People have been pairing wines and cheese for, well, as long as there has been wine and cheese! The fact of the matter is that wine and cheese are two delights which just go well with each other... Traditionally people would simply serve the wines and cheese which were natural to their region and thus the challenge presented by "wine and cheese pairing" was solved by what happened to be available.  The modern challenge of "wine and cheese pairing" can seem daunting with all of the choices made available by the presence of wines and cheeses from all over the world which face us at our local supermarket! In an effort to reduce some of the guesswork (and stress) we've assembled a list of basic "wine and cheese pairing" choices... but keep in mind, these are just basic concepts and not absolute rules - by all means, experiment!

Since the rule of wine is "First the wine, then the food..." this list is presented in alphabetical order by type of wine, we suppose that a producer of cheese would present the list in order of the cheese.

Wine and Cheese Pairings:

Beaujolais: Brie, Camembert, goat cheese

Cabernet Franc: Blue, Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Fontina, goat cheese, Gorgonzola, Port Salut, Swiss

Cabernet Sauvignon: Blue cheese, Camembert, Cheddar, Colby, Danish Blue, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Parmesan, Roquefort

Chardonnay: Brie, Camembert, goat cheese, Gouda, Gruyere, Parmesan, Provolone

Champagne: Beaufort, Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Chevre, Colby, Edam, Gouda, Gruyere, Parmesan

Chenin Blanc: Camembert, goat cheese, Graddost

Chianti: Fontina, Mozarella, Parmesan, Provolone

Dessert Wines: Crème Fraiche, Marscopone, garnished with Blue cheese

Gewurztraminer: Boursin, Camembert, Chevre, Muenster, Swiss, Wensleydale

Gruner Veltliner: Blue cheese, goat cheese, Munster

Merlot: Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Gruyere, Jarlsberg, Parmesan

Pinot Blanc: Brie, Camembert, Feta

Pinot Gris: aged Cheddar, Asiago, Edam, goat cheese, Gouda, Mozarella, Muenster, Ricotta

Pinot Noir: Brie, Camembert, Feta, Gruyere, Monterey Jack, Muenster, Port Salut, Swiss

Port: Blue, Gorgonzola

Riesling: Brie, Blue, Colby, Edam, Gouda, Monterey Jack

Rioja: Asiago, Cheddar, Havarti

Sangiovese: Blue, Fontina, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Provolone, Ricotta

Sauvignon Blanc: Asiago, Brie, Cheddar, Feta, goat cheese, Gruyere, Neufchatel, Parmesan

Shiraz / Syrah: Cheddar, Edam, Gouda, Parmesan

Zinfandel: Asiago, Blue, Feta, goat cheese, Gouda, Gruyere, Muenster