The best wine pairings for Caerphilly

Caerphilly - or, to be more precise - Gorwydd Caerphilly which is made by my friends Trethowan Brothers - is probably the cheese I know best. And there’s one absolutely outstanding match for it . . .

That is basic white burgundy - nothing very fancy required. I first came across it paired with a glass of Avery’s white burgundy but wines like Maçon-Villages, Chablis and other cool-climate Chardonnays would also work fine.

You could also try Chenin Blanc - I’ve also had great success with Jasnières - and other smooth dry whites such as Soave and Gavi from Italy. And crisp English white wines, especially Bacchus, go well with Caerphilly too especially if you serve it with fresh peas as I've shown here.

If you fancy a red I’d keep it light - maybe something like a Chinon or other Cabernet Franc-based red from the Loire but to be honest whites are so much nicer with this delicate, subtle style of British cheese.

So far as other drinks are concerned I’d go for cider or perry rather than beer although I know that they’ve experimented with stout which does have the virtue of a dramatic colour contrast - the white cheese next to the black drink. I find it a bit strong myself. But a dry or medium dry cider or perry is lovely.

Soft drinks are also good - apple juice or rhubarb and apple juice are particularly delicious.

The best food pairings for Pinotage

Like any other red South Africa's Pinotage comes in different styles - some lighter and fruitier than others. When you're matching it with food you take a cue from the sort of ingredients and dishes that go with its two ancestors - Pinot Noir and Cinsault.

Pinotage never has the elegance of a fine burgundy of course but it will go with the same sort of dishes as a more robust, rustic Pinot Noir: dishes like smoked duck and pulled pork for example. The Cinsault heritage gives it a compatibility with Mediterranean ingredients like peppers and aubergines, rustic French bistro dishes and baked pasta dishes like lasagne. It’s also not a bad wine to serve with a pizza, particularly one with a meaty topping.

It can also take a fair amount of spice. I’ve successfully paired it with a hot curry (Indian rather than Thai) and it more than holds its own with spicy barbecue sauces and with chilli con carne. (In general I think it benefits from being served a couple of degrees cooler than the ambient temperature - that is to say, cool rather than chilled).

You could happily drink the lighter styles which are becoming increasingly popular with charcuterie, especially coarse country patés and more robust styles with wintry stews like the one-pot South African potjies (especially with game). Its slight portiness also makes it a good match for hard cheeses like cheddar and even a blue, especially if served with fresh figs.

Its forte however is with a classic South African braai where it will take almost anything in its stride from marinated lamb to Cape Malay or Cajun-spiced ‘blackened’ fish. (Like Zinfandel it loves chilli and smoke) It’s also really good with venison burgers and sausages or - come the winter - a hearty game pie.

Veg-wise think in terms of aubergines, grilled portabello mushrooms and dark leafy greens.

Photo © johnnyslav at Adobe Stock

Some top food pairings for pear cider and perry

Pear cider - also known as perry - has a different taste from apple cider. It’s generally lighter, drier and more fragrant, a better match for delicate ingredients like fish.

You can treat drier styles like a dry white wine, sweeter ones almost like a dessert wine. And sparkling perries like champagne. But cheaper. Good news all round!

Here are some suggestions:

* The drier styles work particularly well with simply cooked fish or fish with a creamy sauce. Avoid strong flavours like tomato and garlic.

* Fried fish like goujons or even fish and chips

* Fishcakes and fish pie

* Fresh crab

* Seared scallops though you might want to go for a medium-dry style

* Mussels in a cream sauce marinière-style but cooked with a medium-dry perry

* Prawn or seafood cocktail or salads (medium dry styles)

* Delicate or gently spiced chicken dishes: roast chicken with tarragon. Creamy chicken pies like this chicken and leek pie. Chicken salads. Chicken terrines (but watch the chutney!)

* Pork dishes with apple or pears like this dish of pork chops with apple, fennel and onion I wrote about earlier this year. And pork sausages of course. But not with onion gravy (too strong)

* English-style cold cuts like ham sliced off the bone, cold roast pork, pork pies, Scotch eggs

* quiches

* Boxing Day leftovers

* Mild cheeses - young goats cheese, Delicate regional cheeses like Caerphilly and Cheshire. Medium sweet styles work well with mellow blue cheeses like Stilton

* Vegetable soups with a touch of sweetness like carrot, pea or leek soups, especially with a little cream

* Fresh-tasting salads with peas, broad beans or fennel

* Sweeter styles, which often have a touch of honey go well with salads with fruit and milder blue cheeses and with simple puddings like a simple apple or pear tart or pannacotta and raspberries as I suggest in the Guardian today.

* Sparkling perry will go with typical party nibbles (especially cheesy and fishy ones) and with midly spiced Indian snacks.

So mild is the word with perry. Treat it gently and stay clear of fierce flavours.

Image © Yevheniia - Fotolia.com

Can any wine stand up to Stinking Bishop?

We Brits don’t have a long tradition of washed-rind cheeses but we have a true champion in the aptly named Stinking Bishop, which shot to worldwide fame when it was featured in the Wallace & Gromit film. But can any wine (or other drink) stand up to it?

Stinking Bishop is made by Charles Martell in Dymock in Gloucestershire and is so named because its rind is washed with perry made from Stinking Bishop pears. That makes perry (cider made from perry pears) the obvious match but, depending on how far gone and stinky the cheese is, it may not be powerful enough to stand up to it.

A better bet would be a pear-flavoured liqueur. Martell makes his own which is called Owler or you could try a Poire William from France.

So far as wines are concerned your best best would be a fragrant Gewürztraminer which should be able to handle the strong flavour of the cheese. In Alsace, where the majority come from, it’s regularly paired with Munster, a similar style of washed-rind cheese.

Reds are tricky with this style of cheese. In Burgundy they tend to match red burgundy with the local Epoisses but I think it's a bit of a killer. Certainly more full-bodied tannic reds will clash horribly.

Sweet wines can be a good option. I’ve paired Sauternes with stinky cheeses before and it’s worked really well. Or, even better - and British - a sweet cider. The Ledbury-based producer Once Upon a Tree makes a Blenheim Dessert Cider which would be delicious. As would cider brandy.

And then there’s beer. We don’t tend to have the strong Trappist styles of beer they have in Belgium and Northern France but beers like Chimay Bleu pair well with washed-rind cheeses. Your best home-grown option would be a rich sweet barley wine like J W Lees Vintage Harvest Ale.