It’s no secret that wine and cheese are a terrific match. The level of acidity, alcohol and structure of a white wine can cut through cheese’s fat to uncork a greater depth of taste. So, what happens when wine is an ingredient in cheese? A lot, as it ends up.
When a wheel or wedge of cheese is brined, dipped, marinaded, soaked or washed in wine, the skin and other exposed surfaces take on the wine’s color, flavors and aromas. Some cheesemakers also inject red wine directly into the “paste,” or the cheese’s interior, to develop taste and produce colorful veins throughout the interior. In any case, a well-crafted wine-infused cheese offers the best of the red wine and cheese in one unified bite.
Some state wine-infused cheeses happened throughout World War I, when European farmers concealed their cheese in barrels filled with white wine to secure them from enemy soldiers. It’s an excellent story but, alas, it’s folklore, says Sabina Belser of Musco Food Corp., an importer of cheese and specialized foods.
” Cheese in Europe was a peasant food initially, a means of survival and combating food spoilage,” states Belser. “Those same individuals often made their own red wine, especially in Italy or France.”
There are useful advantages to cheesemaking and wine making, too. They extend the life span of milk– be it cow, goat or sheep– and fruit, respectively. Making cheese and wine together tempers the growth of germs, too (thank you, alcohol). Whatever the intention, the marriage is a natural, tasty fit.
Where to Buy Red Wine Cheese
Ask your regional cheesemonger or go to Wegmans, Whole Foods or other supermarkets. You can likewise attempt digital sources like Murray’s Cheese, St. James Cheese and Piccolo’s Gastronomia Italiana. How to Pair White Wine Cheese with White wine You can delight in even
higher depths of taste by matching wine-infused cheese with a white wine that complements it. Andrew McFetridge, the drink director and head sommelier at Ruffian Red wine Bar in New York City, says there are a few ways to approach this pairing. Usually, fatty foods pair well with tannic red wines, and salted foods deal with high-acid red wines. The traditional expression” What grows together goes together” also applies for wine-infused cheese, he states. So, attempt matching your cheese with red wine from the same or a comparable area. Register for White Wine Lover Newsletters Get the current news, evaluations, dishes
Wine Enthusiast. Privacy Policy That said, there’s no damage in taking chances with nontraditional pairings.
, “says McFetridge.Ready to put those pointers into action? Here, McFetridge shares white wine pairings for seven types of wine-infused cheese.
7 White Wine Cheeses to Attempt( And How to Pair Them) Drunken Goat Courtesy Murray’s Cheese Milk: Goat Cheese Type: Semisoft
Country of Origin: Spain The longest-tenured wine-infused cheese
in the U.S., Drunken Goat
, also referred to as Cabra al Vino
or” goat with wine,” is
a semisoft, not especially goaty
cheese that was soaked in
Doble Pasta wine and aged for 60 days. You’ll recognize this Spanish crowd-pleaser by its deep purple rind and might observe that the parts of the cheese closest to rind are the most wine-flavored. Drunken Goat is mild and somewhat sweet. Wine Pairing: McFetridge suggests wine with light tannin and sufficient fruit, such as California Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais or Primitivo. Baller pairing, he states, would be the 2017 Guttarolo Primitivo from Puglia. Ubriaco Pinot Rosé Picture by
Francesco Sapienza Milk: Cow Cheese Type: Semihard Native land: Italy In Italian, ubriaco ways” intoxicated” and can be used as an adjective or noun. Formaggio ubriaco can be made anywhere however is most related to Italy
‘s Veneto region. Ubriaco Pinot Rosé is the development of generations of
cheesemaking for Sergio Moro, whose grandpa assisted local dairies
produce and preserve cheese with Raboso
and Fragolino red wines for individual intake. This fragrant, semihard cheese is made from pasteurized cow’s milk, topped with wine-infused rose petals, and taken in grape needs to and La Jara Pinot Grigio sparkling rosé and aged for 30 to 60 days. Red wine Pairing: Sparkling red white wine, states McFetridge, like Lambrusco or sparkling Shiraz. Moliterno al Vino A flock behind Moltinero al Vino/ Picture by Central Formaggi Milk: Sheep Cheese Type: Hard Native land: Italy Called for a mountainous town in southern Italy with optimal cheese-aging conditions, Moliterno is made with the milk of free-range sheep in Sardinia, by one manufacturer: Central Formaggi.
