Wait, what? You didn’t know October is American Cheese Month? Well now you do. Established by the American Cheese Society, October is a “…celebration of North America’s delicious and diverse cheeses, and the farmers, cheesemakers, retailers, cheesemongers, and chefs who bring them to your table.”
Of course, you know where we’re going with this. Sip a little wine with your cheese! “How do I pair wine with cheese?” you may ask. Glad you did!
Here’s an excerpt from Snob Free Wine Tasting Companion, Wine Smart in a Day (Napa & Sonoma Edition):
If you’re planning a picnic in the wine country, cheese and wine make great partners. Impress your friends at home too by pairing wines and cheeses at a party. When paired, wine and food have a “synergy,” or an additional flavor, beyond what either offers alone.
The saying goes, “The sweeter the wine, the stronger the cheese.” The following lists can help you decide what cheeses to serve with different types of wine.
White wines are best paired with soft stronger flavored cheeses such as Brie, Goat Cheese, Parmesano or Jarlsberg.
Red wines are best paired with milder flavored hard cheeses such as Sharp Cheddar, Gouda, Danish Blue or Edam.
Fruity, sweet dessert wines, Sherry and Port are best paired with stronger flavored cheeses such as strong Blue Cheeses, Gorgonzola or Stilton.
You can find much longer lists of wine and cheese pairings, however, in keeping with the Snob Free theme, this is designed to get you started with generally well-known cheeses with which you may already be familiar. As is always the case, only you can decide what tastes good to you.
