Wine & Cheese Pairing: One of the greatest pleasures of being a sommelier is planning a wine and cheese tasting. Of all the foods that can be paired with wine, cheese is by far my favorite. Why? - because of the shear variety of complex flavors and textures and the fact that you don't have to cook it - just slice and serve!

Pairing cheese and wine is easy - you just need to take a couple of things into account.

• Strong flavored cheeses, like washed rind cheeses, taste best when paired with a robust flavored wine like Merlot or Syrah.
• Mild and delicate cheeses, like fresh goat cheeses, pair nicely with lighter bodied wines like Sauvignon Blanc.
• Cheeses with strong salt content should not be paired with wines that are flavored strongly with oak like American Chardonnay or with wines that have high tannin content like Cabernet Sauvignon. This is because the salt in the cheese will destroy the fruit flavors in the wine and leave you tasting a nice big glass of oak or tannin! Not what I would serve to my guests, unless, I want them to leave!
• Blue Cheeses can be a real challenge because they are both strong flavored and salty, which is why port is such a good pairing with them - the sweetness of the port is not destroyed by the salt in the cheese.
• Champagne or sparkling wine and cheese can be a match made in heaven. The bright acidity of champagne can be paired equally well with rich, creamy cheeses like Woodcock Farm's Timberdoodle, as well as hard aged cheeses, like Boucher Family Farm’s Tomme Collins or Hillman Farm's Aged Goat Cheese.

In countries that have a long tradition of cheese and wine making, like France, Italy and Spain, I find that quite often the wine and the cheese from the same region go very well together – a good example of this is the wines and cheeses of the Loire region in France.

The delightful, delicate fresh goat cheeses that abound there are truly scrumptious when served with Sancerre or Pouilly Fume.

In the US where our cheese and wine makers are always experimenting and developing ever changing and interesting new cheeses and wines, it's fun to try pairing wines and cheeses that were developed in the same region.

Cato Corner Farm in Connecticut makes a delicious washed rind cheese called Hooligan. I recently paired it with a wine from New York's Finger Lakes region called Shalestone Cabernet Franc…it was one of those "Oh my God, this is soooo good moments."

If you have any questions about cheese and wine pairing or are interested in setting up a wine and cheese tasting for your own private party or corporate event please e-mail me at: sommelier@artisanmade-ne.com

Cheers.

Sally Camm