{"id":36880,"date":"2019-07-03T13:32:22","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T17:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=36880"},"modified":"2024-09-18T10:24:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T14:24:51","slug":"how-to-pair-wine-and-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/how-to-pair-wine-and-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Pair Wine and Cheese"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/span>f you have been listening to all the advice swirling around about cheese and wine pairing, well\u2026you might be drinking a beer right now. It\u2019s true: beer, in general, is more forgiving with cheese. <\/span>But as with anything in life, the greater the risk, th<\/span>e greater the reward potential.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the opposite is true as well: when a wine and cheese clash, they tend to do so dramatically. But happily, we\u2019re just talking about food here, not brain surgery. Missteps happen, and they are OK. Here are two easy ways to up your batting average: always have extra wine on hand (tough sell, eh?) and adhere to the following guidelines.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Weigh the options.<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

    In any pairing, one element shouldn\u2019t drown out the other. A monster cabernet, for instance, is going to obliterate a diminutive disk of fresh goat cheese. Better to pull out a chunk of cheddar or dense, dry jack for the red and a light, bright sauvignon <\/span>blanc<\/span> for the <\/span>goaty<\/span> <\/span>crottin<\/span>. <\/span><\/li>\n

  2. \n

     Opt for acid.<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

    Acidity is a cheese\u2019s best friend: It\u2019s the element that\u2019s going to cleanse your palate between bites, readying it for more. It\u2019s also going to amplify the acidity in cheese. In general, the lighter the wine, the higher the impression of acidity\u2014the decision you need to make is whether you want to emphasize that acidity or counter it. A bright, zingy sauvignon <\/span>blanc<\/span>, for instance, will be bolstered by a fresh, tangy goat cheese or a chunk of feta. The same sauvignon, however, could provide satisfying contrast to a milky <\/span>camembert<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Tame the tannins.<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

    <\/b>Tannins are naturally occurring components that come from the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes, as well as from the oak barrels often used to age wines. They can dry out your mouth<\/span>, and are bitter and astringent in high levels. <\/span>They also<\/span> tend to be exaggerated by salt\u2014something cheese tends to have a lot of<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>That said, tannins (in moderate levels) <\/span>can<\/span> work similarly to acidity to counter a cheese\u2019s richness. Think of a dense, milky cheddar with a rich cabernet or zinfandel: not only will they match each other for size, but the wine\u2019s tannins will give it purchase on the cheese\u2019s concentrated <\/span>milkfat<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Match ABV with fat. <\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

    Take away the alcohol from wine, and all you have is grape juice\u2014not so interesting with cheese. Booze is a key part of the equation, yet it can pose its own challenges as salt and bitter flavors tend to fan its fire. Pair a high-alcohol wine with a dry, salty cheese and the cheese will taste even saltier and the wine more alcoholic; sip it with a bite of funky rind and all you\u2019ll taste are the bitter notes of the cheese. The solution? Tamp down the alcohol in the wine with a cheese that has plenty of fat. <\/span><\/li>\n

  5. \n

    When in doubt, select something sweet.<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

     <\/span><\/b>Sweetness is a cheese lover\u2019s friend: residual sugar in a wine can smooth over all the edges that prove ornery in wine-and-cheese pairings. The greatest example of the power of sweetness might be port, a sweet red out of Portugal. Port is full of the things most challenging to cheese\u2014acid, tannins, and alcohol\u2014and yet its sweetness makes it feel lush and smooth, a luxurious match for tangy blues. Sweet whites can work just as well.<\/span> <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    With these five guidelines (and a little creativity), you’ll be a wine and cheese pairing expert in no time. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":34303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543,2777],"tags":[2320,21492,149,1083],"coauthors":[842],"class_list":["post-36880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cheese-pairings","category-drinks-with-cheese","tag-cheese-pairing","tag-drinks-with-cheese","tag-wine","tag-wine-and-cheese"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAn Expert's Guide to Pairing Wine and Cheese<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With these five guidelines (and a little creativity), you'll be a wine and cheese pairing expert in no time.\" 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