Cheese & Wine Pairing

Sara Hill Ed Korry, CHE, CSS, CWE

Manager of Cheese Education & Training Department Chairman
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Johnson & Wales University
President, Society of Wine Educators
The Basis to Cheese and Wine pairing
This Session’s Goals:

– Framing the conversation

– Understanding one’s own taste perceptions and
predilections
– Determining how and why the tastes of wines
appeal differently – Wine Tasting Exercise
– Recognizing the Cause and Effect of cheese tastes
on wine and vice versa – Wine and Component
Exercise
– Enjoying today’s spectacular cheeses
– Wine and Cheese interaction
2
Myth or reality?

“Wine and cheese are ageless companions, like

aspirin and aches, or June and moon, or good
people and noble ventures.”

– MKF Fisher introduction to Vin et Fromage

3
Pairing Principles
• Wine and cheese, cheese and wine but do they
actually enhance each other, taste the same when
together or is one or both diminished by each
other?

• Underlying pairing food pairing principles that

enhance choices or lead one to understanding cause
and effect when pairing cheese and wine

• A Cacophony of written sources and marketing

attempts through suggestions.
4
Cacophony
Pairing Textures of cheese and wine?
Pair light cheeses with light wines?
Pair red wines with almost anything?
Pair cheeses and wines with comparable flavors?
Pair cheeses with opposite flavors?
PERFECT PAIRINGS:
“with a slightly aged soft ripened goat’s milk
cheese: Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir,
and Merlot ”
5
Framing the Question
History of food and wine pairing
– Development of cuisines in a regional fashion
– Regionality as a driving principle
– Intuitive rather than rationally explored
• French derived influence: based on regional or
appellation integrity. i.e. À la bourguignonne
with Pinot Noir or cream-based sauces with
Chardonnay
– Systems drawn from lists created in the 19th
century

6
The evolution of pairings

• Mirroring model: mirror the color, flavors

and weight: i.e. Red wine with red meat;
white wine with fish –doesn’t always work
and doesn’t explain why pairings work.
• How technology has changed wine.
• Evolution towards drier wines
• US development from the 1980’s

7
 What do we mean by a great pairing?

• Is it subjective?
• Is it when neither the food (cheese) nor the wine’s
tastes have changed when interacting?
• Can symbiosis be created between the food and
wine so that a third “taste” is created?
• Can it be derived from just taste or is it also a
result of psycho-social factors? I.e. Champagne and
caviar?

8
 WHY WE TASTE DIFFERENTLY.

9
 TASTE
VS
SMELL
VS
FLAVOR

10
The meaning of Taste

• What we often refer to as Taste is Flavor

• Flavor is a combination of Taste, Smell, Tactile sensation,
physical features such as Temperature and Chemesthesis
(spiciness) and Tannin
• Taste:
– Sweet
– Sour (Acidity)- tartaric, malic, citric, (succinic), lactic
– Salt
– Bitter – the role of tannins
– Umami: the protein taste as the 5th taste
– A 6th taste? Fat, metalicity, coolness, piquance, kokumi,
calcium
11
Umami

• Discovered in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda.

• Present in: Meats, seafood, poultry, tomatoes, green
vegetables, cheeses cured foods, stocks and sauces:

12
Other Factors

• The role of:

• FAT
• Chemesthesis (Spiciness)
• Tannin
• Alcohol
• INTENSITY
• Temperature
• Psycho-social factors
13
Tasting Exercise
• Importance of determining Taster types:
Hyper-sensitive and Sensitive to Tolerant and
Hyper-tolerant Bitterness
PROP vs
3 strips:
• PTC phenylthiocarbamide (Blue –looks whitish)
• Thiourea thiocarbamide (Yellow –looks whitish)
(Source Carolina Genetics)
• Sodium Benzoate (Pinkish
• Relationship to flavor sensitivity and perception

14
Taste interactions

• Sweetness and impact of temperature: the physical nature

of the reaction
• Acidity: the chemical nature of reactivity. It’s not only the
amount, but the type of acidity-
• Salt: none in wine but has a reactive nature in food to
wines- brings out flavors, reduces perception of tastes
• Bitterness: found particularly in reds with unripe tannin
and higher alcohol
• Umami: the protein taste MSG

