For a long time, red wine and cheese were the winning association probably because the cheese farmers used to drink a light red wine in France called "Picrate" with very little tannins.
Yes you see me coming, the problem that most enlightened sommeliers and cheese producers understand nowadays, is that, red wines, rich in tannins, turn out to be hard to marry with cheese. As they are tasted along with the fat of the cheese and its crust, the tannins become dry, giving a metallic bad taste in many cases.
As a matter of fact, white wines, champagne and even cider and beer, are better options to savour the taste of your favourite cheeses and make the best of it.
A little tip : whichever cheese you choose, try to marry it with a wine with the same regional origins of your cheese, as it will give the best combinations. In French, it 's called : "accord geographique".
Enclosed is a map of French cheeses and where they come from.
I will give you few examples of great wine and cheese combinations, but the list is not exhaustive and it can be applied to other cheese-producing countries like Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy....
- Goat cheeses like Crottin de Chavignol with Sauvignon based white wine Sancerre, Pouilly Fume...
- Blue Cheeses like Roquefort , Fourme d'Ambert, with Sauternes, Montbazillac or white Bordeaux...
- Comte cheese will go well with white wine from Jura, a Chardonnay and even a Port...
- Munster, Pont l'Eveque and Epoisses cheeses with white wine Gewurztraminer, Pinot gris from Alsace...
- Reblochon cheese, one of my favourites, will go perfectly with White wine from Savoie, a St Joseph Croze Hermitage
- Brie, Camembert cheeses to marry with Sauvignon, Sancerre or Pinot blanc...
- Vacherin and Mont d'Or cheeses with a golden wine from the Jura region...
- Chaource cheese can be married with Petit Chablis from Burgundy area and even will go very well with champagne... no need to wait for dessert !
To close this little blog, I will say that if you really enjoy your red wine, choose from a selection of reds with very little tannins like a Pinot noir from Alsace, a Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil or a red from the Tourraine region.
Enjoy !
NB : In Singapore, I like to buy my cheese and bread either at Chez Choupinette on Bukit Timah Road next to Coronation Plaza, or at Culina on Dempsey hill.
I like to buy my wine at Wine Selection PTE LTD (check FB page) : great selection of French wines and nice champagne too - I recommend the Champagne Gonet Blanc de Blancs Brut Signature.