Pairing wine and cheese presents endless possibilities, but Tim Lake, cheesemonger at Screw top Wine Bar and Cheese Shop in Arlington, Virginia, gives you five strategies to make the tough decisions easy. This cheese expert selected five artisan cheeses to accompany the array of wines I picked for pairings:
Chèvre
A slightly-aged Riesling balances the sweetness of this fresh and creamy cheese, injecting some more mellow flavors into each bite. Lake recommends Rieslings from the Pacific Northwest.
Feta
Salty cheeses like feta can be paired with bolder white wines. Since Chardonnay is sometimes a bit too heavy, find one light on the oak treatment to preserve the flavors of the feta.
Roquefort
Roquefort, like many of its “blue” cousins, is a swashbuckling cheese with strong flavors. A slightly sweet wine, like a Gewürztraminer from California, tames yet enhances its pronounced characteristics.
Humboldt Fog
The lush, creamy flavors and slight tanginess of this cheese pair perfectly with the full flavor and acidic backbone of a Pouilly Fumé from France.
Bucheron
This cheese has a creamy, clay-like center surrounded by a buttery, textured exterior. A fruity and slightly sweet Vouvray from the Loire Valley enhances both aspects of the Bucheron.
Screw top Wine Bar and Cheese Shop, owned by Wendy Buckley, is located in Arlington, Virginia. Click here for more about their delicious offerings.
For more wine and cheese 101 strategies, click here.
BY DICK ROSANO
***Grabbed from: http://www.winemag.com/2011/08/30/simple-strategies/