15
Types or Categories of Wine

• Sparkling wines
• Dry light (still) white wines – oaked and unoaked
• Off-dry to sweet light (still) white wines
• Dry light (still) red wines– high acid, low tannins
• Dry Light (still) red- high tannin
• Fortified wines
• Aromatized wines

16
Today’s Wines

1. Dr Konstantin Frank Winery Riesling Semi-dry Finger

Lakes AVA NY 2014
2. Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough NZ 2015
3. William Hill Estate Chardonnay Napa Valley AVA CA
2013
4. Rodney Strong Wine Estates Pinot Noir, Russian River
Valley AVA Sonoma 2013
5. Frei Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Alexander
Valley AVA Sonoma 2012
6. Fonseca Bin 27 Port, Portugal

17
Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery’s Riesling Semi-Dry
Finger Lakes AVA 2013

Light bodied
Residual sweetness
High Acid
Floral, citrus and
white peach
No oak

18
 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough NZ 2015
Dry
Medium bodied
High acid
Citrus, gooseberry and currant
Unoaked
Intense

19
 William Hill Chardonnay
Napa Valley 2013
Full-bodied, rich
Dry
Medium acidity
Ripe tropical fruit
Buttery and creamy
Oak spice and flavors

20
 Rodney Strong Wine Estate’s Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley AVA Sonoma 2013

Light to medium bodied

Med high acidity
Low to medium tannins
Raspberry, earthy and
notes baking spices

21
 Frei Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve,
Alexander Valley AVA Sonoma 2012
• Full-bodied
• Dry
• Medium + acidity
• Firm Tannins
• Cassis and dark red
fruit, savoriness
cedar, spicy

22
 Fonseca Bin No 27
Finest Reserve Ruby Port, Oporto Portugal
Full-bodied
Sweet
High acid
Firm Tannin
Black currant
cherry

23
Our Component Tasting Exercise
Component Samples:
• Apple for Sweetness
• Lemon for Acidity
• Sea Salt for Saltiness
• MSG for Umami

• Foods that are Sweet and/or high in Umami REDUCE

flavors and aromas and increase TASTES in wine- acidity,
bitterness, astringency and tannin.
• Acidity and saltiness in food make wines taste richer,
smoother, and sweeter and INCREASE aromas.
• Balanced Taste in foods leave wines the way the producer
intended
24
Component Tasting Exercise

• Apple with Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc; Pinot Noir

• Cherry tomato with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Lemon with Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet
Sauvignon
• Salt with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon
• Umami with Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon

25
Old World Wine Trade Adages

‘Buy on an apple, sell on cheese’ – an old British

wine merchant adage

‘Buy on bread (or water), sell with cheese’.

‘Achetez avec l’eau, vendez avec le fromage’
French wine industry adage

WHY?
26
Today’s Cheeses

1. Laclare Farms Martone Goat/ Cow Blend

2. President Double Cream Brie
3. Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve
4. Holland’s Family Marieke Gouda 9-12
months
5. Sartori Pastorale Blend (sheep/cow)
6. Hook’s EWE CALF to be KIDding

27
Leclare Farms’ Martone

• Made from pasteurized cow’s and goat’s milk

• Country of origin: United States
• Region: Wisconsin
• Family: Cottage
• Type: semi-soft Martone is the newest creation
of the young and prolific award
• Texture: creamy winning cheesemaker, Katie
Hedrich of La Clare Farms. It is a
• Rind: ash coated surface-ripened beauty made
• Color: white from a 50/50 blend of cow and
goat's milk, resulting in a mild,
• Flavor: sweet, tangy buttery flavor and citrus finish.
Ripened 10 days -45 day shelf life
• Aroma: buttery, fresh
28
Leclare Farms’ Martone

• 2013 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CHEESE

CONTEST Placed in "Sweet Sixteen"
• 2013 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CHEESE
CONTEST Best of Class- Hard Goat Milk
Cheeses- Evalon
• 2013 UNITED STATES CHEESE
CHAMPION Best of Class- Hard Goat Milk Katie Hedrich
Cheeses- Evalon
• 2012 AMERICAN CHEESE SOCIETY 1st in
Class- Hard Goat Milk Cheeses- Evalon
• 2011 U.S. Championship Cheese
Championships Overall Champion

