Author: mike_f

  • Cheese – Smoked

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    mike_f
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    PAIRS BEST WITH: Aromatic whites or Powerful reds ALSO CONSIDER: Rich whites & Smooth reds A smoked cheese is any type of cheese that has been subjected to a smoke-curing process. This gives the cheese a particular smoky flavor, which can vary in intensity and, when very strong, can mask the underlying flavors of the cheese. Smoked…

  • Cheese – Blue

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    mike_f
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    PAIRS BEST WITH: Sweet (Dessert) & Fortified wines ALSO CONSIDER: Aromatic & Rich whites or Smooth & Powerful reds, as well as Sparkling wines Blue cheese is a unique category of mould-ripened cheeses that have distinctive blue or blue-green veining produced by the Penicillium mould. Piercing the cheese with steel needles during the maturation phase facilitates the development…

  • Cheese – Hard

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    mike_f
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    PAIRS BEST WITH: Smooth & Powerful reds ALSO CONSIDER: Aromatic, Crisp & Rich whites or Fruity reds, as well as Sparkling wines, Fortified wines (Port and Sherry), beer, cider and stout. What distinguishes Hard cheeses from Semi-Hard is that they have a lower moisture content (and therefore a higher fat content, in percentage terms), have a very…

  • Cheese – Semi-Hard

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    mike_f
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    PAIRS BEST WITH: Smooth & Powerful reds ALSO CONSIDER: Crisp & Rich whites or Fruity reds, as well as beer, cider and stout. Semi-Hard cheeses, as their description suggests, have lower moisture content than Fresh, Bloom Rind and Washed Rind cheeses. They are generally made in moulds and are aged for longer than softer cheeses, but not…

  • Cheese – Washed Rind

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    mike_f
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    PAIRS BEST WITH: Aromatic & Rich whites or Fruity & Smooth reds ALSO CONSIDER: Powerful reds, as well as beer, cider and stout Washed Rind cheeses are surface ripened by washing the cheese during the ripening phase with a brine solution containing a special bacteria, or alternatively with wine, brandy or beer. The rind is bright orange or…

  • Cheese – Bloomy Rind

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    mike_f
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    PAIRS BEST WITH: Aromatic & Rich whites or Fruity & Smooth reds ALSO CONSIDER: Smooth & Powerful reds Bloomy Rind cheeses are ripened by spraying the outside of the cheese with a mould (penicillium candidum), which gives them an edible “bloomy” rind that is generally white in color. It takes the mould about a week to develop…

  • Cheese – Fresh

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    mike_f
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    PAIRS BEST WITH: Aromatic & Crisp whites or Fruity reds ALSO CONSIDER: Rich whites These are the simplest form of cheese, as they are not aged and therefore have a short shelf life. They are usually soft, mild and creamy with high moisture content and are therefore relatively low in fat (for a cheese). Examples include Cream…

  • Salads

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    PAIRS BEST WITH: Aromatic & Crisp whites or Fruity reds ALSO CONSIDER: Rich whites & Smooth reds By their nature salads are light, with delicate and subtle flavors. They are rarely weighty, and therefore should generally be paired with lighter bodied wines. The main ingredients of the salad, and especially the dressing, will be key in determining…

  • Vegetables

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    PAIRS BEST WITH: Crisp & Rich whites or Fruity & Smooth reds ALSO CONSIDER: Aromatic whites & Powerful reds Vegetables, and vegetarian foods in general, are very versatile with wine. As with other food types the same principles apply – match the weight and strength of flavor of the food with the body and strength of flavor…

  • Acidity

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    Acidity is very important in wine.  We detect it all around our mouth but particularly along the sides of the tongue. It makes our mouths water and consequently feels very refreshing (think of lemon juice).  Acidity is present in all wines but is particularly important in white wines as, in the absence of tannin, it gives them structure…