There are no hard rules, and plenty of people will tell you wine and cheese is mostly about what you enjoy. But one idea helps almost every time: match the strength of the drink to the strength of the cheese. A delicate cheese gets lost next to a bold drink, and the other way around.
Wine, as a starting point:
- Fresh, tangy cheeses (goat cheese): crisp whites or sparkling wine.
- Creamy bloomy rinds (Brie, Camembert): lighter whites, sparkling wine or a light red like pinot noir. Camembert goes with most wines.
- Semi-firm cheeses (Gouda, cheddar): medium-bodied wines, red or white.
- Aged hard cheeses: fuller, bolder reds.
- Blue cheeses: sweet wines like port or a dessert wine, since the sweetness balances the salt.
Whiskey: the same idea applies. Start with the lightest cheese and the lightest whiskey, take a sniff, and have a small taste of the whiskey. Then take a bite of cheese and keep it in your mouth, and have another sip to see how the two flavors work together. Stronger cheeses can stand up to a good single malt.
One fun cheese for the occasion is Murcia al Vino, a goat cheese with a rind soaked in red wine.
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