Cheese categories

Soft: tough to do with reds as the high fat/creamy texture of soft cheese tends to coat your mouth and makes red wine taste thin. The best are crisp whites or a bit sweet and aromatic to cut through the creaminess. Bubbly also does well because of the fresh, crisp flavours. Surface ripened (white fuzzy exterior molds such as Brie, Camembert, St. Andre) and washed rind (orange slightly smell exterior like Chaumes, Morbier, Oka, Pont Levesque) cheeses fit here.

Goat & sheep: crisp un-oaked white wines are great with softer goat - harder sheep & goat with young fruity reds. Sauvignon Blanc is a classic pairing for goat cheeses.

Hard: this is the best category of cheese for reds but also great with most whites. White wines are the most versatile for cheese pairings. Almost anything goes here. Try well aged mountain cheeses from France, Switzerland or Italy. These can be made with cow, sheep or goats milk.

Blue: Cheeses with mold tend to be hard on dry wines. Any dessert wine or fruity white or a red with higher sweetness is the best choice. If the blue is soft, again stay away from reds (coats your mouth and makes them taste thin). Sweet wine is great with virtually all blues. English Stilton & Roquefort with fortified wines are well known examples.

Sweet wine goes with pretty much any cheese combo!

There are really only Five Styles of Wine

Sweet Whites: Any wines with some residual sugar and no oak are very versatile with most cheese selections and especially good with blues

Dry Whites no Oak: The defining element is fruit and there is usually crisp acidity, which is good with soft cheeses including sheep and goat, from fresh to aged.

Dry Whites with Oak: The use of wood can add flavour and texture in many ways. This style is often the best with harder aged cheeses.

Lighter Reds: More fruit and less tannin is the motto here, generally high in acid. Great with firmer sheep's cheese like Manchego or Ossau Iraty.

Stronger Reds: These wines are stronger in flavour, and this bold taste can is generally a combination of tannin, higher alcohol and intense fruit. Only serve with hard cheeses like French Comte or Beaufort, Swiss Cave Aged Gruyere, Raclette or Abondance, or Italian hard cheeses like Fontina from Val D'Aosta or aged Asiago.