Wine and Cheese Pairing Does Not Require Years of Experience

When putting 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 giving their two cents about what cheese works with which wine; however, when it comes down to it, 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 experimenting. Choose several cheeses and several wines. each person will find what combination is best for themselves. You can't go wrong. It will create conversation. It will be interesting. It will be delectable. And it will be enjoyable.

Cheese and wine are kindred foods, and they have been enjoyed together since olden days. Both are foods of fermentation. Both may be consumed while fresh, simple, and young or in their more intricate forms when they are aged and mature.

When married, wine and cheese bring out the best in each other, and even the wine snobes can't agree on any guidelines for the wine and cheese pairing game. Now obviously, if you're researching this subject, you're a snob like the rest of us, and with snobs, there's no worry about bloopers in wine and cheese pairings — say like nibbling Velveeta while sipping boxed Franzia.

There are no hard and fast rules as to which wines should typically be served with a precise} cheeses. There is a belief that cheeses of a certain country are best enjoyed with wines of the same country. But, just as one bottle of pinot noir from the Napa Valley is not like that of another vintage or another producer, neither is one goat cheese exactly like another. Both are living and constantly changing. This is what makes marriing cheese and wine fascinating as well as fun.

Even though it comes down to personal taste, certain guidelines have been supported by most of enthusiasts. 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 group of cheeses.
• The more acrid the cheese you choose, the sweeter the wine should be.
• Compatibilty should always exist between the cheese and the wine. They should have similar strength. There should always be a parity - strong and powerful cheeses should be paired with similar wines and fragile cheeses should be paired with lighter wines.
• A complete list of recommended wine and cheese groupings can be found at temecula-wine.net.

When offering a group of cheese choices in a wine and cheese pairing spread, white wines are recieved better than reds. That's because several cheeses, particularly soft and creamy ones, leave a layer of fat on your tongue that interferes with the taste of reds, rendering them monotonous and bland.

Quite the opposite, most of those sweeter whites nicely pair with most cheeses. Additionally, the "sparkle" in a sparkling wine or champagne can help break up the fat in heavier cheeses.Therefore, the spicy zing of a Gewürztraminer or the peachy zip of a Riesling is ideal if you're going for a wide appeal.

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

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

Here are several ideas for setting up a fun wine and cheese pairing dinner for your friends:
• Purchase your cheeses in big wedges for an ideal arrangement.
• Cheeses should be served at room temperature. Pull them out of the frig several hours prior to your dinner.
• Serve most wines cool — whites between 50-55 degrees and reds between 60-65 degrees.
• Open your reds 15-20 minutes before you want to serve them as they need to breath.
• Print typed name cards for all your cheeses.
• Display cheese on a wood chopping block, a slab of marble or even a cheese tray.

Ultimately, the perfect wine and cheese pairing is not a rule. It is a match made on the taste buds of each person individually. Start with the basic guidelines above and then rebel with the unfamiliar. You may be surprised which cheese and wine pairings will eventually be your choice.

David Cragg is an Web marketing professional for the Temecula wineries with over 30 years of experiance. 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 Web marketing to support expand their businesses. You can read more about his work for Temecula wineries at http://temecula-wineries.net/AboutUs.html.