Skip to main content Food & Wine looked to some of the world’s best wineries for terrific deals that are in stores now. Affordable Wine Country Hotels Rules for Great Wine and Food Pairings YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKERecipes made with ingredients like mushrooms and truffles taste great with reds like Pinot Noir and Dolcetto, which are light-bodied but full of savory depth. Here, the cardinal rules for matching up wines and food, from dry rosé and cheesy dishes to malbec and sweet-spicy barbecue sauces. Wine and cheese are two of life’s great culinary pleasures, and finding the perfect match can be a delicious endeavor. As with any wine and food pairing, there are a number of considerations, such as texture, acidity, fat and tannin. Rather than complicating the topic with exotic matches like Garrotxa and Meursault, we have broken the art of wine and cheese pairing down, so you can create your own. Wine and Cheese Pairings The wine-cheese pairing possibilities are endless, but to simplify the strategy, we can divide cheese into four major categories:

Bloomy: Creamy, decadent cheeses, with a soft rind. Hard: Stiff cheeses, which are often sharp and/or salty. They can also be aged. Blue: Pungent, often salty cheeses, with a blue tinge. Fresh: Soft, often spreadable cheeses that can be tangy or mild. They are not usually aged. If you have a specific cheese in mind, first contemplate the category it belongs to. best wine quotes everYou can then consult our wine and cheese pairing examples for ideas.best wines under 20 in bc Just as with any food pairing, it helps to think of either complementary or contrasting flavors. red wine dry scaleA lush wine works well with a triple-cream cheese, while an acidic wine will cut the cheese’s sweetness. best wine tours out of san francisco

As you begin to experiment, taste the cheese first by itself, to get a sense of its character, and then put another bite into your mouth with some wine to see how they mingle. Many experts say that white tends to pair better with cheese, but a light-bodied red and cheese pairing is still possible. Wine and Cheese Pairing Examples:best wine tourism 2016 Preparing a Wine and Cheese Partybest red wine for cold weather What better way to taste a variety of pairings then to throw a wine and cheese party? Purchase a few different cheeses from a cheese shop or gourmet store with a well-equipped storage facility. Discuss your plans with the cheesemonger and ask for recommendations. You can get creative with cheese place cards or purchase a nifty slate cheese tray, which allow you to etch cheese names in chalk. Lastly, be sure to serve the wine and cheese at their proper temperatures, so their flavors can emerge.

Serve white wine at 45°F, red wine at 60°F and remove the cheese from the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes prior to serving. Wine and Cheese Party Menu A great wine and cheese party offers pairing selections with varied flavor profiles. Display the options in a circle and have your guests start with lighter wines and fresher cheeses and move clockwise toward the ones that have sharpness and depth. To simplify, you could also choose a flexible wine that pairs with a wide range of cheeses. A lean red, such as Gamay or Pinot Noir, could serve as a perfect starting point. Your guests can taste that wine with each cheese and then rank the pairings.Smoky grilled foods aren’t hard to pair with wine. F&W’s Ray Isle explains simple rules and names 25 affordable, easy-to-find bottles. Aside from an incident in Maine last summer, when I inadvertently tried to turn my hand into a chicken fajita, I’ve had a long and happy relationship with grilling. I attribute this to the fact that grilling doesn’t require a lot of thought—more, obviously, than I’ve given it at times, but not a lot.

It’s a forgiving method of cooking. Similarly, pairing wine with grilled foods is a forgiving task. Most grilled dishes are relatively simple; there’s a main ingredient (usually a protein of some kind), plus the possibility of various seasonings in the form of marinades, rubs and sauces. To choose a wine to pair with something off the grill, consider two things: First, how hearty is the food, and second, what’s the dominant flavor? For lighter foods—white-fleshed fish, vegetables, chicken breasts—pick a lighter wine. For heartier foods—sausages, burgers, steaks—choose a more robust wine. (Both reds and whites can be light-, medium- or full-bodied.) Now think about flavor. For steaks and butterflied legs of lamb—even if they’re marinated beforehand—the dominant flavor will almost always be the meat itself. But with foods like chicken slathered in barbecue sauce or shrimp with a fiery garlic-habanero vinaigrette, the sauce or seasoning is by far the main flavor of the dish.

