The Ultimate Wine and Cheese Pairing Guide

Are you hosting a last minute party this weekend and trying to impress your guests? Our team at Luxe Bites not only knows how to handcraft fabulous and ready to indulge cheese and charcuterie boards, we are also experts at enjoying these platters with the best wine pairings! 

The great news is that Luxe Bites delivers the best handcrafted and most Instagrammable cheese and charcuterie boards in Los Angeles for your convenience so that you can save that dreaded trip to the store in LA traffic. We even offer same day delivery near you for crudités boards, fruit platters, and dessert platters! We have you covered from all angles on catering in Los Angeles. It doesn’t have to always be a special occasion to enjoy a luxurious night at home with these fabulous cheese and wine pairings. It’s time to pop the wine bottles and open that front door to the best cheese board in Los Angeles delivered by Yours Truly! You deserve it :)

First and foremost, every cheese board must have different options of cheese texture to maximize on all flavors. We recommend a selection of soft cheeses such as goat cheese, mozzarella, brie cheese, camembert cheese or goat cheese. For a hard cheese, we recommend Manchego cheese, aged gouda, cheddar, comte cheese, or a gruyere cheese.

Here are a list of some of our favourite cheeses ( most you will find on our Charcuterie boards) and our recommended wine pairings! Always have a sip of wine before indulging into the cheeses. Let us know what you think!

1.Pinot Grigio with Aged Cheddar + Gouda

Both have great acidity, which makes them fantastic to sip with food. You might taste tropical fruits, which pairs nicely with an aged cheddar or Gouda. Our absolutely favorite cheese is the aged Gouda from Trader Joe’s! 

2. Bubbles and Brie Cheese

The softer texture of triple-cream cheeses like Brie demands something sharp and acidic to cut through the fat. The high acid and pleasantly stinging bubbles of Champagne combine with Brie’s thick creaminess in a contrast that is very satisfying. Honey is also a delicious addition to your brie and bubbles! 

3. Aged Port and Stilton

This is absolutely our favourite pairing! Port is known for its full body, sweetness, and bold character. And when you’re dealing with all that, you need a cheese to match: something stinky. The complex character of a pungent and salty Blue Stilton matches up beautifully with an older, sweeter Port. Remember: the sweeter the wine, the stinkier the cheese.

4. Swiss cheese and Zinfandel

Swiss is a hard cheese with a nutty flavor, a firm texture and large shiny eyes.  Pair Swiss with fruity red wines, including white Zinfandel, Gamay Beaujolais or Pinot Noir.

5. Chianti Classico and Pecorino Toscano

Another great “grows together, goes together” pairing, the hard, aged texture of a Pecorino pairs wonderfully with the booming tannins of a Chianti wine The savory secondary notes in a Chianti bring out a hidden herbal flavor in the cheese, with the wine’s black fruit holding up perfectly against the boldness of the Pecorino.

6. Manchego Cheese and Cava

Need a suitable Manchego cheese and wine pairing? You’re in good shape with a Cava. Manchego is a rich, crumbly cheese that’s known for its grassy, zesty flavor. As such, it needs an equally intense wine to stretch out its flavor profile. On the lighter side, Cava wine makes a good pair with its almond and lemony tastes. This sparkling white offers potent citrus notes that amplify the cheese’s existing taste. 

Stay tuned to our blog and our Instagram @luxebitesla for more wine and cheese pairing ideas as well as tips and tricks on how to make the best charcuterie board for your next party!