We adore the combination of cheese and wine, so we wanted to share with you a whole host of advice to help you draw the same satisfaction from your pairing choices.
In this ultimate guide, we have matched wines from our own collection of hampers to cheeses that we just know will bring out the best flavours in both.
But first, let’s give you some top tips to guide your cheese and wine pairing...
Top tips for cheese and wine pairing
Match key components
To pair wine and cheese, you need to consider the ‘components’ of each. This will include intensity, age, flavours and textures.
A simple tip is to remember that a bold and intense wine, full of flavour, will need an equally strong flavoured and smelling cheese to go with it.
In contrast, a lighter, younger wine can pair well with a creamier, more subtle-flavoured cheese.
Stay regional
If you are really unsure about cheese and wine pairing, then a quick win can be to follow the saying:
“Things that grow together, go together”
This means that wines and cheese from the same region will often taste great together.
For example, a French Bordeaux wine with go well with a traditional French brie from that same area.
Equally, a Spanish Garnacha and Spanish Manchego often taste great too.
Take your time
If you are preparing your cheese and wine pairing for a special occasion, then do take some time to test and experiment the mix of cheeses and wines.
Also, allow your cheese some time to warm up, rather than eating them straight from the fridge. So many people forget this.
Letting the cheese 'warm' allows it to release all of its flavours. However, please do your research about your specific chosen cheeses to find out how much time it can spend out of the fridge, without posing any health risks. In most cases, cheese can be left for an hour, at least, depending on the temperature of the room. But, as we say, do some research and then you can be assured of the best flavours to still be enjoyed safely.
Our final recommendation with regards to time is to not rush, when it comes to actually tasting the cheese and wine.
Take a small sip of wine, then nibble a little of the cheese. Let it sit together in your mouth for up to 10 seconds. This allows the cheese to warm up a little more and release all of its flavour, as well as work with any tannins and complementary flavours in the wine.
Taking this extra time at each stage will help to enusre a wonderful tasting experience. And all of these tips can really help you to make the best decisions about your wine and cheese pairings.
Pairing hampers.com wines with suitable cheeses
We are delighted to offer a delicious range of wines from around the world. Of course, each wine has its own unique flavours and the intensity, flavours and alcohol content of a wine of the same grape can vary greatly.
However, in this ultimate guide we have tried to offer you some classic cheese and wine pairings, matched with the wines we offer in our hampers and their characteristics. Together, we hope you will experience some really special flavours.
Red wine and cheese pairings
Malbec and vintage cheddar
We have a range of delicious Malbec’s from Argentina, which feature in our red wine and cheese hampers.
As one example, our Royal Road Malbec from Gauchezco Estate in Argentina is a full bodied red wine, known for its plump, dark fruit flavours and its smoky finish.
This combination of flavours means it pairs perfectly with a classic vintage cheddar, the more mature the better. It can be a touch salty and with some subtle smoky flavours too to complement those in the wine.
In addition, a strong nutty Edam or an Italian hard cheese, like vintage Parmesan, can also be enjoyed with a Malbec red wine.
Rioja and Manchego
Made from 100% Tempranillo, our Finca Amalia Rioja offers a range of red fruit flavours, with notes of cherry, strawberry and raspberry. It has a really fresh and vibrant acidity too.
This well-balanced Rioja makes it an ideal accompaniment to Manchego cheese, a semi-hard cheese with a sweeter flavour. Rioja can also work well with milder Cheddar cheeses and even those which are delicately flavoured.
Granacha and Gruyere
Granacha is another wonderfully versatile red wine.
This lighter Spanish red goes well with a hard cheese like gruyere because of the more subtle flavours in the cheese.
Gruyere can actually be quite sweet, as well as a little salty, so it doesn't need a heavy wine to pair well.
Ruby Port and Stilton
A sweet ruby port will always pair well with a salty cheese, such as Stilton. You can also try other blue cheeses, like Roquefort and Gorgonzola too. It's a classic Christmas combination, but it doesn't have to be enjoyed just during the festive season.
Our Port & Stilton Hamper features a bottle of Fonseca’s Bin 27 Port. It is full-bodied and deep ruby in colour. This Port has intense, fruity notes of deep red fruits, including blackberry, cassis, cherry and plum aromas. It is deep ruby in colour.
The tannins will be complemented by the fats and the components of a complex blue cheese, like our traditional hand-ladled Stilton, to make every mouthful a taste experience.
White wine and cheese pairings
Sauvignon Blanc and Goat’s Cheese
If you like goat’s cheese, then you may worry that nothing will quite pair with something so earthy, heavy and strong.
However, the citrus flavours found in a good Sauvignon Blanc, such as our Saint Peyre Sauvignon Blanc from the Languedoc, can work very well.
This wine has some real body to its lovely citrus freshness. It can take the strength of a traditianl goats cheese and draw out any herbal or nutty flavours too.
Do note that The Grenache Rosé also found in our White and Rose Wine Duo Gift, will pair well with a crumbly feta and also a soft cheese, like brie.
Albariño and Gouda
If you haven’t tried Alberiño, then we highly recommend that you do…as soon as possible!
Our Albariño by Casa Natal is a lovely Spanish white wine with clean, fresh and fruity aromas. It is well-balanced, with a firm taste. It is also a delightful pale yellow in colour with green glints.
The high acidity, but relatively low alcohol content, actually means it can pair with a range of foods and cheeses, but we think a gouda is a good place to start.
It is also a white wine that can handle a mild and smooth cheddar too.
Sparkling wine and cheese paring
Whilst you may think of chocolate rather than cheese when it comes to pairing food with sparkling wine, you will be surprised at how the effervescence can really complement certain cheeses.
Prosecco and Parmesan
Following the regional tip above, it is unsurprising that a bottle of Italian Prosecco can often pair very well with traditional Italian Parmesan. The mature, tangy and savoury flavour of the parmesan, which often has a rather earthy taste, balances out the sweetness of the Prosecco.
Our exclusive, Letizia Prosecco Spumante DOC Extra has delicate hints of stone fruit and sweet lemon on the palate and a pleasing crisp acidity. With soft, fine bubbles, it is a lovely addition to enjoy with hard cheeses on your cheese board.
Did you know a Prosecco Rose, with its added depth and fruity flavours can also pair well with a French Camembert?
Champagne and Brie
You may not believe that Champagne and a soft cheese, like brie, could work so well. However, the ‘science’ shows us that it really can. The softer and creamier texture of this type of cheese needs something sharp to cut through it and a Champagne works perfectly to do this.
We offer classic Champagne brands like Vueve Clicquot and Bollinger, as well as supporting smaller independent Champagne Houses, such as the delightful Autreau Champagne.
As found in our Prestige Food and Wine Hamper, this Champagne is a blend of 33% Pinot Noir from the “Marne Valley” and 67% Pinot Meunier from the “Côte des Bars”. It’s a sparkling wine full of flavour and fine aromas of red fresh fruits.
Give it a try with some of your favourite rich, soft French and English bries.
A whole array of cheese and wine pairings to try
We just adore the fact that whichever wine you like, there will be a cheese that will complement it perfectly.
Pairing can feel complex and difficult, but we hope with this ultimate guide to hand you will feel more confident. Lastly, don't forget that it's ok to experiment and work out the flavours that you like best.
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