Which wines to pair with cheese this Christmas

Travel

Wine and cheese make a famously perfect pairing. But what types of red work best? And do white wines and fizz have any part to play? 

ByFiona Beckett

Published December 21, 2023

• 5 min read

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

Of all the types of food that are paired with wine, cheese has perhaps the strongest association. But is it really the soulmate it’s made out to be? Well, it is and it isn’t — it all depends on the type of cheese. And, of course, the style of wine.

The conventional wisdom is that cheese goes particularly well with red wine, and if you’re looking for a wine to drink with a cheeseboard then, yes, a red is probably your best bet, particularly at this time of year. Does it matter which? Well, it’s obviously a matter of taste but generally I find medium-bodied reds with soft, smooth tannins work better than either heavily oaked blockbuster cabernets or light reds, which can be overwhelmed by stronger cheeses. 

My favourite all-rounders would be mellow rioja reservas, côtes du rhônes and malbecs with a year or two’s bottle age, like the 2021 Argentinian malbec below. However, even then I’d avoid well-matured camemberts or punchy blues that can knock them out of the park.

Turning this on its head, you could always put together a cheeseboard to match with a specific wine. If so, you’ll need to pick your cheese carefully. With an old bordeaux, for example, I’d be inclined to serve English territorial cheeses such as cheddar, caerphilly and cheshire, a sheep cheese like berkswell or manchego, or a mellow blue, such as Barkham Blue. Mature parmesan is also wine-friendly and, generally, conveniently to hand in the fridge.

An alternative approach is to serve a single cheese. Stilton’s a great choice in the winter months, and port the most obvious drink to pair with it, particularly during the festive season. That said, other fortified wines like sherry and madeira work equally well, as does the fabled Hungarian sweet wine tokaji. Meanwhile, a gorgeous gooey brie pairs well with a pinot noir, particularly one of the richer styles from New Zealand’s Central Otago wine region.

Does white wine have a part to play? Absolutely. My tip is to opt for whatever’s drunk in the region where the cheese is produced. Goat’s cheese and sauvignon blanc, for example, is a classic combination in the Loire (try a sancerre with a crottin de chavignol) while comté is perfect with a Jura chardonnay or savagnin. Fizz can work, too. Try a vacherin mont d’or — a show-stopping cheese if there ever there was one — with champagne or a similar sparkling wine. It’s a combination that also works brilliantly with any cheese infused with truffles.

One final tip — and you probably already do it — is to serve good bread or homemade crackers, which make almost any cheese more wine-friendly.

Five wines to try this Christmas

1. Berry Bros & Rudd William
Pickering Tawny Port Try a tawny port this Christmas, such as this one made by top producer Quinta do Noval, which is wonderfully rich and nutty. Perfect for stilton, obviously, but great with cheddar, too. £30.50

2. Socalco Douro 2019
If port is a bit too strong for your taste, don’t worry, there are other options. For example, you could try a red table wine from the Douro made from the same grape varieties. Warm and brambly — like gorgeously squishy ripe blackberries — it’s a real fireside wine. £13.99 

3. Tesco Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Reserva 2018
Aged for 16 months in French and US oak, this is a very well-priced mature rioja made by one of the most consistently reliable producers, Baron de Ley. Great with hard sheep cheeses like manchego and berkswell. £10 

4. Marcelo Pelleriti Malbec 2021 
This full-bodied Argentinian malbec is a great wine to drink with a cheeseboard, although it works well with practically anything bar, perhaps, seafood. Smooth and velvety, it’s everything a malbec lover could want. £12.99 

5. Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve North Coast Zinfandel 2020
A lush, velvety Californian red bursting with damsons and black cherries. It would be great with blue cheeses like stilton but also with cooked cheese dishes like lasagna or pastitsio. £23.50 

Published in Issue 22 (winter 2023) of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

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