Wine Alchemy - Chosen Restaurant Review

Wine & Cheese matching

We don’t know exactly when and where cheese making started but it may originate as long ago as 8,000 BC, when sheep were first domesticated. We do know for sure that the art of cheese making was widely spread by the Romans and indeed cheese is a mainly European cultural product. When Rome collapsed so did a great deal of trade and so instead grew up local and diverse traditions of European cheese making that are frequently still with us to this day. Some of these have spread around the world, first by European colonialism, then more recently by the increasing globalisation of food and taste.

While France, Italy, Spain and Germany are rightly proud of their local cheese making traditions and go to great lengths to protect them, Britain has an equally fine tradition and produces around 700 different cheeses. Today the UK has an enormous choice of cheeses available from around the world – heaven!

Meanwhile the origins of wine making are almost as obscure but there is a remarkable similarity to cheese historically and geographically. It is hardly surprising then that there is a long history of wine and cheese matching as both products have always had local origins and identities. From a taste perspective they have probably evolved together – no wonder then that wine and cheese from the same locality may make an ideal match, though in these days of globalism there are many other combinations that can provide pleasure.

Cheese is made by coagulating fresh milk – it’s a great way of preserving milk and making a compact nutritious food capable of easy transportation. Typically it will be made from three principle sources of milk - a Cow, Ewe or Goat. However, milk from the Buffalo, Llama or even Yak is used for cheese.

Milk is first acidified with bacteria and then an enzyme called rennet (or a vegetarian alternative) is usually added, which curdles the milk. The curds will form the cheese, while the whey is the liquid that is drained off.

The type of cheese made is dependant on the source of the milk, the strain of bacteria used, how the curds are treated and then how the long the cheese is matured for. No wonder then that there are so many different traditions and different cheeses!

Soft cheeses have more whey remaining, while with harder cheeses the curds are repeatedly cut to drain off more whey. Some cheeses are even heated to harden the curds further and salt is added as a preservative in most cases.

The curds are then pressed into shape. This forms the cheese, in various shapes and sizes. The harder the pressing the denser the cheese will become. The resultant cheese is then left to mature; for weeks, months or even years. Cheese makes an ideal medium to grow bacteria, mould and fungi and these add their own characteristic flavours. These occur naturally but are frequently deliberately introduced.

In terms of matching wine and cheese, there are no rules and no rights and wrongs. However, with the wealth of wines and cheeses available today, it’s worth knowing about some guidelines in order to get a good synergy – where the outcome is more than the sum of the parts. As with any wine and food combinations there are some disasters that are worth avoiding. So here are ten tips for wine and cheese matching and some examples of tried-and-tested pairings.

Ten tips for wine and cheese matching

Experimentation is fun, there is so much wine and cheese available and if you like it that’s all that matters. Do remember that a dry white wine is always your safest bet for a wide range of cheeses. The idea that red wine matches cheese best is entirely fallacious, which comes as a shock to many.
At fridge temperature the fat in cheese is very hard and the flavours will be subdued when cold. For the best flavour and texture, cheeses should be served at room temperature – an hour out of the fridge should do.
Look to match origins, where the local wine and the local cheese have evolved together – this is very easily done in France and Italy as long as you know the geography! For British cheese, follow this general guide and remember that apple juice, cider, beer and even whisky can be excellent too.
White wine is more versatile than red because it has no tannin. Tannins are the challenge and their astringency makes red wines more difficult to match well. For a tannic red wine choose drier hard cheese – mature cheddar, parmesan and manchego are all good examples. Equally an older red wine where the tannins have softened will become easier. Or choose a low-tannin fruity red (like Beaujolais) or a Rosé as they act more like a white wine.
Cooked cheeses match red wines much more easily as heat completely alters both flavour and texture – think of all those lovely Italian pasta dishes made with cheese that are delicious with young tannic reds.
Tannins rarely match with soft cheese and pairing tannins with blue cheese can end up tasting horribly metallic. Cheeses that contain fruit are also tricky. If you like Stilton made with Apricots then choose a sweet white. Smoked cheeses are often pungent and very difficult – a Gewurztraminer is the best bet.
Beware the cheeseboard – the chances of one wine matching the whole range of cheeses on offer is nil. A cheeseboard is good for quiet experimentation but one of the best ideas is to choose just one great cheese and then match to that.
Don’t waste money with matching expensive bottles of wine with cheese – most cheeses will take some of the wine’s complexity away. Equally, don’t skimp on cheese quality. Industrial processed cheese is unlikely to be interesting. Choose small amounts of artisanal cheeses from a good deli. There’s no need to spend a fortune to make some great taste combinations, in particular there’s great value in the £6-£12 wine range.
In a restaurant, if you have chosen a white wine for the starter then keep a glass of it back for the cheese, it’s likely to work better than saving some of the red from the main course.
Salt and Sweet are classic, the main point here is to balance the intensities of both. Very salty blues will need much sweeter wine, and vice-versa.

