Pairings | Strong ale
The best wine pairings for cheddar cheese
As with most cheeses the ideal wine pairing for cheddar depends how mature it is.
A mild to medium block cheddar is going to be a lot easier to match (and in most cheeselovers’ eyes a lot less interesting) than an aged cloth-bound cheddar of 18 months or more.
For the purposes of this post though I’m assuming your cheddar is somewhere in between: mature, with a bit of bite but not too sharp.
And although wine is a great pairing there are other drinks which go just as well with cheddar, notably beer and cider - just think of the classic ploughman’s lunch!
Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon
We automatically think of red wine with cheese but it can struggle particularly with a sharp, well-matured cheddar. I’ve had most success with intensely fruity Chilean Cabernet Sauvignons but similarly fruity Cabernets from elsewhere (South Australia, for instance) can work well too. Watch the tannins though. Often a bottle with a two or three years bottle age will work better than a young one.
Late Bottled Vintage or vintage port
A classic pairing for cheese and cheddar is no exception
A strong ale
The basis of the popular ploughman’s but I’d personally go for a brew of over 5% - a strong ale in other words. Adnams Broadside is a good example. Also the best match for a cheddar-based Welsh rarebit!
A medium-dry strong cider . . .
Almost any combination of apple and cheddar is a winner but if your cheddar is medium to full-flavoured go for a medium-dry strongish cider . . .
. . . or apple flavoured liqueur
Especially with stronger cheddars. The Somerset Distillery’s Kingston Black or Somerset Pomona work particularly well.
An oaky chardonnay
Now this might surprise you but a barrel-fermented chardonnay is a surprisingly good pairing with a strong cheddar, bringing out the mellowness in the cheese and the fruitiness of the wine.
Note: serving chutney with your cheddar may make your match less successful. In general I find beer or cider work best.
See also The best wine - and other drinks - to pair with macaroni cheese
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If you’re a fellow cheese fanatic why not download my e-book, 101 Great Ways to Enjoy Cheese and Wine (and other delicious drinks) which is packed full of pairings, tips on how to serve and store cheese, how to create the perfect cheeseboard and and an at-a-glance guide to the cheeses that go best with your favourite wines. Click here to download.
The best wine and beer pairings for savoury pies
We Brits don’t need much encouragement to eat pies—they’re a staple of comfort food culture. But when it comes to enjoying a drink with your pie, the question arises: which is the better match—wine or beer? The answer, as always, depends on the type of pie you’re talking about and the flavours it brings to the table.
Steak pies with gravy
Almost always better with a strong ale or porter in my opinion.
Steak pies with red wine sauce
Should work with any full-bodied red. I normally tend to favour Languedoc or Rhône-style reds but a new world red like a malbec or an Australian shiraz would work well too
Chicken pies with a creamy filling
I’d go for an unoaked or subtly oaked Chardonnay, old vine Chenin Blanc or any other smooth dry white. Cider and perry also work well with chicken pies.
Pies with a tomatoey filling
Whatever the other ingredients I generally find cooked tomato works better with wine than with beer - I’d suggest an Italian Sangiovese or a Tempranillo-based red like Rioja, especially if there’s chorizo in it.
Cheese and spinach pies
I generally prefer crisp whites such as Sauvignon Blanc or even a more neutral white such as a Picpoul de Pinet with a light vegetarian pie like this but a light red like a Beaujolais would be delicious too.
Fish pies
Pair with the same sort of wines as creamy chicken pies.
Cold pies
With a classic pork pie I’d always go for an English bitter. A cold game pie however is a great match for a good red burgundy or Pinot Noir.
Photo © Richard M Lee at Shutterstock
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