152 pairings
Chardonnay
Aged Comte with Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru: Nutty alpine cheese amplifies a mature Chardonnay's hazelnut and brown-butter notes.
The short answer
Across 1,071 aged hard cheese pairings on 1,070 of our bottle pages, the grapes our editors pour most often are Chardonnay (152), Tempranillo (125), Riesling (122) and Cabernet Sauvignon (85). For example, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru from Burgundy with aged comte: Nutty alpine cheese amplifies a mature Chardonnay's hazelnut and brown-butter notes.
By style: red 484, white 329, sparkling 125, fortified 43, orange 14 of the 1,071 pairings.
The wines that turn up most: DO Ribera del Duero, Alsace, AOC Champagne, DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Corpinnat.
The best grapes for aged hard cheese
125 pairings
Tempranillo
Aged Manchego cheese with Vega Sicilia Unico: Crystalline sheep's milk salt amplifies the wine's cedar and tobacco notes.
122 pairings
Riesling
Aged Comte with Zind Humbrecht Clos Saint Urbain Rangen Riesling: Crystalline cheese against the volcanic stone.
85 pairings
Cabernet Sauvignon
Aged Asiago d'Allevo with Giuseppe Quintarelli Alzero: Sharp, nutty northern Italian cheese sharpens the wine's dark fruit register.
77 pairings
Pinot Noir
Aged Asiago d'Allevo with Barthenau Vigna S. Urbano Pinot Nero: Mature alpine cheese meets the wine's fine spice and earthy register.
65 pairings
Merlot
Aged Comté or Mimolette with Petrus: Crystalline nutty cheeses amplify the chocolate and spice notes without fighting the wine's weight.
64 pairings
Sangiovese
Aged Parmigiano Reggiano with Casanova di Neri Cerretalto: Crystalline cheese amplifies the wine's depth.
63 pairings
Grenache
Aged Manchego with Domaine du Pegau Cuvee da Capo: Firm tannins and concentration handle the intensity of hard aged cheese.
Bottles to pour with aged hard 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
Sharp, nutty northern Italian cheese sharpens the wine's dark fruit register.
Aged Comte
Nutty alpine cheese amplifies a mature Chardonnay's hazelnut and brown-butter notes.
Aged Comte and Beaufort
Oxidative walnut depth meets aged mountain cheese.
Aged Comté
Hazelnut crystallisation in 36+ month Comté finds the wine's lees creaminess and fine spice.
Aged Comté at 24 months
Nutty oxidative characters in aged Comté mirror the wine's evolved hazelnut notes.
Aged Comté cheese
Nutty crystalline cheese softens the wine's firmest tannins.
Aged Comté or Mimolette
Crystalline nutty cheeses amplify the chocolate and spice notes without fighting the wine's weight.
Aged Comté or Mimolette cheese
Crystal salt and nuttiness in aged cheese mirror the wine's mocha and graphite finish.
Aged Manchego cheese
Crystalline sheep's milk salt amplifies the wine's cedar and tobacco notes.
Aged Parmigiano
Crystalline salt sharpens the red-currant lift.
Aged Parmigiano Reggiano 36+ months
The wine's extreme oxidative depth requires the most complex and intense cheese counterpart.
Aged Parmigiano Reggiano with chestnut honey
Crystal salt amplifies Masseto's depth.
Taste the pairing: food and wine in Tuscany
Food and wine tastings you can book in Tuscany, one of the regions whose bottles our editors pour with aged hard cheese.
Small-Group Tuscany Wine Tasting Safaris with Lunch / Dinner
Depart from Florence to eat and drink your way through Chianti, famous for red wines, cuisine, and stunning landscapes. Enjoy a Tuscan lunch or dinner and wine-tasting...
Florence: Mozzarella Cheese Making with Wine and food Tastings
Join a fun mozzarella-making class in Florence with wine tasting, local dishes and expert guidance in a small-group atmosphere. Let’s be honest: you didn’t come to Flo...
Florence: Chianti Wineries Tour with Wine Tasting
Visit two authentic wineries in the beautiful Chianti Hills during this half-day tour from Florence. Meet local winemakers, walk through stunning vineyards, and sample...
Food and wine tastings in Tuscany (86) · Wine and cheese tastings in Tuscany (18) · Wine tastings and winery visits in Tuscany (124) · Cheese tastings and dairy visits in Tuscany (6) · Cooking classes in Tuscany (232) · Food tours in Tuscany (81) · Olive oil tastings and mill visits in Tuscany (30) · Truffle hunting in Tuscany (31) · Wine tours and day trips in Tuscany (250) · Wine tours by bike in Tuscany (30) · All wine and food experiences
pairings by region
- Ribera del Duero: 88 pairings, Ribera del Duero food and wine pairing
- Tuscany: 74 pairings, Tuscany food and wine pairing
- Penedes: 60 pairings, Penedes food and wine pairing
- Languedoc: 52 pairings, Languedoc food and wine pairing
- Friuli-Venezia Giulia: 48 pairings, Friuli-Venezia Giulia food and wine pairing
- Alsace: 46 pairings, Alsace food and wine pairing
- Jura: 42 pairings, Jura food and wine pairing
- Loire Valley: 41 pairings, Loire Valley food and wine pairing
- Valpolicella: 40 pairings, Valpolicella food and wine pairing
- Burgundy: 39 pairings, Burgundy food and wine pairing
- Rheingau: 38 pairings, Rheingau food and wine pairing
- Champagne: 37 pairings, Champagne food and wine pairing
Wine with aged hard cheese, FAQ
What wine goes with aged hard cheese?
Across 1,071 aged hard cheese pairings on 1,070 of our bottle pages, the grapes our editors pour most often are Chardonnay (152), Tempranillo (125), Riesling (122) and Cabernet Sauvignon (85). For example, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru from Burgundy with aged comte: Nutty alpine cheese amplifies a mature Chardonnay's hazelnut and brown-butter notes.
Red or white wine with aged hard cheese?
Most often red: of the 1,001 aged hard cheese pairings, the split by style is red 48%, white 33%, sparkling 12% and fortified 4%. The bottles below show which of each work and why.
Which wine regions are best with aged hard cheese?
The regions with the most aged hard cheese pairings on our bottle pages are Ribera del Duero, Tuscany and Penedes.