We used to think so too, but it’s illogical to think that one wine could fit with hundreds of cheeses, all made with varying flavors and intensities, especially when you consider the thousands of wines made with even more variety of character. Therefore, we took it upon ourselves this weekend to join a fine panel of experts our good friends in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, armed with our travel friendly Soiree Cheese Board, a nice selection of cheeses, a thinly sliced baguette, along with a Zinfandel, a Chardonnay, and a Riesling.
After testing various pairings, we came up with our own wine and cheese rule…Rieslings are almost always the perfect match. A Riesling’s low alcohol and refreshing tartness really came through on our cheese challenge, specifically, a 2003 Guntrum Kabinett Riesling, Germany ($9 – $12) – "The color is light silvery gold and the aroma has a faint, sweet, herbal quality with a little green apple and tart apricot. The refreshing taste is a subtle balance of ripe fruit and tartness. 88 points."
And as for our expert findings:
Brie: This was a fun combo. The cheese was very light tasting, and the wine developed an apple-like flavor. B+
Monterey or Sonoma Jack: While neither the wine nor cheese were diminished by this pairing…they weren’t improved either. C
Swiss/Emmentaler: Imagine eating walnuts and apples together…this was a delicious combo. A+
Parmesan: Sweet and savory…it’s hard to go wrong. Very tasty…and a very solid A.
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