Foods to Serve With Wine and Cheese

Wine and Cheese are one of those simpatico items that are the perfect yin and yang. They are the perfect co-stars. While they are a great pairing you can also serve foods that will complement both and enhance the flavors and nuances of both the wine and cheese.

When deciding what foods to serve with wine and cheese you need to first decide what role they will play. Will the wine and cheese play a featured role or is it to start or end a meal?

If wine and cheese are going to be the featured items I like to have 2-3 types of wine and cheeses from different categories (ripe, semi-soft, semi-hard, hard, blue) and type (cow, sheep, goat).

I then add the following types of foods

Fruits - crisp apple slices, pears, sliced melon, figs, and grapes pair really well. Dried fruits are also an interesting component. Example you can go with grapes and dried apricots

Crackers & Breads - Assorted types of crackers, crisps, sliced baguettes are excellent when topped with various cheeses

Honey - While this may sound odd honey mellows out strong flavors like blue cheese and brings out the salty nutty flavor of Parmigiano-Reggiano. You can serve the honey in a honey pot to drizzle or for a unique visual you can also purchase honeycomb and have your guests slice off a bit to top their cheese with

Nuts - An assortment of nuts adds texture when paired with cheeses. Pistachios go well with softer cheese while Walnuts go especially well with aged cheeses like Cheddar. Pecans go well with all cheeses and salty or spicy mixes can be used to change flavor profiles

Crudités- crisp raw vegetables are also great alongside cheese. The sky is the limit, but carrots, broccoli, sliced peppers, cucumbers are all appeal to a wide variety of people

Charcuterie


1.Pates add an earthy savory taste when served. Red and Rose wines pair exceptionally well with pate'
2.Prosciutto, Sausage, Salami

Spreads and other items- Spicy mustard, chutneys can also add a different flavor profile. Olives also pair well with wine and cheese. You can go with one variety or several different types of olives.

If the wine and cheese is going to be a complement to a meal you can mix or match ideas above and incorporate it into your menu. You can pair different wines to the courses and then incorporate the cheese into the menu.

For example: if you decide to start with a cheese course you can pair several cheeses with breads and a Prosseco or Rose' wine. If you decide to end with a cheese course pair it with crisp tart apple slices and a rich Port wine.