Treat yourself to a special night at home with these tips for wine & cheese pairings. Learn how to pair wines with flavored cheeses, and how to create a simple cheese board to enjoy at home.
Since we’re all spending a LOT more time at home these days, I thought it would be fun to create a guide on how to pair wines with flavored cheeses – like some of my favorites from Cabot Creamery – Cracked Peppercorn, Wildly Horseradish, Roasted Garlic, Spicy Jack and Smoky Bacon.
First thing’s first. You may be wondering what to put on a cheese board…
I have a simple method for that.
How to make a cheese platter:
Step 1:
Choose your board
You can make your board as small or as big as you’d like. For our date night at home, I kept things small with a small wooden serving tray.
Step 2:
Choose your cheeses
My method of attack is generally to choose two or three cheeses of varying types. For example, a soft cheese and a hard cheese. Or, a cheddar, gouda, and brie.
But tonight, I decided to try something different. Since Cabot has so many amazing flavored cheeses in their Deli Bar lineup, I went with several different flavors of cheese.
For this board, I chose:
I like to cut the cheese in varying shapes like cubes, wedges and sticks, just to add some visual interest.
Step 3:
Add your accompaniments
- Crackers, Chips, Bread. I love to serve up my cheeses with crackers or homemade crostini.
- Fresh Fruits.
- Dried Fruits.
- Olives.
- Nuts & Seeds.
Wine & cheese pairing:
Since these cheeses are all about the flavor, I chose certain wine pairings to complement them. This is the fun part! Open up a couple bottles and experiment to find your favorites! But here’s some ideas to get you started:
- Peppercorn – Try robust reds, or red blends. Zinfandel, Syrah, and Rhone Blends are some great options.
- Horseradish – Try a white wine with a hint of sweetness. Riesling, Viognier, and Gewurztraminer are all excellent pairings.
- Garlic – Look for an aromatic white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Gruner Vetliner.
- Bacon – You’ve got a couple different options. Sparkling wine will be amazing with this rich cheese. Or, try a Pinot Noir. Its earthy notes will pair nicely.
- Spicy Jack – To tame the heat, go with a sweeter wine, like a Sweet Riesling.
More cheese board ideas:
- How to Create the Perfect Fall Harvest Cheese Board
- Simple Winter Cheese Board
- Chocolate Dessert Board (Dessert Charcuterie)
- Spicy Game Day Charcuterie Board
I teamed up with Cabot Creamery to bring you this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
