Cheese & Wine Matching Guide

Overall Winner:  Full-Bodied Chardonnay
A cheese board is a complete minefield where wine is concerned but White wines generally fare better than Reds. There is no real sure fire winner here but a rich full-bodied Chardonnay will go with more types of cheeses than most wines.

It is actually much better to serve just one or two great cheeses with a well-matched wine than a big cheese selection.

Roquefort: Sauternes or Barsac & Stilton:  Port
These are two of the food and wine matches made in heaven.

Gorgonzola: Bual Madeira
Gorgonzola is not easy to match but a Bual Madeira or an aged Tawny Port would be OK.

Cambozola: Tokaji Aszú
Mild creamy cheeses like Cambozola work quite well with a Tokaji Aszú or other sweet wines.

Dolcelatte: Rioja
Dolcelatte being that bit stronger would work with aged Spanish Red from Rioja, Navarra or Ribera del Duero.

Goats' Cheese: Sancerre
Goats' Cheese has a real affinity with Sauvignon Blanc. Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé are perfect or a New Zealand Sauvignon nearly as good.

Cheddar, Red Leicester, Gruyere, Parmesan and Manchego:
Medium to Full-Bodied Dry Reds
Hard cheeses probably fare better with Red wines than any other type of cheese. For Cheddar, Red Leicester, Gruyere, Parmesan and Manchego, medium to full-bodied dry Reds like mature Red Bordeaux or even a mature Rioja work as would a rich, full-bodied Chardonnay such as White Burgundy.

Mimolette is the perfect partner to Red Bordeaux

Smoked Cheese: Alsace Gewurztraminer
Smoked Cheese is very difficult to match, try an Alsace Gewurztraminer.

Camembert or Chaumes: Red Burgundy
Mouth-coating soft cheeses are very problematical with Red wines. However both Camembert and Chaumes work fine with a Red Burgundy or a ripe Pomerol or St. Emilion wines.

Brie: White Burgundy
For Brie choose a rich White Burgundy and a steely Chablis for Chaource.

Contact us for a wine recommendation to match a dish not on this page.

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