Wine and cheese may be the most common pairing out there today. The problem, unfortunately, is that most wine and cheese pairings are simply not any good. And unless they are made with care and consideration, both the wine and the cheese will suffer from it.
Food & Wines
Cheeses
Recipes
Cheddar Cheese
Because of its relatively mild character, Cheddar is a fairly wine-friendly cheese. The classic combination is with red wines from Bordeaux. This, of course, harkens back to the days when “claret” was the only thing a proper English gentleman would drink…and they certainly knew what they were talking about. Spanish Rioja is great with Cheddar, as are California Zinfandels (the red, not the pink). Have fun with this cheese and wine pairing…there are a lot of possibilities, and some of them may surprise you.
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Suggested Wines
Boursin
Boursin is a brand name Cheese from Gournay in France. It is a soft cheese comparable in texture to cream cheese.
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Suggested Wines
Brie
A pale, soft, French cheese. Brie is known for the layer of edible white mole surrounding the cheese.
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Suggested Wines
Camembert
Made by the same process and recipe as brie cheese. Like wine though cheese has rules for naming conventions from region to region. Area of region is the main difference between these two cheeses. Try them both and see if you can distinguish the subtle differences.
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Chevre
Chevre is the French word for goat. Making Chevre cheese made from goats milk. There are of course many different types of Chevre, not all of them from France.
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Cream Cheese
A soft, sweet, white cheese. Cream cheese is made from at least 33% milk fat, and can be enjoyed fresh or used in your favorite cheese cake recipes. Philadelphia, is a brand name of the cheese. The city is not necessarily the center of the cream cheese universe though.
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Blue Cheeses
Blue cheeses pertain to cheeses that have had penicillin added during production. This creates the signature blue or bluish green veins throughout the cheese.
Recipes
Feta
Feta is a soft crumbly cheese traditionally made in Greece from a mixture of sheep and goats milk.
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Gouda
Gouda was originally named after its city of origin in the Netherlands. This yellow cheese is now produced worldwide. Gouda is usually coated with red or yellow wax to prevent the cheese from drying out during the aging process.
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Monterey Jack
A semi hard American cheese. Monterey Jack production can be traced back to the 1800's in, you guessed it Monterey California.
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- Chardonnay
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Chenin Blanc
- Riesling
- Champagne
- Sparkling Blend
- Champagne Blend
- cabernet blend
Provolone
Provolone originated from southern Italy, and is now produced mainly in the Lombardy and Veneto regions.
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Swiss
Swiss cheese isn't all from Switzerland? That's right there are several types of "Swiss" Cheese. American and Baby Swiss are both American varieties and are aged for shorter periods than their true Swiss cousins Emmental, and Gruyere.