Wine With Blue Cheese

by Paul Lukacs and Marguerite Thomas    

In past columns we reported on our experiments with wines for hard cheeses and for creamy cheeses.  A few nights ago we put blue cheeses to the test.  We opened fourteen bottles of wine and set out a platter of classic blues: Roquefort, Stilton and Gorgonzola.  For the most part there was no surprise in the match-ups: fortified wines, notably Port, and well balanced dessert wines (Sauternes is a no-brainer) make superb partners for blue cheeses.  There's a reason these are archetypal pairings, and our palates found no grounds to quarrel with tradition.  By and large these wines have intensity and complexity to match the pungency and elaborate earthy flavors of the cheese; they have sweetness to balance its inherent saltiness; and they have corpulent bodies to jive with the rich, creamy texture of the fromage.

We do part company, however, with those gastronomes who favor dry red wine with blue cheese.  To our taste, tannins, overt acid, and/or any hint of greenness in a red wine all make the wine turn bitter and metallic when they come in contact with the savory molds of blue cheese.  The only red table wines that worked for us had a fair measure of sweetness to soften the impact.  (Alas, the Recioto we'd looked forward to testing was corked.)  We weren't crazy about many of the white table wines we sampled either.  Want to make an otherwise succulent Riesling turn tasteless and watery?  Pair it with blue cheese (a good late harvest Riesling, however, might make an outstanding match).  Two whites that made our short list, though not the final cut, were a classic Vouvray and a big, ripe California Chardonnay.  Both wines had enough sweetness to balance the flavors of the cheese, but they lacked heft.  Both seemed robust enough on their own, but turned thin with the blues.  One startling exception in the dry white category: at the end of the tasting session we opened a bottle of Puligny-Montrachet to have with the dinner we were getting ready to dish up, and out of curiosity sampled the wine with the cheese.  Sacré Bleu!  Because the wine was so rich, silky and-most significant-complex and well blanced, the combination worked.  Although we decided not to include this white Burgundy in our final roundup as its $50 price tag puts it in an altogether different category, it underscored the notion that wines with great complexity and superb structure are a match for just about anything.  But in general, to happily sing the blues, best bets include Port or classic dessert wine, or a rich, not too tannic red loaded with sweet fruit.   

Selection

Approx. Price

Comments

Castello Banfi, Moscadello di Montalcino (Tuscany, Italy) 'Florus' Late Harvest 2003 (500 ml)

(Imported by Banfi Vintners)

  $21

The only true dessert wine we tried with the cheeses, this wine tasted sweet and succulent.  It more than held its own with the pungent blues, and would be a good choice if you were serving the cheeses at the very end of a meal.

Churchill's, Tawny Porto (Portugal) 10 Years Old

(Imported by Frederick Wildman)

 $30

We served this tawny port well-chilled, and the wine seemed simultaneously robust and refreshing - a delightful if paradoxical combination.  While we think of port primarily as an after supper sipper, a glass served at that temperature would work just fine before dinner.

Mionetto, Extra Dry Rosé (Italy) 'Sergio Rosé' (Imported by Mionetto USA)

 $22

This off-dry northern Italian sparkler (the grapes come from both Piave and Trentino vineyards) had just enough sweetness to marry well with the pungent cheeses.  Its appeal comes from its delicacy, and in truth it would have made a better match had it been a tad more robust.  But if you're serving the cheese before dinner, its sweet, sunny personality will prove charming. 

Van Ruiten Vineyards, Lodi (California) Zinfandel 'Old Vine' 2004

  $18

This heady Zin seemed sweet, even syrupy, when tried on its own, but came into balance when sipped with the pungent cheeses.  Precisely because its fruit flavors are super-ripe, it never turned bitter as some other, drier reds did.

Warre's, Late Bottled Vintage Porto (Portugal) 1999

(Imported by Vineyard Brands)

 $32

Heavier and headier than the tawny port, this winter-weight wine was delicious with the cheeses.  The combination of sweet fruit and deep, hearty red wine flavor proved irresistible.