Wine evaluation | Serving wine and cheese

By Anna Malczyk

If you’ve always thought that serving cheese and wine as a meal is a posh and pretentious thing to do, think again! In a country that makes some of the best wines in the world (and some pretty good cheeses too), you’d be missing out if you didn’t have a go at creating your own wine and cheese platter.

Pick your cheese
The first step is to decide what you want to serve. Starting with cheese, make sure you have a varied selection of textures, tastes and styles. Be sure to include soft mould-ripened cheeses like brie and camembert, blue cheeses, soft white cheeses like fresh mozzarella and cream cheese, firm yellow cheeses like gouda and mature yellow cheeses like aged cheddar. If you can find them, include a smoked cheese, goat’s cheese and a hard cheese, like parmesan. Variety is key.

Serving cheese
To serve your cheeses, consider how strong they are, and how best they are eaten. Very strong cheese like gruyere can be cut into shavings. Cream cheeses should be easy to scoop or spread. Soft mould-ripened chesses can be eaten on their own, while strong blue cheeses benefit from accompaniments like preserves.

Pick your wine
Now, choose a selection of wines that suits your cheese platter. Remember to match the wines’ textures and flavours to the cheeses. Here are some tips:

• Mild white cheeses go with milder, lighter white wines
• Stronger, matured cheeses suit red wines
• A creamy camembert is perfectly paired with a creamy wooded Chardonnay or a fresh, light Chenin
• Mild yellow cheeses like gouda and edam benefit from being paired with Riesling
• Light reds, like Merlot, suit mild yellow and goat’s milk cheeses
• Cabernet Sauvignon complements matured cheeses and hard cheeses like gruyere
• Shiraz complements sharp wines like parmesan
• Blue cheeses need strong, sweet wines to balance them – try dessert wines, Sherries or Ports
• It’s a good idea to experiment to find the combination that’s right for you.

Extra touches
Don’t forget to include other snacks to go along with the wine and cheese. Salted crackers or good crusty bread are a must. Olives also suit the cheese very well. If you’re serving a lot of creamy mouldy cheeses like brie, or pungent blues, consider getting some sweet fruit preserves – orange and fig marmalades work particularly well. Very bland cheeses, like fresh mozzarella or unflavoured cream cheese, can be lifted with fresh basil or rocket leaves. Rich, creamy cheeses can benefit from some fresh sliced cherry tomatoes, to add texture and acidity.

And you’re set! Enjoy your wine and cheese feast.

What are your favourite wine and cheese pairings?

Anna Malczyk is the communications executive at GetSmarter.

Click here to learn more about the Stellenbosch University Wine Evaluation course.