Delicious Red Wine and Cheese Pairings

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(Last Updated On: December 9, 2020)

Is there anything better than a glass of red wine and some of favorite cheeses? Nope. Discover the best red wine and cheese pairings. Cheers!
wine and cheese pairings

Delicious Red Wine and Cheese Pairings

Cheese is the best accompaniment for red wines, but the success of this combination depends on how well the flavors of this two compliment each other.

Wine and cheese is a combination as old as bread and butter. Both wine and cheese have a very long history, and although wine connoisseurs claim some standard wine and cheese combinations, pairing cheese with wine still remains purely personal. Both are produced by processing two natural products, grapes, and milk, respectively. Each grape variety produces a unique wine that has its own characteristic color, flavor, strength, and aroma.

red wine and cheese pairings

Here’s some of the best red wine and cheese pairings:

Cheese Pairings with Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is considered one of the finest red wines – because of its rich flavor and complexity. It is aged for a year in oak casks, before aging many more years in the bottle.

The cheese that goes best with Cabernet Sauvignon is one which is made from cow’s milk, especially well-aged washed rind type of cheese. Some of the best cheese to serve with this red wine are Brie, Camembert, Danish Blue, and Strong Cheddar.

Cheese Pairings with Merlot

Merlot has become a popular table wine over the past few years. This deep-hued and full-bodied red wine is noted for its versatility in terms of flavor. The most appreciated Merlot flavors are cherry, plum, and chocolate.

Both sheep’s milk cheese and cow’s milk cheese go equally well with Merlot. However, some of the cheese varieties worth trying with this red wine are Brie, Cheddar, Parmesan, the tangy Swiss Gruyere, and the Italian Gorgonzola.

Pairing Cheese with Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir grapes are comparatively difficult to grow, but they produce quality wine that has more alcohol, is less bitter and has a light color. The flavors of this wine are mostly described as smooth, sensual, and complex.

Its berry and floral aromas blend well with natural rind cheese. While Swiss, Brie, Gruyere, and Muenster are some of the popular cheese pairings with this red wine, the exquisite blue cheese and the washed rind type of cheese are best avoided.

Pairing Cheese with Syrah/Shiraz

With certain superior genetic qualities, Syrah grape variety produces some of the best Rhone wines. Syrah red wines are known for their unique and dominant flavors like smoke, black cherries, and roasted pepper.

The strong berry and tart flavors of this red wine blend well with the somewhat acidic and pungent goat’s milk cheese. Farmhouse Cheddar, Edam, Gouda, and Alpine-style cheese are some other cheese varieties that enhance the flavor of Syrah wines.

Pairing Cheese with Zinfandel

Popular as the new world grape, this American grape variety produces wines that are high in alcohol. However, their high alcohol content is well balanced with the bright color and the strong fruity and spicy flavors.

Zinfandel wines can be paired with a wide variety of cheeses. Saltier cheeses, especially blue cheese, make for an excellent choice to go with this sweet red wine. Asiago, Blue, Feta, Gruyere, and Muenster are all definitely worth a try with this popular red wine.

Now that you have all the information you need to pair your favorite red wines with cheese, go grab charcuterie board, fill it up with your favorite cheeses and invite some friends over!  I’ll come too!

Delicious Red Wine and Cheese Pairings

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