This Friday evening I’m going to a wine and cheese tasting party. We bring a bottle of wine, and some cheese, or hors’doevre (How do you really spell that? You know what I mean!)
I asked my BIL for advice on a wine. He’s into dry stuff so I bought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, Wolf Blass, 2006. Now I need a cheese, or cheesy munchy, to complement it.
If I went with a sweet cheese I’d pick Gjetost, a really tasty Scandinavian cheese. But I brought that two years ago, to the same event. So can someone recommend a good cheese to go with the wine I selected(I’ve never tasted it)? Or some other small tasty item that would go with a dry wine?
A Cab (or most other red wines) should ideally go with a fairly flavourful cheese, one that’s strong enough to stand up to the wine. That still leaves lots to choose from.
A Google search gives quite a few hits; the first looks pretty good. Aged Cheddar (3-5 years), aged Gouda (I like Parrono and Old Amsterdam.), and Danish blue are everywhere. Comte is a little harder to find, but great if you like a Swiss style. One I didn’t see on the few lists I skimmed is a nice chunk of Parmegiana Reggiano. Parm goes with everything!
Since you haven’t tried your wine, just notice the combos that seem to work for you. Don’t worry about what the snobs say is the One True Way. Just have fun and enjoy!
Actually, all the suggestions sound good. I love blue cheese, like sisu suggested, and the aged Cheddar that rjk suggested. Parma would be good, but the others would cut/slice more easily I think.
Yeah, I’d go with an aged Gouda–anywhere in the range of 3-5 years. The Boerenkaas 5 year is particularly good. The harder cheeses like an aged gouda or parmesan work better with tannic wines like big Cabs. A nice sharp cheddar should work well, too. I actually find red wines pretty tough to pair well. White wines are a heck of a lot easier with cheeses.
If you feel like baking, Gougeres (cheese puffs) are usually appreciated at parties. I really like the older Gouda idea, as I find many of them have a hint of sweetness. Since you like Gjetost, you’ll probably like the older Gouda too. Hard to go wrong though with any of the cheese selections already mentioned.
I’ve looked at that cheese puff recipe, and I could probably make it at work. I’d have to reheat the puffs though, at the party, but no problem, there will be a microwave.
It looks like they’re basically “cream puff dough”, at least in the style of making, and I do those for caterings our cafe does.
If nobody else is bringing a dessert wine I recommend a tawny port and a Stilton cheese.
If not… many reds don’t pair well with cheese, but some fruity reds do. Sparkling wines usually pair best, and I’ve had success with semi-dry whites like Riesling and Gewurztraminer. Some suggestions:
Riesling with Gouda
Gewurztraminer with Chevre
Champagne with any buttery-tasting cheese
Gamay with an aged cheddar (like Cabot Clothbound Cheddar)
My favorite cheese is Gruyere or Comte (nearly identical). Gotta be Swiss Gruyere, though – the domestic ones I’ve tried don’t measure up. I’ll eat it with anything. Costco in Kansas City carries a nice Comte, possibly available in Manhattan as well.
Brie de Meaux
Keen’s or Montgomery Cheddar
Taleggio
Munster (the French cheese, not Muenster the American cheese – they’re completely different)
Gorgonzola
I recently have come upon Welsh Red Dragon, which is sort of a mild cheddar embedded with mustard seeds. Fantastic.
Whoever suggested asking at the Whole Foods cheese counter has a good idea. You can also go to Dean and Deluca’s cheese counter or any specialty wine and/or cheese shop.
Well, I’m back from the party! The cheese I ended up buying was a Swiss Gruyere. I hadn’t had it before, and rather liked it, Not my favorite, but I’m told it’s better if you melt it a little.
I still have over half a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon, and although it was a good wine I just don’t care for dry like that, so I’ll give the rest of it to my BIL.
There was one cheese dish I loved, tiny little cheese balls, about the size of a large cherry. They were a blend of goat cheese and cream cheese, with crushed fresh basil blended in, and rolled in finely chopped bacon and toasted pecans. Each little ball was stabbed with a pretzel stick, to pick it up with.
I enjoyed several of the wines I tasted, and all of the cheeses or snacks were tasty. A fun evening.
Maybe we should do a virtual wine and cheese party! Everyone would describe the wine and food they bring.
Everyone would describe the wine and food they bring.