09/15/05 Food and wines - Cheeses

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and it seems as though in the past few years the selection of cheeses in the grocery stores has become wonderful. And since today is food and wine pairing day we're going to talk about a couple of those cheeses and the wines that go well with them. Being a huge fan of cheese in general, it is hard to narrow it down. To start with vintage white extra sharp cheddar cheese is not your average cheddar cheese. This cheese has been aged for at least two years, so it has a distinct flavor that is intensely rich and slightly mouthwatering. Just a note here, do yourself a favor with most any good cheese& take it out of the refrigerator ahead of time and serve it close to room temperature. As far as wines go vintage white extra sharp cheddar they can definitely be served with a crisp, slightly sweet Riesling and some sliced sweet apples. If you like Chardonnay, then fine a nice creamy slightly oaky chardonnay and serve the cheese and wine with toasted hazelnuts and dried pears. But my favorite combination with this cheddar is a nice crusty loaf of bread and a good Washington Merlot or a California Zinfandel. One of the classic combinations of cheese with wine, is bleu cheese and sweet white wine. A sweet white wine definitely shows all its best when accompanied by blue cheeses. Regional combinations such as Roquefort with Sauterne are quite a treat. So try it out a few of these cheese and wine combos and thanks for joining me on Vine to Wine.