Wine and cheese complement each other perfectly. They are natural partners that give you the chance to discover their subtle and their sublime harmonies. A wine and cheese tasting is a wonderful setting for relaxing get-togethers with family or friends, as long as you follow a few guiding principles.
Generally, a wine and cheese tasting is composed of three or four services, but, just one service can do the trick for more informal occasions. Typically, it is recommended to have three varieties of cheese per service. The selected cheeses should have a pleasant contrast in flavours, textures, colours and forms.
No matter which cheese is selected, the wine you pair it with should be the best match possible. It is especially important to make the right wine choice, so do not hesitate to consult a cheesemonger or wine expert.
A simple service generally includes soft, semi-soft and firm cheeses, but you can also serve blue cheese. Of course, a wider variety of cheeses should be presented at a wine and cheese tasting with several services.
It is best to start with the more delicate flavours and then move on to more pronounced tastes, for both the selected cheeses and wines. Start by serving mild cheeses with a light wine. Then, move on to increasingly stronger flavours until finally serving cheeses with fully developed flavours along with full-bodied wines.
Here are some delicious cheese and wine pairings. Of course, there is nothing stopping you from being creative. Let your taste buds be your guide as you explore the possibilities!
Start by serving a dry white wine with mild cheeses such as Le Sieur Corbeau des Laurentides,
Le Délice des Appalaches, Saint-Paulin From Here or Chevalier Brie Triple Crème. These cheeses are often accompanied by fine foods like paté, terrine and fresh cold cuts.
Continue with a light or medium red wine accompanied by paté or terrine and cheeses with more pronounced flavours, such as Le Douanier, Le Mamirolle, Le Moine, Vaudreuil Brie or L’Empereur.
Third Service
Tempt the taste buds by serving a full-bodied red wine that goes perfectly with fine foods like paté or terrine and cheeses with sharper flavours such as Cru des Érables, Kénogami, Le Curé Labelle or Le Baluchon.
End your wine and cheese tasting with a liqueur-like white wine, Burgundy or Port accompanied by a 70% cocoa dark chocolate and strong cheeses. A blue, such as Bleu Bénédictin, Le Ciel de Charlevoix or Le Rassembleu, and an extra-strong Cheddar From Here will end your wine and cheese party on a high note.
Here are some useful guidelines for holding a three- or four-service wine and cheese tasting.
Calculate 1/2 bottle of wine per person for the first three services and 1/4 bottle per person for the last service (liqueur-like white wine, Burgundy or Port).
Generally, each of the first three services includes three varieties of cheese, while the fourth service includes two. However, these numbers can vary according to the size of your event.
In addition to serving a good variety of quality breads, crackers, fruit and nuts, plan for 50 g (2 oz) of fine foods like paté, terrine or cold cuts and approximately 200 g to 250 g (8 oz) of cheese for each guest. Cheese quantities can be distributed as follows:
| 3 services and 3 varieties per service for a total of 9 types of cheese |
|
|---|---|
| 1st service | 40% of total |
| 2nd service | 35% of total |
| 3rd service | 25% of total |
| 4 services and 3 varieties per service for a total of 12 types of cheese |
|
| 1st service | 35% of total |
| 2nd service | 30% of total |
| 3rd service | 25% of total |
| 4rd service | 10% of total |
© Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec
Texts on this site were compiled from the following sources:
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All photos from the Our Cheeses section, in addition to the photos of recipes in the Easy Recipes section, were taken by Sylvain Giguère, photographer.