When a memorable wine and cheese pairing, the only thing you have to know is: If it tastes yummy, do it! I'm sure you've heard all the best known chefs explaining about what cheese works with your choice of wine; however, when you make your selection, it's all about personal taste. You may prefer your favorite cheese with your favorite wine. My typical recommendation is for you to be ready for for experimenting. Choose several cheeses and several wines. You will find one pairing that is best for you and another for someone else. There are no wrong combinations. Wine tasting parties will create conversation. It will be a great time. It will be delectable. And it will be enjoyable.
Cheese and wine have much in common, and they have been enjoyed together since days gone by. Both are foods of fermentation. Both may be consumed while fresh, simple, and young or in their more complicated forms when they are aged.
When put together, wine and cheese bring out the finest aspects of each other, and even the experts can't agree on any guidelines for the wine and cheese pairing match game. Now obviously, if you're reading this, you're a highbrow like the rest of us, and with snobs, there's no worry about faux pas in wine and cheese pairings say like dining on Velveeta while sipping boxed Ripple.
There are no hard and fast rules as to which wines should typically be served with a precise} cheeses. There is a tradition that cheeses of a certain geographic locale are best enjoyed with wines of the same locale. But, just as one bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from the France is not like that of another vintage or another producer, neither is one goat cheese exactly like another. Both are living and constantly changing. This is what makes marring cheese and wine fascinating as well as fun.
Even though it comes down to personal taste, certain guidelines have been supported by most of the experts. Here are some of those basic truths:
* White wines match well with soft cheeses and stronger flavors.
* Red wines match well with hard cheeses and milder flavors.
* Fruity and sweet white wines (not dry) and dessert wines match well with a wider range of cheeses.
* The more tangy the cheese you choose, the sweeter the wine should be.
* Harmony should always exist between the cheese and the wine. They should have similar strength. There should always be a correspondence - strong and powerful cheeses should be paired with similar wines and delicate cheeses should be paired with lighter wines.
* A complete list of recommended wine and cheese groupings can be found at temecula-wine.net.
When offering several cheese selections in a wine and cheese event, white wines are better than reds. That's because several cheeses, particularly soft and creamy ones, leave a layer of fat on your tongue that interferes with the taste of reds, making them monotonous and bland.
Just the opposite, most of those sweeter whites complement many of cheeses. Additionally, the sparkle in a sparkling wine or champagne can help break through the fat in heavier cheeses. Therefore, the spicy zing of a Gewurztraminer or the peachy zip of a Riesling is ideal if you're going for the most universal appeal.
If you're willing to try new things, pick a big wine to back it up. Try a French Bordeaux or a buxom California Cab. Ports and dessert wines are your good pairing if you like mold-donned or blue-veined cheeses.
For a safer bet when having several wines, choose Parmigiano or Romano cheeses. They go with most wines.
A Wine and Cheese Pairing Party to Remember
Here are a few ideas for setting up a fun wine and cheese pairing function for your friends:
* Purchase your cheeses in large chunks for the best arrangement.
* Cheeses should be eaten at room temperature. Pull them out of the frig a couple of hours before your function.
* Serve most wines refrigerated whites between 50-55 degrees and reds between 60-65 degrees.
* Let your reds breathe 15-20 minutes after you open them.
* Create handwritten name cards for all your cheeses.
* Display cheese on a wood chopping block, a slab of marble or even a cheese tray.
Ultimately, the perfect wine and cheese pairing is not a match made in heaven. It is a match made on the taste buds of individuals of all tastes. Start with the basic guidelines above and then experiment with the new pairings. You never know which pairings will end up to be your choice pairings.
David Cragg is an Internet marketing professional for Temecula California business with over 30 years of work with the biggest high tech companies. His work started with IBM and then was funded by Microsoft. Today he is retired and offers his support to winery management to help with their Internet marketing to help expand their businesses. You can read more about his work for Temecula Wineries at http://temecula-wineries.net/AboutUs.html .
Article Source: UnArchived Articles
|