29
2. Président Triple Cream Brie

• French based #1 Brie producer Lactalis

• Cow’s milk
• Soft ripened, bloomy rind
• Creamy and buttery
• Umami
• Salt

30
3. Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve

• Driftless region of
Wisconsin- not scraped flat
by receding glaciers
• Rich grasses
• Breeding program – 9
breeds
• Pasture diet
• Rotational grazing
• No winter milking

31
3. Uplands Cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve

• Alpine cheeses like Beaufort

• May thru October milk
• Only ideal milk is used
• Raw milk
• Washed several times a week in brine
• Aged in ripening rooms
• Most awarded cheese in American history
• Best of Show in American Cheese Society 2001, 2005 and
2010

32
4. Holland’s Family Marieke Gouda 9-12 months
From the Netherlands to Wisconsin,
USA
Marieke Penterman was born and raised in
the Netherlands where she grew up on her
parents' 60 cow dairy farm. This is where
her passion for dairy cows and dairy
farming began. After getting her Bachelor's
Degree in Dairy Business, Marieke started
a career as a farm inspector.

In the meantime, her future husband, Rolf

Penterman, emigrated to Thorp, WI and
started a 350 cow dairy farm in May 2002.
Thorp, with a vast dairy base and farm-
friendly people, was an ideal location.
Marieke followed Rolf a year later.

33
4. Holland’s Family Marieke Gouda 9-12 months

Once in the United States, she missed the cheese from back home and began
researching how to start her own business. Marieke decided to get her Wisconsin
Cheesemaking License. She worked with a local cheesemaker and traveled back to her
home country where she trained alongside two different cheesemakers throughout the
week. There she learned how to make authentic Dutch Gouda cheese.

US Grand Champion 2013

Just four months after Marieke crafted her first batch of Gouda in November 2006, she
captured a gold award at the US Champion Cheese Contest in 2007. Dozens of awards
followed including her biggest win thus far, the United States Grand Champion in 2013

34
4. Holland’s Family Marieke Gouda
9-12 months

The curd is hand packed into 18 pound forms before going under
the press. It is then brined for 60 hours. The wheels are then
transferred to the special curing room and aged on Dutch pine
planks which absorb the liquid as the cheese ages. For the first 14
days the cheese is turned (flipped over) daily to ensure that the
butterfat is evenly distributed throughout the cheese. The
wooden planks are also cleaned daily and turned to prevent
molds.
During this time the breathable coating is hand painted on the
cheese. After the initial daily turning is complete the cheese is
turned twice weekly for as long as it is in our facility.
Nutty and crystalized with deep nuanced flavors
35
4. Holland’s Family Marieke Gouda
9-12 months
• Cow’s milk
• Farmhouse ‘boerenkaas’
• Semi-hard with start of crystallization
• Sweet and savory (umami)
• Complex and layered
• Nutty, caramel notes
• 2013 Grand Champion of the U.S. Championship Cheese
Contest.
• 2014 World Cheese Championship

36
5.Sartori Pastorale Blend (sheep/cow)
• 4th generation
• 1939
• Spanish Style Cow and
sheep cheese • Semi-hard
• Gold medal winner ACS • Sweet
• Best of Class World • Smokey; earthy
Cheese
• creamy
• Natural aged rind
• Sweet and nutty
• Granular texture
• Hand dusted with smoked
paprika
37
6. Hook’s Cheese EWE CALF to be KIDding

Hook’s cheese is made with cow and goat milk from local
farmers, as well as sheep’s milk from Brenda Jensen’s Hidden
Springs Creamery near Westby. It’s a continuation of a
successful blue cheese partnership between Hook and
Jensen; in 2009 the two companies joined forces to create
two cheeses.

