Principals Of Pairing With Cheese (DI1)

For every party, we provide a “Principals Of Pairing With Cheese” guide. People don’t need to read it to enjoy the party, but its there if they would like to.

Here Is A Sample…

Pairing – A Magical Art

There is no guaranteed yeses or nos to a pairing. Even if there was some formula linking, for example, merlot and cheddar, there are too many outside variables.

Casselier Cheese Matching

The only true guide to a good match is how much pleasure it brings.

We can however analyse a good match if it ticks 5 boxes:

1. Strength: the two must have similar strength or power in the mouth
2. Texture: diverse textures often work better together
3. Balance: pairings need balanced tastes (sweet, salt, savoury, acid, bitter) usually work better
4. Harmony: pairings that have resonant (positive) flavours are more valued
5. Provenance: some matches have a cultural following, i.e. they may be either well road tested or simply popular. This will show well for people from that culture that are fans of that cuisine, but it may have no impact on others. For example, apple and cheddar is an English west country favourite. An Italian may be non-plussed.

Here is a review of a young Pinot Noir and a ripe Brie: