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Food & Wine Matching: Cheese

Overall Winner:
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 and Amarone from Veneto.

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.

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.