The dominant flavor is a key thing to consider when selecting a wine. What follows is a selection of great wines, all available for $25 or less, to go with grilled foods of all kinds. But don’t take these wine and food combinations as gospel. They’re really designed more as suggestions or jumping-off points for experimentation. Unlike most everything else that Americans like to drink, such as milk and beer, wine is high in acidity, which refreshes the palate; most reds have fat-cutting tannins, too. In fact, wine may be the most versatile food partner there is, except perhaps for water. But when it comes to a big, juicy, grilled steak, who on earth wants to have it with water? 2015 Estate Argyros Atlantis Santorini White ($17) Made mostly from the Assyrtiko grape, this crisp, citrusy blend gets a floral hint from a bit of Athiri. 2015 Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($15) A wonderful balance of brash lime, herb and tropical flavors. 2014 Leitz Dragonstone Rheingau Riesling ($17)

Full of slightly sweet lemon chiffon and cherry flavors. 2014 Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Eroica Colombia Valley Riesling ($19) Light-bodied and vibrant, with bright apple, lime and orange tones. 2015 Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($17) A bit of effervescence adds freshness to citrus and grass notes. 2015 Commanderie de la Bargemone Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Rosé ($17) A great candidate for a house rosé, bursting with juicy melon, berry and orange-zest notes. 2014 Chehalem INOX Willamette Valley Chardonnay ($18) This unoaked Chardonnay, which brims with lemon, lime and green pear, is an excellent value. 2015 Château St-Martin de la Garrigue Picpoul de Pinet ($17) The Picpoul (pronounced “peek pool”) grape makes zingy, super-refreshing whites such as this citrusy, mineral-rich version. 2015 Pieropan Soave Classico ($19) Crisp and bold, with supple apple, quince and chalk flavors. NV Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco ($17)

Accessibly priced and very appealing, this delivers a mix of stone fruit, flowers and apples. 2014 Sokol Blosser Willamette Valley Pinot Gris ($19) Fresh and medium-bodied, with intriguing notes of green fig. 2015 Sigalas Santorini Assyrtiko ($25) Dense yet not heavy, this zippy Assyrtiko has a chalky minerality and savory lemon flavors that linger on the palate. NV Tío Pepe Palomino Fino Sherry ($19) A fabulous aperitif, thanks to its crisp, refreshing apple and straw tones and a hint of saltiness. 2013 Qupé Santa Ynez Valley Marsanne ($19) Made with Marsanne that was fermented and aged in neutral oak and a bit of Roussanne aged in French oak, this white shows a thick texture, zesty citrus and minerals. 2015 St. Supéry Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($18) Guava, passion fruit and peach flavors are fragrant and crisp. 2014 Terras Gauda Abadia de San Campio Rias Baixas Albariño ($17) Albariño’s sea-salty, citrusy side is clearly evident in this delicious single-vineyard wine.

2013 Genesis Columbia Valley Syrah ($18) This spicy, fragrant Syrah has a particularly firm structure. 2014 Layer Cake California Cabernet Sauvignon ($14) Aging in used Hundred Acre barrels gives this red’s luscious blackberry flavors a gentle cedar note. 2012 Bodega Norton Reserva Lujan de Cuyo Malbec ($17) Muscular tannins support rich berry, herb and vanilla flavors. 2012 Masi Campofiorin Veronese ($15) A secondary fermentation using partially dried grapes adds richness to this bottling’s silky red-fruit flavors. 2012 Quivira Vineyards Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ($22) A juicy, robust wine with wild berry and plum flavors that firm up in the finish. 2014 Selvapiana Chianti Rùfina ($17) Deliciously fresh and balanced, with ripe fruit and floral notes. 2013 Edmeades Mendocino County Zinfandel ($15) Winemaker Ben Salazar adds some Petite Sirah and Syrah to give this racy, berry-driven Zin its oomph. 2014 J. Hofstätter Südtirol- Alto Adige Lagrein ($21)