🧀 Cheese

Fresh, washed-rind, blue, aged — the rule is simple: match texture and salt level.

Blue Cheese

Roquefort, Stilton, and blue cheeses are salty, pungent, and intense.

Best match $$$

Sweet Tokaji or Sauternes-style dessert wine

Its sweetness, acidity, and botrytis complexity can meet custard, fruit, honey, and blue-cheese richness while staying fresh.

Also great

Port-style fortified red $$$

Off-dry Riesling $$

See full pairing → Ask Scott

Cheese Board

A mixed cheese board asks for versatility across salt, rind, cream, and funk.

Best match $$$

Traditional-method sparkling wine

Its bubbles, acidity, and leesy texture scrub the palate and make rich, fried, salty, or delicate foods feel precise.

Also great

Sweet Tokaji or Sauternes-style dessert wine $$$

Off-dry Riesling $$

See full pairing → Ask Scott

Fresh Goat Cheese

Fresh goat cheese is tangy, creamy, and often paired with herbs or salad.

Best match $$

Crisp mineral Loire-style white

Its high acidity and mineral edge make the food feel cleaner, brighter, and more precise, especially with herbs or seafood.

Also great

Aromatic Sauvignon Blanc $

Traditional-method sparkling wine $$$

See full pairing → Ask Scott

Hard Aged Cheese

Parmesan, Pecorino, and similar cheeses are salty, nutty, and concentrated.

Best match $$$

Aged Nebbiolo

Its acidity, firm but resolved tannin, and earthy perfume make it a strong partner for slow cooking, mushrooms, game, and cheese.

Also great

Amontillado or Oloroso Sherry $$

Traditional-method sparkling wine $$$

See full pairing → Ask Scott

Soft Bloomy Cheese

Brie and Camembert styles are creamy, mushroomy, and rind-driven.

Best match $$$

Traditional-method sparkling wine

Its bubbles, acidity, and leesy texture scrub the palate and make rich, fried, salty, or delicate foods feel precise.

Also great

Oaked buttery Chardonnay $$

Crisp light red $

See full pairing → Ask Scott

Washed-Rind Cheese

Taleggio, Epoisses, and similar cheeses are pungent, salty, and rich.

Best match $$

Off-dry Riesling

Its gentle sweetness, low alcohol, and bright acidity cool spice, flatter salt, and refresh rich sauces.

Also great

Traditional-method sparkling wine $$$

Silky Pinot Noir $$

See full pairing → Ask Scott

← Back to Pairings

Not seeing your dish?

Just ask Scott.

Scott knows every dish in this category and hundreds more. Describe what you're cooking and he'll give you the match and the reasoning.

Ask Scott →