Two pillars of French gastronomy: cheese and wine! How can you not succumb to a generous board with a good bottle?

At Arthus et Jean, we are real cheese fans, and for several years we have been trying to match it as best we can with our bottles.

Let's start by breaking a big French myth: NO, cheese does not go with red wine... in most cases. We explain:

Red wines often contain tannins, which cause the "rough" sensation in the mouth. If we add this to cheeses, often fatty and rich, the taste buds risk saturating and the salivation phenomenon stops. On paper, it doesn't sound like a dream! Fortunately, white wines , dry or sweet, are there to bring freshness and sweetness to a good cheese platter.

Wine and goat cheese

Crottin from Chavignol, Valençay, Rocamadour, Charolais, etc.

Goat cheeses are generally rather light in taste, with a sometimes slightly sticky or slightly drier paste. They are clearly the number one enemy of red wine. However, they go ideally with a very dry and light white wine.

If the cheese is rather fresh, opt for a Vouvray, made from the Chenin grape variety. For example, with a Valençay, serve the dry Vouvray from Domaine François Pinon, it will be perfect! With slightly more mature cheeses, in this case do not hesitate to go for slightly more powerful wines like the delicious Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc grape variety) from Domaine Berthier.

Wine and blue cheese

Blue cheese, Fourme d’Ambert, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, …

Enemy number 2 of red wine! These cheeses have the particularity of being quite rich and very intense in taste, due to the mold that develops during ripening. This time the idea of ​​the pairing is to accompany this fat and intensity, without weighing it down too much. To do this, nothing beats a sweet wine that remains well balanced. Choose a Jurançon Moelleux du Clos Lapeyre (Petit Manseng grape variety) with a Fourme d'Ambert, you'll tell us what you think!

Wine and cooked pressed pasta

Comté, Beaufort, Abondance, Gruyere, Parmesan, …

We are talking about cheeses that are very commonly consumed, so we should not make a mistake in choosing the wine! Once again, the pairing will often depend on the level of maturation. However, once again, we avoid reds!

With relatively young cheeses, we will look for a fresh and light wine, even a little fruity like a Burgundy wine (Chardonnay grape variety) or a Savoie wine with the Roussette de Savoie from Domaine Grisard (Altesse grape variety).

For mature cheeses, you should turn to more powerful white wines, even “oxidative”. It is impossible here not to mention the pairing between an old comté and a Vin Jaune (Savagnin grape variety) from the Jura!

One last possibility not to be overlooked: a bubble or a champagne with a low sugar content will make a magnificent match.

Wine and soft cheeses

Brie, Camembert, Pont l'Evêque, Livarot, Epoisses, …

For fans of this type of cheese, unfortunately these are not the easiest to pair. However, we can still give you some examples that work well on the palate.

With a good Camembert and its power, you can serve a light red, preferably without tannin, like a Beaujolais (Gamay grape variety) or a red Sancerre (Pinot Noir grape variety). Here again, you can play the joker card of a low-dose champagne that will contrast with the cheese!

For a washed rind cheese like Livarot, we can turn this time to a more fleshy red like a St Joseph (Syrah grape variety).

Wine and uncooked pressed pasta

Morbier, Saint-Nectaire, Ossau-Iraty, Reblochon, Cantal, …

This last family includes the largest number of cheeses. The possibilities are therefore quite vast, provided you don't go to extremes. For red wine lovers, choosing a rather fruity and light wine may be appropriate for pairing with a Saint-Nectaire or a Mimolette. It is still preferable to stick to dry white wines, for cheeses such as Reblochon, and also sheep's milk tommes. The latter, often produced in the South-West, go ideally with whites from the same region, such as a dry Bergerac or a Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh !

In summary, there are many possibilities for cheese and wine pairings. A word of advice though, if you had to choose just one wine for a whole cheese platter, opt for a dry white wine that will go with most of them, but above all something you like! And for those who want a little originality, turn to bubbles , it works very well!