Celebrating Cheese & Wine

It’s National Cheese and Wine Day this week, the day is dedicated to indulging in the delightful pairing of cheese and wine. It’s a perfect occasion to explore different combinations, learn about the intricacies of pairing, and enjoy the rich flavours that these two beloved foods bring together. So here is the Lidgate's guide to this great pairing.

Records dating back hundreds of years indicate that wine and cheese from the same locations have been served together for generations. The French Brie region, for instance, has long been noted for its Brie cheese production, as well as many tannic wine varietals, such as Beaujolais. This is one of the most popular wine and cheese pairings, and has been for centuries. Italian Asiago cheese is often recommended alongside Italian Chianti or Brunello, which originated near the same region.

And here are some examaples of just what wine to pair with some of these great cheeses, as recommended by the wine magazine Decanter.

Comté: This semi-hard French cows milk cheese is matured for 12 months in the caves of the Jura Mountains. It goes particularly well withWhite Burgundy, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, Rioja, or a red Bordeaux blend.

A soft cheese such as Breberiousse D'Argental, which is made from unpasteurised ewe's milk, goes particularly well with Champagne, Chablis, Hunter Semillon, Beaujolais.

 A Blue cheese such as our Montagnolo Affine  goes very well with a Sauternes, Pedro Ximénez Sherry, Rutherglen Muscat. This particular cheese is A wonderful German full fat cheese, which  has won the Supreme Champion award at the 2013 International Cheese Awards.

For our Ragstone Goats Cheese try a Sancerre, Dry Riesling, Rhône varieties – red and white (if aged), Fino Sherry. 

Decanter’s general rule of thumb is ‘Choose whether you want to give the lead role to the wine or to the cheese. If it’s the cheese, pick a wine with less character that will just complement it in the background. If you want the wine to be the star, go easy on the forcefulness of the cheese.’ For our full cheeseboard selection, click HERE