Regardless if it is a Champagne, Cremant, Cava, or Prosecco, pairing cheese with bubbly is one of life’s most amazing pleasures. And when it comes to pairing sparkling wine with cheese, it is pretty simple. Sparkling wine goes well with a variety of cheeses because the bubbles cut beautifully through the mouth-coating creaminess and richness of the cheese.
With Champagne
Our suggestion for which cheese is best to pair with a Champagne, is certainly an alpine cheese. The mountain aged cheeses of France and Switzerland with their dense flavours of brown butter and roasted hazelnuts make the perfect combination with the golden tastiness of quality Champagnes. The wine’s fine and delicate bubble pairs well with the texture of any type of mountain cheese and has the ability to lightening it in the mouth. Our top picks are Appenzeller and Comte cheese.
With Cremant
Triple crèmes that are a little more wrinkly and have a more yellow rind are our suggestion to pair with Cremant sparkling wines. For ultimate pleasure, choose the rich and creamy soft-ripened triple-cream cheese made by Delice de Bourgogne or an aged goat and cow milk cheese. These cheeses have a texture that resemble a cheesecake and their flavours are more acidic, which will leave your mouth watering.
With Prosecco
Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine, is crisp and inviting and characterized by the delicate flavours of white flowers, citrus and green apples. The best cheese that compliments the simplicity yet the elegance of Prosecco is Brie. Brie cheeses have a texture that tends to be silken and airy, dissolving instantaneously in the mouth. When it comes to flavour, it’s all about cream and salt with a hint of mushroom. Brie are easy cheeses to like, and Prosecco sparkling wines are very friendly. Taking into consideration that this sparkling wine is available in different levels of sweetness, dry Prosecco is the best choice.
With Lambrusco
Lambrusco is an Italian mildly sparkling red wine (made mainly from the same named grapes) that pairs great with Parm-like cheeses. Dense and waxy, Parm can be also quit acidic. And it is that acidic characteristic that keeps the sometimes lightly-sweet Lambrusco from coming off like Manischewitz. This is one of the best pairing sparkling wine with cheese and a party favourite.
With Moscato d’Asti
Moscato d’Asti is a sweet, pleasing wine, that pairs well with any good rinded blue cheese. Because this sparkling wine is semisweet and usually features peachy flavours with an earthen edge, it offsets the saltiness of the blue cheese.
When pairing sparkling wine and cheese, make sure to the cheese is served at room temperature. You can also serve the cheese accompanied by slices of bread such as French baguettes, fresh fruits (grapes, melons) and nuts.
