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Matching Cheese and Wine

Click on the links below to read more about matching wine with Australian Cheese Varieties.

Blue Cheese

Types

Made in classic styles (eg: Danish Blue, Gorgonzola) but sold by brand name

Characteristics

  • Soft cheese with veins of green, grey or blue mould
  • Strong, tangy flavour with salty finish

Selection

  • Veins evenly distributed
  • Not dull or grey in appearance
  • Outer edges firm but not crusted or split

Wines to choose

  • Sweet wines are the best match for the tangy, saltiness of Blue:
  • Dessert wines
  • Fortified wines
  • Aromatic/fruity whites with a sweet finish



Cheddar and Cheddar Styles

Types

  • Mild Cheddar - Aged 3 mths
  • Matured (Tasty) - Aged 3-12 mths
  • Vintage - Aged over 12 mths

Processed

  • Colby
  • Red Leicester
  • Cheshire
  • Lancashire
  • Club Cheese

Characteristics

  • Semi-hard cheese
  • Flavour varies from bland and buttery (Mild) to the sharp bite of Vintage
  • Texture becomes firmer and more crumbly with age

Selection

  • Free from dryness or cracks
  • Texture will vary, depending on age – from smooth and pliable to crumbly and dry

Wines to Choose

Suits a variety of wines:
  • Full bodied dry white
  • Full bodied dry red
  • Dessert wines
  • Fortified wines



Eye Cheese

Types

  • Edam
  • Emmenthal
  • Fontina
  • Gouda
  • Gruyére
  • Havarti
  • Swiss-style
  • Raclette
  • Tilsit

Characteristics

  • Eyes or holes produced by carbon dioxide during maturation
  • Slightly sweet, subtle piquant flavour
  • Firm but moist body with open texture
  • Buttery, golden yellow colour

Selection

  • Smooth close-textured and even in colour
  • Eyes may be unevenly distributed, but should be round and glossy
  • No cracks between eyes

Wines to Choose

Quite versatile to match with wine:
  • Full bodied dry white
  • Medium Bodied Red
  • Dessert wines
  • Fortified wines



Fresh Unripened Cheese

Types

  • Cottage Cheese
  • Cream Cheese
  • Neufchatel
  • Ricotta
  • Mascarpone
  • Feta (stored in brine)
  • Fresh Curd
  • Quark
  • Fromage Blanc

Characteristics

  • Delicate milky flavour
  • Soft, moist, spongy body
  • Short shelf life
  • Also known as 'Fresh Curd' cheese

Selection

  • Moist and fresh without excess free moisture

Wines to Choose

  • Lighter, refreshing wine styles that don't overpower delicate flavours:
  • Sparkling
  • Aromatic white
  • Medium bodied red
  • Dessert wines



Hard Cheese

Types 

  • Parmesan
  • Pecorino
  • Romano
  • Pepato

Characteristics

  • Mostly used for grating but also excellent table cheese
  • Pale to golden yellow
  • Sharp, robust flavour
  • Grainy texture
  • Piquant finish

Selection

  • Appear hard and granular
  • No evidence of large cracks or slits

Wines to Choose

Choose intense wines to match.

  • Full bodied dry white
  • Full bodied dry red
  • Fortified wines
  • Sparkling wines also match as acidity contrasts with the texture of the cheese



Stretched Curd Cheese

Types - Fresh

  • Bocconcini
  • Treccia
  • Fior di Latte

Types - Matured (cooking)

  • Mozzarella
  • Pizza Cheese
  • Provolone/Provole

Characteristics

  • Close textured semi-soft cheese
  • Textured appearance when 'torn'
  • Fresh types are moist and delicate in flavour
  • Matured types are prized for their 'stretch' when cooked
  • Stretched Curd refers to method of manufacture

Selection

  • Uniform white, pale yellow to yellow colour
  • Slightly soft and resilient
  • Smooth, even surface

Wines to Choose

For matching with fresh types, choose light, refreshing wines:
  • Sparkling
  • Aromatic white
  • Medium bodied red



Washed Rind Cheese

Types

  • Semi-soft Washed Rind
  • Wine Washed Rind
  • Reblochon

Characteristics

  • Surface ripened
  • Soft cheese that has been 'washed' during ageing to develop flavour
  • Brown, sticky rind
  • Golden yellow interior softens with age
  • Pungent aroma
  • Sweet tasting

Selection

  • Even orange-coloured crust, free from cracks or splitting
  • May be slightly sticky and moist
  • In some styles, the centre will soften and bulge similar to White Mould cheese

Wines to Choose

Can be hard to match.  The best styles are usually sweet and full bodied:
  • Dessert wine
  • Fortified wines
  • Medium bodied red
  • Sparkling red
  • Also good with beer



White Mould Cheese

Types

  • Brie
  • Camembert
  • Double Brie
  • Triple Cream Cheese
  • (also known as White Rind Cheese)

Characteristics

  • Surface ripened
  • Velvety white rind
  • Creamy golden interior
  • Develops buttery, 'flowing' centre and mushroomy aroma with age
  • Rind is edible but if very ripe may overpower the cheese

Selection

  • Rind free of hard edges or cracks
  • Good covering of white mould but does not have to be 'even'
  • Centre will soften and bulge when ready to eat

Wines to Choose

Suits a variety of wine:

  • Chardonnay develops a buttery texture and is ideally suited
  • Sparkling
  • Full bodied dry red
  • Fortified wines