Match Cheese and Dessert Wines
A cheese course is a great way to end a gourmet meal. Pairing it with a nice dessert wine is an extra plus. Some argue that dessert wines are best by themselves, but it depends on each person's taste and preference. Matching cheese and dessert wines can be tricky, but the main obstacle is pairing contrasting flavors that are developed in the dessert wines and cheeses.
Instructions
Serve Cheese After a Meal
1. Select cheeses that you prefer or would like to try. Four to six cheeses of different origins, flavors and textures should be served for variation. Before serving the cheeses, keep them out of refrigeration for one to two hours in order to bring the cheeses to a lower temperature. Cheeses served too cold will not taste as well.
2. Serve the platter of cheeses with other flavors that are complimentary, such as olives, red or green grapes, apple or pear slices, tapenade, pesto, caviar, pate, dried fruits, salamis, or hazelnuts. Make sure your platter is big enough to accommodate the cheeses, other flavor pairings and table crackers. Try different crackers such as stone-ground, rye, bagel chips, or white.
3. Serve bread with the platter that will compliment the cheese flavors as well. In the past couple of years, many bread variations were created for the sole purpose of serving with cheeses and wine. Flavors such as walnut-raisin, nine grain, cranberry-sourdough, or French baguette are ideal.
4. Provide all guests with a proper supplies, such as a salad plate, fork, knife, napkins, and dessert wine glasses. Serve a glass of water next to the dessert wine glass if desired.
5. Cut each cheese into ounce servings when you approach each guest, or cut the cheese prior to serving. It's easier to keep the individual portions on the platter. Serve each guest. Pass the platter around. Encourage guests to experiment with different flavor pairings.
Cheeses to Pair with Dessert Wine
6. Serve sweet dessert wines and port with rich cheeses like blue cheese and sharp cheddar. Try to avoid pairing soft cheese with very full-bodied, flavorful dessert wines. Always remember that very strong cheeses can sometimes overwhelm the flavor of the wine you are drinking.
7. Pair a late-harvest spicy and flavorful dessert wine with a wide variety of cheeses. These dessert wines usually have more hearty flavors. They show flavors of honey, wood, coffee, and spice. These tastes pair ideally with cheeses that have a rich, tangy flavor. Cheeses that would work well with this dessert wine include aged cheddar, Roquefort, feta made from sheep's milk or goat's milk, aged gouda, asiago and stilton.
8. Pair a fortified dessert wine that has lighter flavors and more mild notes with rich, thick and intense cheeses. Flavors in dessert wines include nutty, fruity, toffee, or chocolate notes. These types of flavors go great with rich. hard cheeses that have an apparent saltiness and butterfat. The tannins in the dessert wine bring out these flavors right away when you mix the cheese and wine. Cheeses that go well with this include cheeses such as jack, stilton, cabrales, gruyere, boucheron, manchego, or parmigiano.
9. Experiment with different cheeses. Get recommendations from your local deli, cheese or wine shop. A good rule of thumb to remember is that more mild dessert wines go best with intense flavorful cheeses, while bold spicy dessert wines go best with tangy, citrus or rich cheeses.
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