In the 19th century, founding cheesemaker Agostino Villecco took a trip some 77 miles from his home town to Moliterno to
get his cheese simply
right. Today, it’s still made using standard techniques, like pressing the curds in handmade reed baskets.Moliterno alVinois soaked in Raboso for about 20 days
, injectedwith red wine to createsensational
a semisoft, not especially goaty
cheese that was soaked in
cheesemaking for Sergio Moro, whose grandpa assisted local dairies
produce and preserve cheese with Raboso
and Fragolino red wines for individual intake. This fragrant, semihard cheese is made from pasteurized cow’s milk, topped with wine-infused rose petals, and taken in grape needs to and La Jara Pinot Grigio sparkling rosé and aged for 30 to 60 days. Red wine Pairing: Sparkling red white wine, states McFetridge, like Lambrusco or sparkling Shiraz. Moliterno al Vino A flock behind Moltinero al Vino/ Picture by Central Formaggi Milk: Sheep Cheese Type: Hard Native land: Italy Called for a mountainous town in southern Italy with optimal cheese-aging conditions, Moliterno is made with the milk of free-range sheep in Sardinia, by one manufacturer: Central Formaggi.
In the 19th century, founding cheesemaker Agostino Villecco took a trip some 77 miles from his home town to Moliterno to
get his cheese simply
right. Today, it’s still made using standard techniques, like pressing the curds in handmade reed baskets.Moliterno alVinois soaked in Raboso for about 20 days
, injectedwith red wine to createsensational, deep purple, interior veins, and after that aged for one month or more. Wine Pairing:” The within this cheese reminds me of marble floors, “says McFetridge.” It requires a wine that is just as strong, strong, firm. “He suggests something from Cornas in the Northern Rhône or an Australian Shiraz from South Australia. Bluehorn Blue Image by Beryl Striewski Milk: Cow Cheese Type: Blue Country of Origin: U.S.In addition to its world champion cheese, Rogue River Blue, which is covered
in Syrah grape leaves and taken in pear liqueur, Rogue Creamery makes a cave-aged cow’s milk blue cheese. Bluehorn Blue is taken in a red white wine blend, and then aged
for at least 90days. It’s an incredibly sensory experience with pungent scents, mosaic design, a selection of textures and strong yet not overwhelming flavors.Wine Pairing: Blue cheeses are McFetridge’s favorites to pair with white wine. With Bluehorn, he recommends a tawny Port, an off-dry champagne from the
Bugey-Cerdon area of France or “something truly badass” like Papras Bio Red Wines
‘ Melanthia shimmering, a Black Muscat from Greece.Purple MoonCheddar Photo by Andre Niesing Milk: Cow Cheese Type: Semihard Country of Origin: U.S.When the cheese expert at its regional supermarket wanted a wine-soaked cheddar, Fiscalini, a dairy developed in 1914 in Modesto, California by Swiss immigrants, answered the call. Purple Moon Cheddar was born in 2002, and in 2021 it was the company’s bestselling cheese. Six-ounce pieces of Fiscalini’s Farmhouse Cheddar, made with milk from its cows, are dipped over night in Small
Sirah from a local winemaker. The result is a deep purple rind surrounding discreetly nutty, sweet cheese. White wine Pairing: McFetridge states California Zinfandel is an excellent match.” Type of like a berries and cream type thing,” he says, and advises Martha Stoumen’s bottling.Project X Courtesy Murray’s Cheese Milk: Cow Cheese Type: Semihard Country of Origin: U.S.A partnership
in between Vermont’s Spring Brook Farm and
New york city’s Murray’s Cheese, Project X is reminiscent of France’s Clisson, or Tome d’Aquitaine, another partnership in between a cheesemaker and affineur. Job X is made from raw cow’s milk cheese, bathed repeatedly in Gewürztraminer from New york city State’s Finger Lakes and aged four months. It has hints of nuts and anise– the latter because wheels are covered in fennel pollen prior to their white wine bath.Wine Pairing: McFetridge suggests pairing by area, and notes that Ravines White wine Cellars makes an unctuous however decidedly dry Gewürztraminer. “A darling pairing,” he states. You may also try it with an Alsatian or Northeastern Italian Gewürztraminer.Weinkase Lagrein Courtesy Murray’s Cheese Milk: Cow Cheese Type: Semisoft Native land: Italy Weinkase implies” red wine cheese” in German, and the fontina-like Weinkase Lagrein originates from northern Italy, near the Austrian border. The semisoft cheese is made with cow’smilk, and then soaked
for 5 days in garlic- and herb-infused local Lagrein
wine.Wine Pairing: McFetridge says this cheese sets best with a vibrant, fresh red wine withsome fruit,
like Gustavo Riffo’s Lomas de Llahuen, a País from Chile, or La Casa Vieja’s Objective bottling from Mexico.
Source: https://www.winemag.com/2022/02/10/wine-cheese-guide/