Some classic matches

Sauvignon Blanc and Goat’s Cheese

A classic match, where the high malic acid in Sauvignon Blanc cuts through the mouth coating fat of the cheese and leaves the palate refreshed. This works with softer young cheese and harder older examples. The ultimate version might be Sancerre with the aged local Chavignol. However, most Sauvies from New Zealand, South Africa or Chile will also work well and remember that Goats cheese is often served as a starter, perhaps with a salad or grilled. High acidity is the order of the day here. If your white wine tastes too acidic then cut it back with some soft cheese!

Chablis and Chaource

Chablis and Chaource are another example of local produce matching. Chaorce is made in the south of the Champagne region, not far from Chablis in northern Burgundy. Produced since the middle ages, it was probably first made by the Monks of nearby Pontigny Abbey and has enjoyed protected status since 1970. Formed in small, tall cylinders from unpasteurised Cows milk it features a white Penicillin bloomy rind. Sold at two weeks old, it deepens to an ivory colour with age and can taste of mushrooms, cream and hazelnut. Chablis’ rapier acidity and steely/gunflint character is a perfect match. For the same reason Chaource is also very good with Champagne. With reds you can also get away with a light red or rosé as long as tannins are minimal - the local Rosé les Riceys, a young light Pinot Noir or Beaujolais are all delicious.

Alsace Gewurztraminer and Munster

Munster is another Monastic cheese, first made in the 9th century and named after the town of Munster (itself meaning Monastery) in Alsace. Protected since 1969, this is a classic pungent cow’s-milk cheese with a shiny yellow-orange brine-washed rind. The brine encourages bacteria to develop and it’s this that makes it pong. It takes between 5 weeks and 3 months to mature and it gets ever more farmyard-smelly and penetrating. Gewurztraminer’s nose of heady Turkish delight, rose water and its slightly spiced oily texture makes a great match. Sweeter Gewurztraminer, either from Alsace or Germany will cope with very mature Munster. Gewurztraminer is perhaps the only wine capable of standing up to smoked cheeses. Alternatively, Fino sherry is also a great match for Munster.

Claret and Cheddar

Red wines with high tannin content are the hardest match and demand harder cheeses. Young Bordeaux is particularly difficult in this respect, so go for genuine British cheddar. There are many Cheddars produced worldwide, named after the cheddaring process first invented in Somerset - the curds are cubed and stacked to drain off the whey then salted and pressed into a hard cheese which dries out as it matures. Look for artisanal cheddar with plenty of bite, for example Isle of Mull. Unpasteurised cow’s milk is used in this highly individual and hand-made farmhouse cheddar. A pale colour, it’s gamey and tangy with plenty of acidic bite from 12 months maturity in a cloth wrap. It’s also excellent with a dram of Single Malt Whisky!

Rioja and Manchego

Rioja is another red wine that can have high tannin content and so demands hard dry cheese with high protein and a low fat content. Manchego is made from the milk of the Manchega breed of sheep, found in Spain’s La Mancha, the land of Don Quixote. The Arabs called this land Al Mansha, “waterless land” after the hot arid summers and freezing winters. Protected by law this cheese claims a 2000 year history. White to ivory coloured, slightly salty and piquant, Manchego is mild when young but adds bite with age. Other tannic reds that work well with it include Syrah from the Northern Rhône. Oloroso Sherry is a fine Manchego match too.

Apply the same thinking to the great red wines of Italy. Barolo, Amarone or Chianti with Grana Padano or aged Fontina is sublime.

Sauternes and Roquefort

Roquefort is one of the world's greatest blue cheeses, made since pre-Roman times and protected since 1925 – it was the first cheese to be protected by law. Only those cheeses aged in the limestone caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in southern France can be called Roquefort. The cheese is white, crumbly and moist, made from unpasteurised ewe’s milk and with distinctive veins of Penicillium Roqueforti, a blue mould only found in these caves. It has a characteristic slightly rancid smell and taste, a buttery texture and the blue veins provide a sharp contrasting bite. The flavour intensifies to a salty finish. Matching with Sauternes is a sweet/salt classic. The botrytised tangy sweetness of a good Sauternes melds effortlessly with the creamy salty blue.

Sweet wines and blue cheese needn’t stop there, a good Stilton and Port is another effortless classic. And don’t overlook other Port style wines such as Banyuls or Maury. Further afield, Australian “stickies” such as Rutherglen Muscat make a good match with blue, as does Hungarian Tokaji, perhaps the only wine capable of standing up to Danish Blue.