Cheese and Wine Pairing: A Cheesemonger's Guide
A cheesemonger's guide · By Vincent Lazzarini
I'm Vincent, the cheesemonger behind The Cheese Yard. I grew up in a small town between Champagne, Burgundy and Paris, so cheese and wine have been on the same table for as long as I can remember. The question I'm asked most at the counter is a simple one: what wine goes with cheese?
My honest answer surprises people. Most of the time, it isn't red.
Red or white wine with cheese?
Red wine and cheese is the pairing everyone reaches for, and it is the one that lets people down most often. The tannins in a big red clash with the salt and cream in cheese, and both end up tasting harsher than they should.
White wine is the more dependable partner. Its acidity cuts through the richness and leaves you ready for the next bite. A 2016 tasting study by researchers in Dijon pointed the same way, with the whites proving the more reliable match.
That doesn't mean red is banned. Reds with higher acidity and softer tannins, Pinot Noir above all, can be lovely with the right cheese. You just need to choose the cheese for the red, not the other way round.
Three rules I use at the counter
Match strength with richness
The stronger the cheese, or the deeper its flavour, the richer the wine can be. A young, delicate cheese wants something light and crisp. A long-aged mountain cheese can carry a fuller white.
When it gets too strong or too salty, go sweet
This is the rule that changes people's minds. Once a cheese becomes very strong or very salty, I stop looking for a dry wine and switch to a sweet one: a moscatel, a port or a sweet sherry. Sweet and savoury together is what makes it work.
If you want red, keep it light
Pick a red with freshness and gentle tannins, and put it with a cheese that can stand next to it.
What wine goes with each style of cheese
Pour Dry sparkling wine, or Normandy cider
Brie, Camembert and other soft cheeses
Creamy, bloomy cheeses love bubbles. A dry sparkling wine lifts the richness of a Brie de Meaux, a Baron Bigod or a triple-cream such as Délice des Crémiers. And one that isn't wine at all: a Normandy cider with Brie or a young Camembert.
Shop Brie de Meaux
Pour Loire Sauvignon Blanc, such as Sancerre
Goat's cheese
Fresh, tangy goat's cheese needs a crisp white with plenty of acidity. A Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, such as Sancerre, alongside a Sainte-Maure de Touraine or a Chabichou is as close to a sure thing as pairing gets. They come from the same part of France, and it shows.
Shop Sainte-Maure
Pour Richer Chardonnay, such as Mâcon-Villages
Comté, Gruyère and Alpine cheeses
These are the cheeses for a richer white. The nutty depth of a Comté aged 20 months or more, a Gruyère Réserve or a Beaufort sits beautifully with a fuller Chardonnay from Burgundy, such as a Mâcon-Villages.
Shop Comté
Pour Light red, such as Pinot Noir
Cheddar and farmhouse hard cheeses
Here is where I do pour a red. A proper farmhouse cheddar, like Hafod, Isle of Mull or Lincolnshire Poacher, belongs with a light red. A Pinot Noir is my first choice.
Shop Hafod Cheddar
Pour Normandy cider, aromatic Alsace white, or an IPA
Washed-rind cheeses
The pungent ones, such as Époisses and Munster, need a drink with character of its own. An aromatic white from Alsace is the classic choice with Munster. My own tip is to leave the wine in the rack: Munster and other washed-rind cheeses are great with a Normandy cider, and an IPA works well too.
Shop Munster
Pour Port, moscatel or sweet sherry
Blue cheese
Blue cheese is where rule two comes in. Salty, powerful blues such as Stilton or Bleu d'Auvergne are at their best with something sweet: port, moscatel or a sweet sherry. Some blues do lean towards red, the ones with an earthy, nutty, drier character, but sweet is the pairing that rarely fails.
Shop Stilton
Pour Corsican rosé
One to try: rosé
Rosé is overlooked with cheese. A Corsican rosé with Saveur du Maquis, a herb-coated ewe's milk cheese from the same island, is one of my favourite pairings of all.
Shop Saveur du MaquisCheese and wine pairing at a glance
| Cheese style | Try | Pour |
|---|---|---|
| Soft and bloomy | Brie de Meaux, Camembert | Dry sparkling wine, or Normandy cider |
| Goat's cheese | Sainte-Maure de Touraine | Loire Sauvignon Blanc, such as Sancerre |
| Alpine and aged hard | Comté, Gruyère | Richer Chardonnay, such as Mâcon-Villages |
| Farmhouse cheddar | Hafod, Isle of Mull | Light red, such as Pinot Noir |
| Washed rind | Munster, Époisses | Normandy cider, aromatic Alsace white, or an IPA |
| Blue | Stilton, Bleu d'Auvergne | Port, moscatel or sweet sherry |
The book
Want the full boards?
This page covers the principles. My book, Put Down the Red: A Cheesemonger's Guide to Cheese and Wine Pairing, builds them into six complete cheese boards for entertaining at home, each with the wines to pour alongside.
Find the book on AmazonCheese and wine pairing questions
What wine goes with blue cheese?
Sweet wine. Port, moscatel or a sweet sherry balances the salt and strength of a blue such as Stilton far better than a dry red.
What wine goes with Brie?
A dry sparkling wine. The bubbles and acidity cut through the creaminess. A Normandy cider is a very good alternative.
What wine goes with cheddar?
A light red with good acidity, such as Pinot Noir. Farmhouse cheddar is one of the few cheeses I would choose a red for.
What wine goes with goat's cheese?
A crisp white. Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, such as Sancerre, is the classic match.
Is red or white wine better with cheese?
White is the more reliable choice. Its acidity refreshes the palate, while the tannins in many reds clash with cheese. Lighter reds such as Pinot Noir are the exception.
What is the best single wine for a cheese board?
If you are only opening one bottle, make it a dry white with good acidity or a dry sparkling wine. Either will get on with more of the board than a red will.
Every palate is different, so treat all of this as a starting point. Try things, keep what you enjoy, and come and tell us what you discovered.
