Does White or Red Wine Go Better with Cheddar?

When it comes to pairing wines together, sometimes we have a lot of questions as to what is the best pairing. Cheddar is an extremely popular cheese and there are many people out there that really enjoy it. So, what wines can be paired with cheddar cheese? Is it better to pair a red wine or a white wine with it? Let’s explore the decision as to what wine bottle you uncork when you cut up that delicious block of cheddar cheese.

Why we Pair Wine and Cheese Together

To first understand which wine cheddar cheese is going to go better with, we have to understand why we are constantly pairing up cheese and wine. Today, it is basically something that we do unconsciously; we almost expect to see that cheese cut up when that glass of wine is poured. But, the phenomenon of eating a great piece of cheese with a great glass of wine can actually be compared to pouring milk in coffee or tea. When we pour our glass of wine, whether it is red or white, it has a dry taste to it. Even our sweeter wines have that dry taste to it, which is something created through the process of making wine, to cut that dry taste and bring out the flavors of the wine, we eat the cheese, which is creamy and milky and makes it all better.

Which one, Red or White?

When it comes to cheddar cheese, there are a lot of different varieties out there. As a rule of thumb, the harder the cheese, the redder the wine, it is your white wines that are better with the softer and more flavorful cheeses. But, also as a rule of thumb, the sweeter the wine, the more cheeses that can be paired with it, so there are going to be a few different choices. The great thing is that cheddar cheeses can be paired with a lot of different wines since there are so many choices that are available and different kinds of cheddar cheese out there. For the more mild cheddars, you can pair that with a white wine, you want to pair it with preferably a chardonnay or a similar style wine. For the more bold cheddar cheeses like the sharp cheddar, you want to pair those with a red wine like a cabernet sauvignon or a shiraz, they compliment it well. So, long answer short, you can pair cheddar cheese with both red and white wines.

Written by: Viktoria Carella