Wine and cheese are two of life鈥檚 great culinary pleasures, and finding the perfect match can be a delicious endeavor. As with any wine and food pairing, there are a number of considerations, such as texture, acidity, fat and tannin. Rather than complicating the topic with exotic matches like Garrotxa and Meursault, we鈥檝e broken the art of wine and cheese pairing down, so you can create your own.
Wine and Cheese Pairing Guide
Wine and cheese pairing possibilities are endless. To simplify the strategy, cheeses can be divided into six categories.
Fresh: Soft and rindless, these can be made with cow, goat or sheep milk. They鈥檙e not aged and have a mild, slightly tangy flavor. While a log of bright white goat cheese is iconic, the category also includes farmer鈥檚 cheese, ricotta and others that come in tubs.
Bloomy: These are named for the bloom of white mold on the outside. They tend to be the richest and creamiest type of cheese, with a soft, spreadable texture. The rind is edible, and it has a stronger, funkier flavor than the interior.
Washed Rind: A bath in brine, beer or wine produces a distinct orange rind. They鈥檙e rich and creamy, and they can be soft or semi-soft in texture. They鈥檙e funkier than bloomy cheeses, with gamy, often pleasantly pungent notes.
Semi-Soft: They鈥檙e not spreadable, nor do they break in shards like a hard cheese. They tend to be creamy and fairly mild in flavor. Many are excellent to melt and perfect to slice. Some cheeses like Gouda are semi-soft in younger styles, while when aged, their texture turns hard.
Hard: The product of aging, these are quite firm and break into crumbles or shards. They tend to have nutty and complex savory notes. Some are fairly pungent and salty.
Blue: Veins of blue mold run through these. They can be soft and creamy, or semi-soft and crumbly. Some are sweeter and milder, but all pack a good deal of sharpness and tang.
All you need to know about Fresh聽Cheese



Burrata: A mozzarella exterior gives way to a luscious, milky center of mozzarella scraps mixed with cream.



Other fresh cheeses: Mascarpone, Stracchino, Boursin, very young Selles sur Cher

White Wine Pairings
- Crisp, dry and young bottlings (Albari帽o, Soave, Pinot Blanc, Muscadet, Vermentino, Verdejo, Arneis, Sauvignon Blanc, young Chardonnay)
- Off-dry wines (Gew眉rztraminer or Riesling) for salty cheeses like feta
Red Wine Pairings
- Very young, fruity, unoaked red wines (Loire Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Valpolicella, Zweigelt)
- Crisp, dry ros茅.
Classic Pairings
- Mozzarella di Bufala and Greco di Tufo
- Ch猫vre and Sauvignon Blanc de Touraine
All you need to know about Bloomy Cheese




Other bloomy cheeses: Chaource, Coeur du Neufchatel (both cow), Crottin de Chavignol (goat)

White Wine Pairings
- Dry, traditional-method sparkling wines (brut Champagne. NV for young cheese, vintage for riper, more pungent cheeses)
- Light-bodied, dry, unoaked Chardonnay (Chablis).
- Restrained, dry, light-bodied Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre)
- Dry, young Riesling, dry Chenin Blanc (Vouvray), Gr眉ner Veltliner
- Aged Hunter Valley Semillon or textured white Rh么ne varieties (Marsanne and Roussanne, specifically Ch芒teauneuf-du-Pape Blanc) for ripe, pungent cheese
Red Wine Pairings
- Dry and light-bodied wines that are young, fruity and unoaked (Pinot Noir, Dolcetto, Barbera, Gamay, Cabernet Franc from the Loire, Bonarda, Menc铆a, Zweigelt)
Classic Pairings
- Crottin de Chavignol and Sancerre
- Chaource and Champagne
All you need to know about Washed Rind Cheese





Other washed-rind cheeses: Langres, Chaume, Livarot, Munster, Vacherin de Mont d鈥橭r

White Wine Pairings
- Dry, traditional-method sparkling wines (brut Franciacorta, brut California bottlings)
- Dry and off-dry, unoaked white wines (Gewurztaminer and Pinot Gris from Alsace, Chenin Blanc from the Loire)
- Dry, structured whites (Marsanne and Roussanne, mature Hunter Valley Semillon, Riesling from Clare or Eden Valley, Australia) for ripe, pungent cheese
Red Wine Pairings
- Beaujolais Villages
- Pinot Noir
- Poulsard or Trousseau from Jura
Classic Pairings
- Munster and off-dry Gew眉rztraminer
- Reblochon and Chignin Blanc
- Epoisses and Chambertin (said to be a favorite of Napoleon)
All you need to know about Semi-Soft Cheese




Other semi-soft cheeses: Provolone, Edam, Morbier, Mimolette

White Wine Pairings
- Dry, white wines with a touch of oak (Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Rioja)
- Condrieu
Red Wine Pairings
- Gutsy, rustic, crunchy wines without much oak (C么tes de Rh么ne, Corbi猫res, St-Chinian, Chianti, Menc铆a, young Bordeaux blends)
Classic Pairings
- Gruy猫re and Vin Jaune de Savoie
All you need to know about Hard Cheese





Other hard cheeses: Manchego, Grana Padano, Beaufort, Cantal, Emmenthal, Sbrinz, Comt茅

White Wine Pairings
- Vintage traditional-method sparkling wines (Champagne, Franciacorta) for younger cheese
- Sherry (Amontillado, Palo Cortado)
Red Wine Pairings
- Bold wines with some age (Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Aglianico, Rioja or Bordeaux blends from cooler climates like Bordeaux or Margaret River)
Classic Pairings
- Manchego and Amontillado Sherry
- Pecorino Toscano and Chianti Classico
All you need to know about Blue Cheese






Other blue cheeses: Fourme d鈥橝mbert, Bleu d鈥橝uvergne, Cabrales

White Wine Pairings
- Milder blue cheeses like Cambozola share the same potential matches as bloomy cheeses.
- Noble Rot sweet wines (Sauternes, Barsac, Monbazillac, Riesling Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, Quarts de Chaume) for sharp, salty cheese
- Dessert wines from dried grapes (Vin Santo, Juran莽on, Recioto de Soave)
- Late-harvest wines (Riesling Sp盲tlese or Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives) for cheeses not overtly pungent
Red Wine Pairings
- Sweet, fortified reds (Vintage Port, LBV Port, Maury, Banyuls)
Classic Pairings
- Roquefort and Sauternes
- Gorgonzola Piccante and Vin Santo
- Stilton and Port
All you need to know about Baked and Fondue Cheese



White Wine Pairings
- Alpine white wines (Swiss Chasselas, Chignin, Jacq猫res, Arbois)
- Crisp, dry, light-bodied white wines (Muscadet, Chablis, Pinot Blanc)
Red Wine Pairings
- Light, fresh, crunchy wines (young Pinot Noir, Gamay, Mondeuse, Zweigelt)
Classic Pairings
- Swiss Fondue and Fendant
Illustrations by Julia Lea