Now, if you can be confident of anything in wine and food matching, surely it’s that wine and cheese are perfect partners…..or are they?
Cheeses run the gamut of styles: some are high in fat, some have a glue-like texture and some have pungent flavours that make a nonsense of serving them with any decent wine. When planning the cheese board for a dinner party it pays to follow a theme: choose a pared-down selection of cheeses that are sympathetic to the wine you are serving rather than providing a jack-of-all-trades assortment of soft, hard and blue.
This month’s wine choices are all lovely in their own right, but will also make excellent partners for the right cheese. Specific suggestions follows each wine.
Whites
Réserve Saint-Marc, Sauvignon Blanc
This French Sauvignon has a fresh grapefruit and lemon-scented nose, with just a hint of grassy character beneath. The palate has good ripe citrus, pear and apple fruit, medium body and a whack of grapefruit acidity that sharpens the finish.
Cheese match: goat’s cheese; Dolcelatte; most cream cheeses
Dashwood, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand sauvignons often have more intensity than their reserved French cousins. This has a beautiful combination of leafy gooseberry aromas and pure, ripe lychee notes. It is fresh and stacked with zippy apple and lemon flavours along with glimpses of tropical fruit.
Cheese match: crumbly Wensleydale; Pont l’Evêque; cheese soufflé
Marqués de Riscal, Limousin Reserva
The nose on this classy Spanish wine is wonderful, with aromas of buttery brazil nuts, melon and honeysuckle, peach and some cinnamon spice. On the palate the fruit is predominantly apple and melon, but it is buttressed by creamy oak and a toasty wrapping of nuts and herbal nuances. Lemon acidity keeps it sharp.
Cheese match: Parmesan; Spanish Manchego; Brie; Munster
Reds
Mas Saint-Vincent, Coteaux du Langeudoc
This wine captures sunny Southern French flavours with its wonderfully ripe, creamy, berry-scented nose dominated by raspberry aromas. On the palate it is packed with sweet, juicy fruit that has a firm, tart edge. The bright flavours are backed up with a little spice.
Cheese match: Cheddar; mature Gouda; smoked cheeses
Sainsbury’s, Crozes Hermitage
From the very reliable co-operative at Tain. This is a well-priced Syrah with personality. The nose is very attractive with a gamy, charcoal edge to light berry fruit and a little creamy note. On the palate it is juicy and chewy, with lots of dusty, peppery black fruit.
Cheese match: Lancashire; mature Camembert; grilled goat’s cheese
Louis Jadot, Bourgogne “Couvent des Jacobins”
Good Burgundy is never cheap. This wine has a depth of strawberry fruit wrapped in a cloak of damp earth, spice and vanilla. There are lovely nuances of tea and herbs. The palate displays fine tannins, but there’s no shortage of tart raspberry and softer berry flavours.
Cheese match: Mozzarella; immature Camembert; Langres; Epoisses