Wine and Cheese

[Opas Coat]

Does anyone here have wine and cheese partys?

I myself have not as of yet but I do enjoy a good dry white German wine. If all goes well I will be having some freinds over for such an occasion over Christmas. As I type this I am having a glass (could become bottle) of Fetzer White Zinfandel 2007.

Can anyone with experience recommend the pairings of some wine and cheeses?

 

[tortswon]

Wine & Cheese pairings

This is an enormous subject. The first determination I think you should make is whether you want to go with white wine, red wine or both. I recommend selecting one or the other.

The best rule of thumb in pairing wine and cheese is to pair wines and cheeses that are produced in close proximity to one another. Pair Burgundian cheeses with Burgandys. Remember, none of these artisinal foods and wines are created in a vacuum. The local cheese is made to pair with the wine and vice versa.

I tend to prefer fresh goat cheese and mild young cheeses with white wines.
Older, more aggressive cheeses go with red wines generally. An exception is bleu cheese which goes best, IMO, with a sweet white wine like Sauternes or the sweet Canadian whites. This is just a start. Explore! Best, Sam

 

[Brooksie]

Wine and cheese party now thats a great idea.

I have an article that I got from Better Homes and Gardens from 2005 that maybe helpful here is the section that you will find most pertinent:

When you serve cheese at home, you want to have a mixture of varieties from mild to pungent so a wide range of taste buds are covered.

Buttery soft-ripened cheese is divine with fresh berries and a glass of champagne or pinot noir.

Ripe blue cheeses are delightful partners to fresh dates, walnuts, or dried fruits. Serve with full-bodied red wines such as zinfandel or shiraz, or cider.

Creamy and mild goat's milk cheese is a mouth-watering match to decadent pieces of honeycomb, apples or pears, and a buttery chardonnay or crisp sauvignon blanc.

I hope this helps.

Brooksie

 

[NicknNora]

I don't know the proper way to determine which wines go with which cheeses but I do know that if I were coming to your party I'd want a variety of cheeses and wine to choose from. I'd also want fruit to go along with the cheese and something salty. When I first got married my husband and I were on different shifts. I really didn't want to cook a meal just for me so I'd fix a plate with a variety of whatever I had on hand. It would usually be cheese (sharp chedder/swiss/gouda), thinly sliced deli ham, some kind of fruit (grapes/pineapple/strawberries), raw veggies (carrot sticks/celery/green peppers) and always something salty (pretzels/gardettos/olives). The different textures and tastes really made the wine taste great. If I was drinking champagne I'd finish with strawberries and confectioner sugar. Darn, I'm making myself hungry. lol I may just have to go to the grocery!lol

 

[Spitfire]

I am 100% behind Sam here.
An old french farmer once taught me the secret.
You take a local cheese, a local bread - and a local wine.
Chew the cheese and bread together - while you still have it in your mouth, you take a sip of the wine. Chew it all together and enjoy...heaven!

When thing are grown in the same area they sort of fit together. They are mend to be.

In Greece you are even able to enjoy Retsina together with heavy oily greek salad or other greek food - but if you try a bottle of Retsina at you home, with your local food....not heaven!!!!

 

[Opas Coat]

We have some a well equipped beer, wine and spirit stores here however the grocery stores are quite the opposite. Our best has around two dozen cheeses counting the cheep no name ones. Not very worldly. This means a trip to Edmonton!

I shall have to make a list. I would like to have about seven to ten wines and so many cheeses, crackers and some nuts. I will probably have to make my wine list from my cheeses.

By regions, would countries suffice?

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

I must be a low-maintenance kind of guest, Opas, because if I came to your party, as long as there was some wine and some cheese, (and maybe fruit and crackers), I'd be a happy girl. Happier still if you offered some melted dark chocolate to dip the fruit in.

 

[Ethan Bentley]

Port and Stilton

Applewood and Whisky

Lovely stuff.

 

[Tomasso]

We have some a well equipped beer, wine and spirit stores here however the grocery stores are quite the opposite. This means a trip to Edmonton!

In America it seems that in the last decade or so most of the better liquor and grocery stores have opened elaborate cheese departments, many staffed with a fromager. It's really nice to have somebody knowledgeable to hold your hand at the beginning as pairing mistakes can be ruinous to both palate and pocketbook .

 

[rumblefish]

In America it seems that in the last decade or so most of the better liquor and grocery stores have opened elaborate cheese departments, many staffed with a fromager. It's really nice to have somebody knowledgeable to hold your hand at the beginning as pairing mistakes can be ruinous to both palate and pocketbook .

Yes!:eusa_clap
Fairway Market, and Uncle Giuseppe's are two that come to mind right away. The guy at the Uncle Giuseppe's in Smithtown (LI, NY) is a champ.

 

[tortswon]

Port and Stilton

Applewood and Whisky

Lovely stuff.

Ethan, I know that port and Stilton is a classic pairing, especially with walnuts. May I very respectfully suggest you try the Stilton with a nice Sauternes. I believe you will find a different side of Stilton. I would not ever say it is better, just different. Cheers! Best, Sam

 

[rumblefish]

Ethan, I know that port and Stilton is a classic pairing, especially with walnuts. May I very respectfully suggest you try the Stilton with a nice Sauternes. I believe you will find a different side of Stilton. I would not ever say it is better, just different. Cheers! Best, Sam

Sauternes you say? :arated: Great with Stilton (I can think of a few beers for Stilton too. I'll bet, so can Sam^ )

Sauternes and foie gras, another classic...

Barbaresco and bolognese (especially with a game meat, porcini, pancetta and chicken livers in the sauce)

 

[Story]

Ethan, I know that port and Stilton is a classic pairing, especially with walnuts. May I very respectfully suggest you try the Stilton with a nice Sauternes. I believe you will find a different side of Stilton. I would not ever say it is better, just different. Cheers! Best, Sam

Just to be the Devil's Advocate for the Phillyfolks.
http://www.chcheeseshop.com/

 

[Tomasso]

Cheesehead Alert!!!!!

When in NYC be sure to stop here.:essen:

 

[tortswon]

We have some a well equipped beer, wine and spirit stores here however the grocery stores are quite the opposite. Our best has around two dozen cheeses counting the cheep no name ones. Not very worldly. This means a trip to Edmonton!

I shall have to make a list. I would like to have about seven to ten wines and so many cheeses, crackers and some nuts. I will probably have to make my wine list from my cheeses.

By regions, would countries suffice?

Opas, rather than dividing things up geographically for the cheese, why not use the milk source (i.e. a plate with cow's milk cheese, sheep's milk, goat's milk). This will highlight the different ways the cheesemaker manipulates the characteristics of milk from the same source. Best, Sam

 

[Opas Coat]

what wines would go best with those cheeses in general?

 

[Ethan Bentley]

Ethan, I know that port and Stilton is a classic pairing, especially with walnuts. May I very respectfully suggest you try the Stilton with a nice Sauternes. I believe you will find a different side of Stilton. I would not ever say it is better, just different. Cheers! Best, Sam

Sam, thank you very much for the recommendation. I'm going to have a look into this.
I was recently at a meeting which was catered and they had a lovely cheese board.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"Speaking of cheese boards, here in the Antipodes, Sir Les Patterson, Bon Vivant, and Australia's Representative at the Court of St James, finds time in his busy schedule, to sit on our cheese Board, on a regular basis"

http://sirlespatterson.com/