Wine and cheese pairing for beginners, with Indian cheeses too

Why some pairings sing and others clash

Cheese is fat, salt and protein. Wine is acid, sugar, alcohol and, in reds, tannin. A pairing works when one side tidies up after the other.

Acid cuts fat. A sip of crisp white after a creamy cheese feels like a reset, which is why so many cheese boards are better with white wine than with red. Salt makes sweet wines taste rounder. Fat softens tannin a little, though not as much as people hope. Strong flavours drown delicate ones, so a big blue cheese will flatten a light wine.

The old habit of serving red with every cheese mostly fails on the tannin. Tannin and a mild fresh cheese can taste metallic or chalky together. Plenty of red wine and cheese pairings work. Just do not assume they will.

Four rules worth remembering

• Match weight. Light, fresh cheeses want light wines. Aged, hard, nutty cheeses can take fuller wines.
• Acid loves fat. Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and sparkling wine are the safest bets on a mixed board.
• Sweet loves salt. Blue cheeses and sweet wines are the most reliable pairing in the whole game.
• Go regional when in doubt. Cheeses and wines from the same place often grew up together.

If you want the vocabulary behind these rules, our guide to sweetness, acidity and tannin in wine explains each one in plain language.

European classics to start with

A few pairings are famous because they really do work.

Goat's cheese and Sauvignon Blanc. The Loire Valley makes both. The wine's sharp acidity and green, grassy notes match the tang of fresh goat's cheese.

Brie or Camembert and sparkling wine. The bubbles and acid scrub the palate clean after a rich, soft rind.

Aged cheddar or Parmesan and a medium red. Hard, aged cheeses have crunchy crystals and savoury depth that can stand up to tannin. A Rioja, a Chianti or a fruity Shiraz all work.

Blue cheese and sweet wine. Roquefort with Sauternes and Stilton with port are the textbook pairs. Salt, sugar and mould turn into something that tastes like caramel.

Indian cheeses on the board

India has more cheese than most people think. It deserves a place on the board.

Paneer. Fresh, mild and milky with almost no salt. On its own it suits a light, dry white or a dry rosé. In a dish, pair the dish rather than the paneer: a buttery paneer makhani wants an off dry white with some acidity, while a smoky paneer tikka can take a light red served cool.

Bandel. The small, salty cheese from Bengal, often sold smoked. Salt and smoke call for a wine with fruit and a touch of sweetness, such as an off dry Riesling or a fruity rosé. A dry tannic red will taste harsh next to it.

Kalari. The fresh cheese of Jammu and Kashmir, usually pan fried until golden. Browned dairy flavours suit a Chenin Blanc or a light, fruity red.

Chhurpi. The hard chhurpi of the Himalayan hills is chewed slowly and has a sour, lactic edge. It suits sparkling wine or a dry white more than a red.

Indian artisan cheesemakers now make goudas, brie styles and blues too. Treat them like their European cousins.

Serving it in Indian conditions

Take cheese out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving so the flavour opens up, but in a hot room soft cheeses sweat and slump fast. Serve small portions and bring out more from the fridge rather than leaving a big board out for two hours.

The same heat ruins wine. A white served warm tastes flabby. A red served at a 32 °C room temperature tastes soupy and alcoholic. Keep whites in the fridge until you pour and give reds 20 minutes in the fridge before serving.

Plain crackers or bread help. Heavily flavoured crackers, chutneys and fruit pastes change the pairing, so taste with and without them.

Trust your own palate

These rules are starting points. Taste the cheese, sip the wine, then taste the cheese again with the wine still in your mouth. If the wine tastes thinner, more bitter or metallic, move on. If both taste better, you have found a pairing.

Once you start doing this you will want to know why a wine has the acidity or tannin it has. That comes from grapes, fermentation and how the wine was made, which is a different and very rewarding question. Our beer and cheese pairing guide is worth a look too, because beer often beats wine with washed rind and smoked cheeses.

Common questions

What is the safest wine for a mixed cheese board?

A dry sparkling wine or a crisp white such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc. Their acidity works with most cheeses and they have no tannin to clash.

Does red wine go with cheese?

It goes well with hard, aged cheeses such as aged cheddar or Parmesan. With fresh or soft cheeses the tannin often tastes metallic or chalky.

What wine goes with paneer?

On its own, a light dry white or a dry rosé. In a cooked dish, match the sauce and spice rather than the paneer itself.

Why do blue cheese and sweet wine work so well?

The salt in blue cheese makes a sweet wine taste rounder and less cloying, while the sugar softens the cheese's sharp edges.