Cheese board with cheese and grapes with glasses of white wine and red wine

5th February 2019 | Pairings & Recipes | 3 minute read

Gourmet Cheese and Wine Pairing

By Nathan Wadlow

Enjoying wine with food is one of the great pleasures in life. Enter cheese. It’s hard to think of a single food item which is more perfectly suited to a beautiful glass of vino, particularly when enjoyed on its own. Here is a selection of five very fine gourmet cheeses, each one carefully paired with one of our boutique bottles of wine. These are matches truly made in heaven!

Il Canet Cheese with Barbera

Il Canet Cheese

Il Canet is a native cheese from Piedmont, northern Italy. The unique tangerine colour is from the annatto which is added to the brine when it is being ‘washed’. The sweet yet spicy flavours are perfectly balanced; the result of a unique blend of cow and goat’s milk used to make it.

Wine to pair: Tenuta Olim Bauda Barbera D’asti DOCG La Villa 2016

Tenuta Olim Bauda Barbera d'Asti DOCG La Villa

You should definitely try to drink local wines with local foods – this Barbera is the perfect match for a Piedmont cheese. The wine is deep, concentrated and spicy whilst retaining purity and elegance so it won’t overpower the delicately balanced Il Canet.

Epoisses de Bourgogne AOC with Pinot Noir

 

Epoisses de Bourgogne cheese

Made only in Burgundy, Epoisses is a cow’s milk cheese that is washed in a classic French brandy to create a pungent, spicy speciality. Epoisses de Bourgogne is surprisingly meaty in flavour, combining stunning spicy notes which add to its complexity. It looks great too and is sure to impress at any dinner party.

Wine to pair: La Paulee Bourgogne Rouge 2014

La Paulee Bourgogne Rouge 2014

Wash this cheese down with the wine it’s been washed in – Bourgogne (Burgundy). La Paulee Bourgogne Rouge 2014 has great depth, concentration and complexity. Heaps of red fruit, layered spice and a savoury edge mean this Pinot Noir will stand up to a cheese like this beautifully.

Westcombe Cheddar with Chardonnay

Westcombe Cheddar cheese

Westcombe Dairy certainly know how to pack a punch and this cheddar really is phenomenal. Packed full of flavour and strength, this is a hand-made gem full of Somerset’s rural influence. Made using traditional, artisan methods, this is a fine example of Great British cheese.

Wine to pair: Familia Zuccardi Chardonnay Q 2016

Familia Zuccardi Chardonnay Q

This lightly oaked, nutty Chardonnay will complement the flavours of the Westcombe cheddar wonderfully, whilst the acidity in the wine will keep the palate feeling fresh.

Monte Enebro with Muscat

Monte Enebro cheese

 

Also known as mule’s-hoof cheese, Monte Enebro is a Spanish wonder. Delicate citrus notes can be found in this unpasteurised goats cheese, which develops in strength the longer it is kept. Another show stopper and a fantastic example of a gourmet semi soft cheese.

Wine to pair: Kuehn Alsace Muscat 2017

Kuehn Alsace Muscat 2019

Something light and fresh pairs well with this goat’s cheese. The Kuehn Alsace Muscat 2017 is approachable yet complex with aromatics of elderflower, lemon and root ginger. A well suited partner.

Kaltbach Gruyere with Gewürztraminer

Kaltbach Gruyere cheese

Swiss perfection. Developed and matured in sandstone caves, this Kaltbach Guryere is irresistibly smooth with extraordinary flavour. This is genuine melt in the mouth stuff which simply deserves to be tasted!

Wine to pair: Cave de Turkheim Gewürztraminer Sables et Galets

Cave de Turckheim Gewurztraminer Sables et Galets

Unashamedly sweet and deliciously fruity, this wine will go beautifully with an aged, savoury hard cheese. The sweet and salty combination creates a unique interplay that heightens the more subtle notes and brings new complexity to the pairing.

Cheese provided by our friends at Pong Cheese.