How to Do a Wine and Cheese Tasting to Celebrate Wine and Cheese Day

We all know that wine and cheese is a match made in heaven. But which wine with which cheese? As they say, what grows together goes together, but not all cheeses from a place go with all the wines. So we chose a range of  four wines from four countries in the EU (Italy, France, Portugal, and Germany) to pair with a range of eight cheeses (Italy, France, Portugal, Germany, England, Spain) just in time to share with you for Wine and Cheese Day held annually on July 25. Not only did we come up with a nice variety of cheeses but a variety of cheeses made with different milks (cow, sheep, goat) as well as cheeses from different countries with a variety of textures from fresh to aged.

If you’re building a cheese board, and you’re unsure of the wines that might be poured,

it’s good to keep these guidelines in mind: choose a range of cheeses including fresh, aged, hard, soft, different milks, combined milks, blue! If you know what wines, then you can focus on certain go to cheese and wine pairings or experiment!

Some specialty cheese stores have baskets with small amounts of cheese; if you check at your local Whole Foods and Sprouts you might find the same. This is a great way to experiment and discover different cheese and wine pairings.

For a fun tasting with friends, ask different people to bring a wine and a cheese from a specific country, and then enjoy sampling and comparing them. You might even prepare clipboards with a place to list the cheeses and the wines. 

Be sure to figure out how to identify the cheeses in advance so you can keep of which cheese you’re tasting as you’re learning which cheese is which. We used a large tile to write the names of the cheeses down with a dry erase pen. I also have a large slate cutting board that I can write on with chalk to identify cheeses. You can write them down on a cardboard “tent” too and place that near the cheese or purchase items that you can write on like placards for place names which are often fun and seasonal, and then connect the cheese with them to identify the cheese.

When you taste through several wines, start with the one that is the “lightest” in flavor and/or alcohol. You might also consider which has the most acid or oak treatment. Typically that will mean you’ll taste from white to orange to rose to red wines. Basically, you want to build your palate up to heavier wines as well as richer ones, and that goes for the cheeses as well.  

I admit, I have more than the typical number of wines in my house to choose from, as well as an inordinate amount of cheeses! It was fun for Sue and I go discuss different wines that we wanted to do, as well as making sure we had a great selection of cheeses to go with them. You can use crackers, bread, crostini or a combination, or just focus on the cheese and the wine! Once you have the cheeseboard together, you can relax! 

Below in our notes we focused on which cheeses WORKED with which wines.

How to Do a Wine and Cheese Tasting to Celebrate Wine and Cheese Day

Wines

• ITALY: Acquesi Brachetto DOC Piemonte VASPA
• FRANCE: 2018 Hugel & Fils Classic “Hugel 
• GERMANY: 2020 Clean Slate Riesling Mosel
• PORTUGAL: 2015 Adega De Borba Reserva Alentejo DOC

Menu 

• Cheese Board   
  England:
  Blue Stilton
  White Apricot Stilton
  Italy:
  La Tur
  60 Month Parm
  Germany:
  Mushroom Brie
  France:
  Delice 
  Portugal:
  Sheep
  Spain:
  Tres Leches (3 cheeses)
• Plus Burrata Crostini with Grilled Peach and Prosciutto 

Acquesi Brachetto DOC Piemonte VASPA

Acquesi Brachetto DOC Piemonte VASPA

ABV: 5%
SRP: $18
Grapes: Brachetto
Importer: Mack & Schuhle Inc.
sample for my review

Brachetto is a fun, festive, pretty sparkling red wine from northwestern Italy; the sweetness is tempered by the bright acidic fruit. It’s great before or after a meal, or in a cocktail. Acquesi Brachetto DOC comes from the world renowned Cuvage winery in Acqui Terme, Acquesi Brachetto DOC.

And what a pretty bottle too! 

Appearance:  Cherry cola, copper, amber, shimmery like gold, goldfish quality, soft foamy bubbles cling to the side of the glass, 

Aroma: Cherry, strawberry, raspberry, mint, sage, vanilla, fennel, chamomile tea, 

Palate: Cherry,  strawberry, raspberry, pink peppercorn, mint, sweet with a dryness, tannins, gentle foam caresses the mouth, vanilla, cola, cherry cola, sweet yet not too sweet,

Pairing: Great with the peach crostini, great with the apricot stilton, fabulous with the LaTur, the salty parm brings out the sweetness in the wine.  We thought it would be great with a BLT. 

