The short answer

Across 3,185 cheese pairings on 3,150 of our bottle pages, the grapes our editors pour most often are Tempranillo (291), Chardonnay (249), Pinot Noir (237) and Riesling (221). For example, Vega Sicilia Unico from Ribera del Duero with aged manchego cheese: Crystalline sheep's milk salt amplifies the wine's cedar and tobacco notes.

By style: red 1443, white 1019, sparkling 200, fortified 150, orange 70 of the 3,185 pairings.

The wines that turn up most: Alsace, DO Ribera del Duero, AOC Valais, DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Tokaj, Barolo.

The best grapes for cheese

291 pairings

Tempranillo

Aged Manchego cheese with Vega Sicilia Unico: Crystalline sheep's milk salt amplifies the wine's cedar and tobacco notes.

237 pairings

Pinot Noir

Epoisses de Bourgogne with Chambertin Grand Cru: The washed-rind cow's-milk cheese's pungent cream needs a wine with grip and acidity to balance it.

Bottles to pour with cheese

The best-rated pairings, one per producer and no more than two from any one region, so the list travels.

Aged Asiago d'Allevo

Valpolicella Giuseppe Quintarelli

Sharp, nutty northern Italian cheese sharpens the wine's dark fruit register.

Giuseppe Quintarelli Alzero →

Aged Comte

Burgundy whiteDomaine Coche-Dury

Nutty alpine cheese amplifies a mature Chardonnay's hazelnut and brown-butter notes.

Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru →

Aged Comte and Beaufort

Champagne sparklingDomaine Jacques Selosse

Oxidative walnut depth meets aged mountain cheese.

Selosse Substance →

Aged Comté

Loire Valley whiteDomaine Stéphane Bernaudeau

Hazelnut crystallisation in 36+ month Comté finds the wine's lees creaminess and fine spice.

Les Nourrissons →

Aged Comté at 24 months

Rhone Valley whiteM. Chapoutier

Nutty oxidative characters in aged Comté mirror the wine's evolved hazelnut notes.

Ermitage De l'Oree Blanc →

Aged Comté cheese

Rhone Valley redE. Guigal

Nutty crystalline cheese softens the wine's firmest tannins.

Cote-Rotie La Landonne →

Aged Comté or Mimolette

Bordeaux redPetrus

Crystalline nutty cheeses amplify the chocolate and spice notes without fighting the wine's weight.

Petrus →

Aged Comté or Mimolette cheese

Bordeaux redChateau Cheval Blanc

Crystal salt and nuttiness in aged cheese mirror the wine's mocha and graphite finish.

Chateau Cheval Blanc →

Aged Manchego cheese

Ribera del Duero redBodegas Vega Sicilia

Crystalline sheep's milk salt amplifies the wine's cedar and tobacco notes.

Vega Sicilia Unico →

Aged Parmigiano Reggiano 36+ months

Sicily fortifiedMarco De Bartoli

The wine's extreme oxidative depth requires the most complex and intense cheese counterpart.

Marco De Bartoli Vecchio Samperi →

Aged Parmigiano Reggiano with chestnut honey

Tuscany redMasseto

Crystal salt amplifies Masseto's depth.

Masseto →

Taste the pairing: food and wine in Valpolicella

Food and wine tastings you can book in Valpolicella, one of the regions whose bottles our editors pour with cheese.

Food and wine tastings in Valpolicella (5) · Wine tastings and winery visits in Valpolicella (36) · Wine tours and day trips in Valpolicella (17) · All wine and food experiences

pairings by region

Wine with cheese, FAQ

What wine goes with cheese?

Across 3,185 cheese pairings on 3,150 of our bottle pages, the grapes our editors pour most often are Tempranillo (291), Chardonnay (249), Pinot Noir (237) and Riesling (221). For example, Vega Sicilia Unico from Ribera del Duero with aged manchego cheese: Crystalline sheep's milk salt amplifies the wine's cedar and tobacco notes.

Red or white wine with cheese?

Most often red: of the 2,909 cheese pairings, the split by style is red 50%, white 35%, sparkling 7% and fortified 5%. The bottles below show which of each work and why.

Which wine regions are best with cheese?

The regions with the most cheese pairings on our bottle pages are Valpolicella, Baden and Valais.

More pairings

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