I absolutely love wine and cheese. Two of my favourite things in the world, and they go together! Well, they mostly go together. Don’t assume that reds are necessarily the best matches. It’s true that a Malbec works well with a mature cheddar, but whites are often easier to pair to the cheeseboard. Very young, tannic reds tend to clash with cheese to the detriment of the wine. So, pick a more mature bottle with softer tannins from the rack if you’d like to stick with a red.
There are of course classic pairings, including port and stilton, Sauternes with Roquefort and Sancerre with goat’s cheese. Then you have the more leftfield matches such as Beaujolais with feta and Gewurztraminer with morbier. (I love morbier, and it’s one of the few pairing occasions when a Gewurztraminer would be my first choice).
Ricotta is a different beast, as the wine match will be determined by the rest of the dish. If you have ricotta stuffed ravioli in a rich tomato sauce, you’d be looking for a tasty Barbera d’Asti to go alongside. However, if the ricotta was in a dessert such as cheesecake, a better match would be a lush German Riesling.
Here are a couple to tempt your tastebuds this weekend.
Barbera d’Asti de Forville 2015 (Majestic, £13.99). Barbera usually hails from Asti or Alba in Piedmont, and it’s a great way to enjoy good quality wine from the region without having to pay the asking price of the Barolos. They also tend to be more approachable sooner, so you don’t have to keep them for years before opening them. Having said that, the Forville could be laid down for a few years, if you have the patience and the cellar space. It’s also lovely right now, but I’d suggest decanting before serving.
Leitz Rudesheim Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Kabinett 2016 (Waitrose, £13.99). I’m continually surprised by how good the Leitz wines are for the money. I think German Riesling is one of the best styles of wine in the world, but we still don’t have enough of a market for it Scotland. You should try a bottle, and fall in love with it before people catch on and the prices go up.
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