2018 Hugel & Fils Classic “Hugel” Pinot Gris Alsace AOC

ABV: 14.5%
SRP: under $30
Grapes: Pinot Gris
Importer: Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd.
sample for my review

For more than 2,000 years, wine grapes have been grown in the Alsace which is the second driest wine region in France. Grapes ripen slowly there which makes for dry, aromatic wines that work well with cheese (as well as  Asian cuisine!) Founded in 1639, Hugel & Fils is 100% family owned and managed by the 12th consecutive generation of the family. 

Appearance:  Platinum, Platinum very clear

Aroma: Chamomile, meadow grasses, petrol, white flower, tar, graphite, 

Palate: Bright acidity, fresh, dry, black licorice, fresh peach,  

Pairing: The wine shines with the grilled peach crostini, the creaminess of the LaTur was  fantastic with the wine, It fought a bit with the Delice and the mushroom brie, It was much happier with the goat or sheep milk cheeses, and it went well with the Portuguese and Tres Leche cheese.

2020 Clean Slate Riesling Mosel Germany

SRP: $12
Grapes: Riesling
Importer: Winebow
sample for my review

Clean Slate Riesling comes from the steep hills above the winding Mosel river of Western Germany where the thin slate stones on the label bring balance to the wines. The stones are so important to these wines that should one slip into the river they are carefully returned!

Appearance:  Very very pale lemon, platinum rim, quite clear

Aroma: Petrol, there is not mistaking that this is a Riesling from Mosel, alpine meadow, snow melt coming down from the mountain, sweet fruit and florals are very subtle, elderflower, it is very elusive, 

Palate: Tart lemon, Meyer lemon, pomelo, dry and acidic, kiwi, 

Pairing: Delicious with the Delice, very nice with the peach crostini, great with the mushroom brie brining out the earthiness in both the wine and the cheese the contrast between the cheese and the wine make them both dynamic what a dynamic pairing, , lovely with the LaTur.

2015 Adega De Borba Reserva Alentejo DOC

2015 Adega De Borba Reserva Alentejo DOC

ABV: 13.5%
SRP: $18 (upon release) 
Grapes: 30% Trincadeira, 30% Alicante Bouschet, 20% Aragonez, 20% Castelão
Importer: L&B Beverage Inc.
sample for my review

A rich and complex blend of important Alentejo Portugal grapes made by an important coop; the town has lots of marble and sports a marble cluster of grapes. Love the natural cork label crafted from oak bark.

Appearance:  Deep and dense, ruby, garnet rim

Aroma: Cherry, cherry pipe tobacco, menthol, rosemary, carnation, complex and subtle, 

Palate: Tart cherry, boysenberry, balanced tannins and acidity, cocoa powder, smooth, complex without being heavy or overbearing.  

Pairing: The basil and the hot honey on the crostini was absolutely perfect with the wine, the wine loves the basil the procuitto and the creamy buratta. lovely with the aged parm and the regular stilton making the wine ultra fruity and sweet loving the salty creamy blue, the wine loves salinity in cheese. On subsequent evenings, I paired this with steak and other meats and traditional meals and it really goes well with food. 

Peach Burrata

Grilled Peach Burrata Crostini with Hot Honey

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf organic sourdough baguette
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan 
• 1/3 cup grated pecorino
• 1 clove finely minced
• 2T fresh thyme chopped
• 2T melted butter mixed with 1 T olive oil
• 4 oz procuitto 
• 8oz buratta cheese at room temperature 
• 3 peaches halved and grilled
• Hot honey
• 3T fresh basil chopped

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• On a parchment lined baking sheet, mix parmesan, pecorino, garlic, thyme,  and 1/2 butter mix and a pinch of fresh ground pepper.
• Place sliced bread on top of cheese mixture.
• Brush remaining butter mixture on top of baguette rounds
• Arrange proscuitto on top and around baking sheet
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
• Arrange crostini on a serving plate, scatter burrata over the top of the crostini.
• Top with grilled peaches, proscuitto, and fresh basil. 
• Drizzle with hot honey and serve.