When trying to put together a tasty wine and cheese pairing, the primary thing you have to know is: If it works for you, do it! I'm sure you've heard all the best known chefs giving their two cents about what cheese works with which wine; however, when it comes down to it, it's all about personal taste. You may prefer a cheese with a different wine than your friends. My best recommendation is for you to be ready for for a fun afternoon. Choose several cheeses and several wines. each person will find what combination is best for themselves. You will enjoy yourself more if you are open to all combinations. wine and cheese pairing parties will create conversation. It will be fun. It will be delightful. And it will be enjoyable.
Cheese and wine are quite similar, and they have been enjoyed together since olden days. Both are products of fermentation. Both may be consumed while fresh, simple, and young or in their more complicated forms when they are aged and mature.
When joined, wine and cheese bring out the finest aspects of each other, and even the wine snobes can't agree on any rules for the wine and cheese pairing game. Now obviously, if you're looking into this, you're a highbrow like the rest of us, and with snobs, there's no worry about bloopers in wine and cheese pairings — say like nibbling American cheese while sipping boxed Franzia.
There are no hard and fast rules as to which wines should typically be served with a particular} cheeses. There is a general guideline that cheeses of a certain locale are best paired with wines of the same locale. But, just as one bottle of pinot gregio from the Temecula California 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 combining cheese and wine interesting as well as delicious.
Even though it comes down to personal taste, certain traditions have been proven favorable by most of chefs. Here are some of those general guidelines:
* White wines work best with soft cheeses and stronger flavors.
* Red wines work best with hard cheeses and milder flavors.
* Fruity and sweet white wines (not dry) and dessert wines work best with a wider range of cheeses.
* The more tangy the cheese you choose, the sweeter the wine should be.
* Rapport 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 soft tasting cheeses should be paired with lighter wines.
* A complete list of well paired wine and cheese groupings can be found at temecula-wine.net.
When offering a group of cheese choices in a wine and cheese pairing, white wines are better than reds. That's because several cheeses, particularly soft and creamy ones, leave a taste of fat on the palate that block the taste of reds, rendering them monotonous and bland.
Just the opposite, most of those sweeter whites combine with most 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 a good choice 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.
When serving several wines, choose Parmigiano or Romano cheeses. They go with most wines.
A Wine and Cheese Pairing Party to Remember
Here are my tips for setting up a memorable and fun wine and cheese pairing affair for your friends:
* Purchase your cheeses in big wedges for an ideal delivery.
* Cheeses should be served at room temperature. Pull them out of the frig several hours before your affair.
* Serve most wines cool whites between 50-55 degrees and reds between 60-65 degrees.
* Open your reds 15-20 minutes before you want to serve them as they need to breath.
* 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 palates of individuals of all tastes. Start with the basic rules and then rebel with the unfamiliar. You may be surprised which cheese and wine pairings will be your choice pairings.
David Cragg is an Web marketing professional for the Temecula Valley with over 30 years of work with the biggest high tech companies. His work started with IBM and then was supported by Microsoft. Today he is retired and offers his time to winery managment to support with their Web marketing to support expand their businesses. You can read more about his work for Temecula wineries at http://temecula-wineries.net/AboutUs.html.
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