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.

Food and fruit juice matching

If you’re on the wagon this month, mealtimes can suddenly seem a bit drab and colourless. But if you’re missing the taste of your favourite wine try substituting a fruit juice that has similar flavours.

Obviously they tend to be sweeter than wine which may or may not be to your taste. They also, tend to be thicker in consistency, particularly if they’re home made, which can overwhelm a delicate dish. But you can deal with that either by adding a little still or sparkling mineral water, a dash of lemon, lime or grapefruit juice or by serving your juice in a jugful of ice.

If you want a lighter style of juice choose or make one that’s blended with apple, pear, grape or melon juice which will give you a softer, more rounded flavour.

Here’s what to try instead of your favourite sips:

Lighter styles of Chardonnay/Chenin Blanc: apple or pear juice, white cranberry juice

Richer styles of Chardonnay: peach, mango, passionfruit or tropical fruit juice

Semillon: pineapple juice, tropical fruit juice

Sauvignon Blanc: elderflower cordial, traditional lemonade

Riesling: white grape juice, lime cordial, sparkling apple juice

Rosé and light reds such as Beaujolais: cranberry juice, red grape juice, strawberry cordial, watermelon juice

Pinot Noir: pomegranate, raspberry or raspberry and cranberry juice

Merlot, Carmenère and Shiraz: forest fruits, plum juice

Cabernet Sauvignon: blackcurrant juice/cordial, blackberry, elderberry

Champagne/sparkling wine - elderflower spritzer, sparkling apple juice

Some exciting drink pairings for cheese that aren’t wine

We automatically think of matching wine and cheese or beer and cheese but there are many drinks that work just as well and can give a real ‘wow factor’ to your cheeseboard.

Cider for example makes a very enjoyable lunchtime partner for a selection of cheese or a ploughmans while an elderberry wine or glass of sloe gin can make an unusual alternative to port for an after dinner cheeseboard. I also like soft drinks with cheese, which I often eat as a light lunch or snack, when I don’t particularly want to drink anything alcoholic.

Here are my suggestions for individual types of cheeses:

Goats’ cheeses
Apple, citrus and floral flavours work well with goats cheese so I often turn to soft drinks such as apple juice, elderflower cordial or traditional lemonade with young fresh cheeses, particularly in a salad. With more mature cheeses try an apple-flavoured eau-de-vie.

White-rinded cheeses such as Camembert and Brie
Milder versions work particularly well with red berry-flavoured drinks. (I know I said I wouldn’t talk about beer but a Belgian raspberry or cherry beer is a great partner for a Brie.) Guignolet, an inexpensive French cherry-flavoured aperitif, is a intriguing pairing for a slightly riper cheese though if it’s got to the state where it’s oozing over the board you may be better with a stronger drink like a Calvados or apple brandy. Apple flavoured drinks such as cider and Pommeau also go well with Camembert.

Hard and semi-hard cheeses such as cheddar and Gouda
Again cider will work well with these cheeses if they’re not too mature but aged cheddars and Goudas need something more intense, rich and nutty. Dry amontillado, palo cortado and dry oloroso sherries (though these strictly count as wines they’re an unusual pairing), malt whiskies that are aged in sherry casks, armagnacs and artisanal dark rums are all interesting matches. You might also try sake of which I understand the author Max McCalman, affineur of Artisanal in New York is a great champion. I haven’t given it a run through but imagine it would go particularly well with slightly waxy cheeses such as Beaufort and Comté.

Semi-soft/washed rind cheeses
E.g. Epoisses, Langres, Munster and Pont L’Evêque when allowed to mature to the limit, i.e. the proverbial ‘stinky’ cheese. These are real red wine - and even white wine-killers so it makes sense to look for alternatives. The pairings I find work best (apart from strong Belgian beers) are French ‘marcs’ such as marc de Champagne and marc de Bourgogne and - believe it or not - Dutch genever!

Sheep’s cheeses
The most wine-friendly of cheeses so what other options might tempt you? Poire William, I once discovered, was a fantastic match for Pecorino and I’m sure would go with other sheeps’ cheeses too. You might also try quince-flavoured liqueurs on the Manchego principle. Bramley and Gage makes one and Emporia Brands imports one from Gabriel Boudier. I also like dry, nutty sherries and Madeiras with sheep’s cheese but again that’s straying into wine territory.

Blue cheeses
As I’m sure you well know salty, pungent blue cheeses need a contrasting note of sweetness to balance them so any port drinkalike will fare well. Elderberry wine, sloe or damson gin are real champions. Going in a totally different direction, peaty whiskies such as Lagavulin and Talisker are also fantastic with strong blue cheeses, especially Roquefort.

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