The roses are scattered about the room.  The fireplace is crackling, and you have donned your most sensual negligee.  You even went to the hairdresser today, so your hair is styled as perfectly as your makeup.  The only snag is that you are staring into your refrigerator not knowing what to serve.  You want something calming, so caffeine is out, and you don’t want messy.    He’s going to be here in an hour, and you are starting to panic.  What are you going to do?  First of all, do not panic.  Look no further than that small wine rack in the hallway and the variety of cheeses you keep stashed in the refrigerator.  Wine and cheese is the perfect combination to serve when romance is in the air and munchies are needed.

What Wine and Cheese Combinations do I Serve?

While it is, of course, not absolutely vital to follow these guidelines, there will be no wine and cheese police to arrest you for creating your own combinations, certain cheeses do lend themselves quite well to the flavors of specific types of wine.  So much of it depends upon your tastes; however, a good rule of thumb is that hard goes with red while soft goes with white.  Simply put, this means that if you have a taste for a good cabernet, it may be best to serve Camembert, Brie or Danish Blue cheeses. 

You may also combine your cabernet with a strong cheddar cheese, but if that is missing from your wine rack, then try sauvignon blanc.  Other red wine and cheese combinations include:  bleu with a Madeira, havarti with a Bordeaux and feta with Beaujolais or Zinfandel.  Now, the mention of Zinfandel eases us into a discussion of lighter wines, which we already know goes better with softer cheeses.

Should your romantic dinner be a celebration that is to include champagne, then you may want to serve a good Gouda or Colby cheese.  However, if the mood is to be a bit lighter, then try these wine and cheese combinations:  start by serving chardonnay with gruyere or a mild cheddar, cream cheese with white zinfandel, Cheshire with Riesling or baby swiss with that bottle of asti spumanti you bought on an whim.  Since the lighter wines are often served chilled, they may work as a wonderful contrast to a blazing fire, or you may want to save these colder varieties for warmer months and picnics in the park.

Whether you choose to serve a white or a red wine, it is a good idea to have a good wine and cheese pairing to avoid contrasting tastes in the mouth.  Again, these are not vital combinations, and you are certainly welcome to mix and match them depending upon your and your lover’s palates; however, these are tried and true combinations that may well give you a good jumping off place.