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Temecula Style Wine and Cheese Pairing

When organizing a wine and cheese pairing, the thing you have to know is: If it tastes good, do it! I’m sure you’ve heard all the best known chefs giving their two cents about what cheese works with a wine; however, when it comes down to it, it’s all about personal taste. You may prefer your favorite cheese with your favorite wine. My best recommendation is for you to be ready for for experimenting. Choose several cheeses and several wines. each person will find what combination is best for themselves. You can't go wrong. wine tasting parties will create conversation. It will be fun. It will be yummy. And it will be lots of fun.

Cheese and wine are often matched, and they have been enjoyed together since ancient times. Both are products of fermentation. Both may be consumed while fresh, simple, and young or in their more abstuse forms when they are aged.

When joined, wine and cheese do their part to bring out the finest aspects of each other, and even the experts can’t agree on any rules for the wine and cheese pairing match game. Now certainly, if you’re reading this, you’re a highbrow like the rest of us, and with snobs, there’s no worry about bloopers in wine and cheese pairings — say like nibbling american cheese while sipping boxed Blueberry Hill.

There are no hard and fast rules as to which wines should always be served with an appropriate} cheeses. There is a belief that cheeses of a certain geographic area are best served with wines of the same area. But, just as one bottle of pinot gregio from the France is not like that of another vintage or another producer, neither is one goat cheese exactly like another. Both are living and constantly changing. This is what makes pairing cheese and wine amusing as well as pleasurable.

Even though it comes down to personal taste, certain guidelines have been proven favorable by a majority of enthusiasts. Here are some of those general guidelines:

  • White wines pairs favorably with soft cheeses and stronger flavors.
  • Red wines pairs favorably with hard cheeses and milder flavors.
  • Fruity and sweet white wines (not dry) and dessert wines pairs favorably with a wider selection of cheeses.
  • The more acrid the cheese you choose, the sweeter the wine should be.
  • Compatibilty should always exist between the cheese and the wine. They should have similar strength. There should always be a balance - strong and powerful cheeses should be paired with similar wines and delicate cheeses should be paired with lighter wines.
  • A complete list of well paired wine and cheese groupings can be found at temecula-wine.net.
  • When offering many cheese selections in a wine and cheese party, white wines are better than reds. That’s because several cheeses, particularly soft and creamy ones, leave a taste of fat on the palate that interferes with the taste of reds, rendering them monotonous and bland.
  • A complete list of wine and cheese pairing can be found at http://temecula-wine.net.

Quite the opposite, most of those sweeter whites complement many of cheeses. The “sparkle” in a sparkling wine or champagne can help break through the fat in heavier cheeses.Therefore, the spicy zing of a Gewürztraminer or the peachy zip of a Riesling is ideal if you’re going for wide-reaching appeal.

If you’re an adventurist and willing to try the stinkiest of cheese, pick a big wine to back it up. Try a French Bordeaux or a buxom California Cab. Ports and dessert wines are your best choice if you like mold-donned or blue-veined cheeses.

When serving several wines, choose Parmigiano or Romano cheeses. They go with most wines.

A Wine and Cheese Pairing Party to Remember

Here are several ideas for setting up a memorable wine and cheese pairing bash for your friends and family:

  • Purchase your cheeses in large blocks for the best display.
  • Cheeses should be served at room temperature. Pull them out of the fridge a couple hours prior to your bash.
  • Serve most wines refridgerated — whites between 50-55 degrees and reds between 60-65 degrees.
  • Let your reds breathe 15-20 minutes after you open them.
  • Make handwritten name cards for all your cheeses.
  • Display cheese on a pretty china platter a wood cheese board, or even a slab of marble .

Ultimately, the perfect wine and cheese pairing is not a guideline that professional chefs dictate. It is a match made on the palates of each of your guests. Start with some basics and then rebel with the new pairings. You may be surprised which cheese and wine pairings will eventually be your choice.

 


  
   
 

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