries at http://temecula-wineries.net/AboutUs.html.