38
6. Hook’s Cheese EWE CALF to be KIDding

A mixed milk blue – Cow, Sheep, and Goat. Received 2nd in

its category at the 2013 ACS Competition. Received a 2nd in
its category at the World Cheese Championship 2014 – 1st
blue cheese to be made from 3 milks

“We try to blend them in a percentage where every flavor

would come out,” he said. “The challenge is to blend it
correctly and not cover up one or more of the flavors. You
want to taste one, then the other, then the other.”
39
Fresh Creamy cheeses

(also- fromage blanc, cream cheese, ricotta, fresh mozzarella,

young brie, camembert etc)
The umami protein taste will enhance wine taste (not flavor)
and tannin

WITH

Lighter fruity wines with acidity (crispness) and low tannins

i.e. Riesling, Chenin blanc, Sauvignon Blanc (unoaked)
Chardonnay (unoaked) Pinot Noir, Gamay, Barbera

40
Young Tangy Cheeses
Acidic and Umami dominant
i.e. Chèvre, Boucheron, Montrachet, Brebiou,
young Pecorino, Martone

WITH
Crisp light white wines and low tannin fruity reds
Champagne, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, unoaked
Chardonnay, Gamay (Beaujolais), Pinot Noir, Sangiovese,
Dolcetto, Zinfandel

41
Young, Tangy & Salty Cheeses
(Most versatile)
• Younger versions of: Cheddar, Gruyère, Emmental,
Président’s Triple Brie; Holland Family Farm Marieke
Gouda, Beaufort,
• Soft Creamy blue: Gorgonzola Dolce,
• Triple Creams: President’s Double Cream Brie, St
Andre, Brillat- Savarin, Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt Tam
WITH
Most whites: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling,
Pinot Gris,
Many Reds: Rosés, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah,
Zinfandel
42
Aged, Salty Cheeses
Salt and Protein Dominant
Strong blues: Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, Maytag, Ewe
Calf to be KIDding,
Dry Aged: Aged Jack, Aged Sharp Cheddar, Pleasant Ridge
Reserve, Sartori Pastorale Blend, Parmigiano Reggiano
Salty: Feta, Ricotta Salata
WITH
Some intense tannic wines
Sweet Wines- Late Harvest, Botrytized, and Fortified
Wines
VDN, Madeira, Sweet Sherries, Muscats. Sauternes, Tokaji,
Ice Wines
43
Cause and Effect
• Sweet and umami foods reduce wine flavors and make wine
tastes (acidity or tannin) stronger
• Acidic and salty foods make wine taste milder and heighten
flavors
• Bitter foods will accentuate bitterness in wines. Young
tannic wines or wines made from unripe grapes will have
bitterness.
• Salt reduces bitterness and heightens flavor
• Fats diminish tannins but the umami can overwhelm less
intense wines
• Heat or Spiciness accentuates Tannin and Alcohol

44
New Rules
1. We are all different and taste differently
2. It’s the FOOD that is the challenge, not the wine
3. We have to focus on TASTE, Chemesthesis, Tannins not
FLAVORS
4. Taste refers to sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami
5. Sweetness, bitterness, umami and heat in food can be
villains
6. Acidity and Salt are friends to wine
7. Cause and effect is real- but whether you like it is
individualized
8. Enjoy the wine you like and manipulate the food or
cheese.
45
Today’s Wines

1. Dr Konstantin Frank Winery Riesling Semi-dry Finger

Lakes AVA NY 2014
2. Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough NZ 2015
3. William Hill Estate Chardonnay Napa Valley AVA CA
2013
4. Rodney Strong Wine Estates Pinot Noir, Russian River
Valley AVA Sonoma 2013
5. Frei Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Alexander
Valley AVA Sonoma 2012
6. Fonseca Bin 27 Port, Portugal

46
Thanks to Sara Hill of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board for
her invaluable assistance in having our cheeses donated and
participating in this seminar.

Thanks to Pat Dodd and E & J Gallo for:

Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, William Hill Napa Valley
Chardonnay and Frei Brothers’ Alexander Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon
Thanks to Fred Frank and Dr Konstantin Frank Winery for their
Riesling from the Finger Lakes NY

Thanks to Rodney Strong Wine Estates for the Pinot Noir from
Russian River Valley

Thanks to Kobrand for the Fonseca Bin 27 Port

47