There are only a handful Old World wine countries, that is, only a few countries have been producing top quality wine for thousands of years. The most well-known are France, Italy and Spain. These countries have consistently created premium red and white wines, as well as rose, fortified, sparkling wines and others.
In contrast New World wines come from recently acknowledged wine regions, such as California or New Zealand. This in no way means that Old World is better than New World or vice versa, it simply means that wines have a different style.
You can usually tell whether or not a wine is Old World just by looking at the name. Old World wines are usually named after the districts or regions they come from. They are also commonly made from a blend. New World wines are more often named by the individual grapes used, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.
Pairing cheese and Old World wines is usually done by region. People have traditionally created wine that accompanies the local food well. Most local pairings are inherently good, except perhaps when the wine is of poor quality. In any case, using this principle you can easily find unusual, yet brilliant, pairings.
Pairing French wines with cheese
France is home to over a dozen excellent wine regions, some prolific, others focused on quality. The most productive wine region is Bordeaux. They make mostly red wine, which is usually a blend between Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Their white wines, few as they are, are normally blends between Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.
Pair white wines with light, milky cow or sheep cheeses. Look for this type of cheese in Aquitaine. For red wines you can try washed-rind cheese also from Aquitane or from the lower Pyrenees. Some examples are Bethmal and Saint Nectaire.
Burgundy is like the opposite of Bordeaux. While in the latter you would find massive amounts of red wines, in the former you will almost exclusively find white wines, with great emphasis on manual labor and high quality. Even red wines can be treated as white wines, since they are very light-bodied. Pair these wines with Bourgogne or Jura cheeses such as Eppoise and Comte.
Rhone is another French wine region. Here you can find bold whites and earthy reds. Viognier is a grape of choice for white wines while Syrah and Grenache are used for red wines. Try some of the boldest cheeses for these wine types. Jura gives a couple of ideas with antique Gruyere and aged Comte.
Alsace is home to highly alcoholic white wines. They use German grapes like Riesling and Gewurztraminer to make their wine which can stand up to even the stinkiest cheeses. The Alsacians also make one such cheese called Alsacian Muenster.
Pairing Italian wine with cheese
Italy has even more wine regions than France. There are 20 recognised districts, all with unique wine combinations. However they make so many wine types it’s impossible to talk about all of them. Instead let’s focus on the most famous.
You’ve probably heard about the Super Tuscans. Tuscany is the region where one of the most sought-after wine – Brunello di Montalcino is made. This wine has a big personality, fruity flavors and lots of alcohol. This wine is best complimented with Piave Italian table cheese or Pecorino, however avoid aged Pecorino.
Another famous Italian wine region is Piedmont. Here the other “some of the most sought-after Italian wines” are made. They are called Barolo and Barbaresco. The wines are robust reds with slight bitterness. Pairing them with Dolce Latte Gorgonzola will take your mouth to bliss.
There are also other Old World wine regions, such as Spain, but learning to appreciate Italian and French wine to the fullest will keep your attention focused for some time.
Further reading:
- Tips And Tricks On Wine And Cheese Pairing - We’re all here because we love how well food and wine compliment each other. The chemistry between them is wonderful. Of all the types of food we all live to enjoy, it’s safe to say there are not many dishes...
- How To Pair White Wine And Cheese - Let’s begin by saying that unlike some dish combinations, pairing white wine and cheese is not very hard. Generally everything revolves around pairing local cheeses with local white wines. For example Italian white wines pair well with many types of...
- How to Pair Cheese With Champagne and Sparkling Wines - Want to know how to come up with exquisite cheese and sparkling wine pairings such as triple-cream cheese and Extra Brut Champagne? By the way, try it and you’ll never want to serve them separately again. The logic behind it...
- How To Pair Red Wine And Cheese - It’s common knowledge that red wines are burly brawlers and white wines are delicate, a bit like men and women. But in the realm of cheese and wine this means that white wines cannot hold up to strong cheese. However...
- Burgundy – One Of The Best Wine Making Regions In The World - Burgundy is one of the famous regions of France. However, unlike some of it’s brothers and sisters it produces only pure and unsullied wine, without any of the blending we may find in Bordeaux and Champagne. If we overlook Gamay...
