Perfect pairings

A nibble and a sip – wine, whisky and beer are all friends of cheese.

Cheese and wine

A few tips I always use when pairing Remember the following: what grows together, goes together. If a goat’s cheese is the pride of the Loire Valley in France, try pairing it with wines from that region. Pair wines with cheeses of equal intensity.

Fresh cheese Feta, goat’s cheese, mozzarella, ricotta and burrata pair very well with crisp, dry white wines – such as a young chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot gris – and dry rosé wines, as well as sparkling wines.

Soft cheese Soft cheeses such as brie and camembert pair well with rich white wines or low-tannin fruity red wines. Champagne is fantastic with soft cheeses because the effervescence cuts through the richness of the cheese.

Hard cheese Hard cheeses, such as parmesan and manchego, match well with tannic reds such as bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz.

Blue cheese Blue cheeses pair well with wines that are a little bit sweeter but still have a bite. Try riesling, vin santo, white burgundy or a sauterne.

Cheese and whisky

A medium-bodied whisky goes really nicely with crottin de chavignol, the most well-known type of goat’s cheese.

Scotch whisky goes really nicely with a salty, strong comté cheese. The honey and vanilla taste of the Scotch marries beautifully with the comté.

‘Sherry Bomb’ whisky Cashel blue is a rich, creamy milk cheese with tangy, sharp flavours that would overpower a lot of whisky, but a good ‘Sherry Bomb’ whisky can stand up against the strength of any quality blue cheese.

Cheese and beer

When buying beer, look for notes on the label that complement the flavour and texture notes of the cheese.

Cider is great with a creamy blue cheese that has a bit of a tangy and nutty bite; taking a sip of cider will help bring all of those big, bold flavours together.

Belgian beers pair well with gruyère, emmental or comté. Belgian beers have a yeasty flavour, which complements the nutty cheese.

Sweet stout goes well with creamy blue cheese.

IPA goes well with a strong mature farmhouse cheddar; the sharpness pairs well with the hoppiness of the IPA.

Pilsner pale lager is lovely with fresh cheese, such as goat’s cheese and burrata.

Pair imperial stout with a strong spicy blue cheese, as they go really well with the roast flavours of stout.

I like German lager with Alpine-style cheeses like gruyère.

Golden ale goes well with parmesan, as the dryness of the beer accentuates the dry and intense notes of aged parmesan.

There are no real rules for pairing cheese and beer – it is simply down to personal preference. Here are a few tips to help inspire and develop your own pairings that work for your personal taste.

Whisky as a food pairing is becoming more popular. Below are a few styles of whisky and some ideas of which cheeses to pair with them. Cheese and wine are two of life’s great pleasures, so what is better than enjoying them together? And I have had a lot of fun over the years finding the perfect match.