Cheese Help

[Thraz]

A rule of thumb that has worked for me: goat cheeses or very creamy cow's milk cheeses (St. Andre) go best with a white wine, in my case I like sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc. I find that hard, cow's milk cheese's go well with full red wines. In between (e.g. not-so-hard paste cow's milk cheeses such as camembert) - well, experts say they are very hard to match, but at my level I think it makes them more versatile, I think they go well with either white or red (the red should probably not be too heavy). Also, one of the matches that are touted by some is St Nectaire (semi-hard cow's milk) and St. Emilion (softer because of the merlot). If you want several cheeses on a platter for a dinner, it gets more complicated, and I find works well for me is a Sancerre with some soft and some hard goat's cheeses, and some creamy and some semi-hard paste cow's milk cheeses (like St. Andre and brie or camembert). Finally, I find that if there is a bad combination, it is usually because the wine is too strong for the cheese, not the other way around. So unless the cheese paste is really hard and the taste really strong, I stay away from powerful reds. And even if a red would do or is even recommended, I think a Sancerre or a Savennieres (or some other SB or CB) are usually a good complement.