Pairings | Blanc de blancs

6 of the best drink pairings for Brie (updated)

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on February 27 2025 at 10:09

One of the world’s most popular cheeses, brie can be mild and slightly chalky or decadently gooey and quite strong in flavour.

The best wine pairing for brie will mainly depend on the maturity of the cheese rather than the origin. I wouldn’t recommend radically different drinks for a Somerset brie than a Brie de Meaux, for example (although there’s always the local cider!).

Basically you should think of lighter wines in terms of younger milder cheeses and more structured ones for more mature intensely flavoured ones.

Wine might be the obvious beverage to turn to but there are other drinks that work well too including beer and aperitifs. And I’ve. suggested a couple of alcohol-free alternatives too.

Six top drink pairings for Brie

* Fruity reds such as New Zealand or Chilean Pinot Noir. (More mature bries or brie-style cheeses will need more powerful structured wines such as those from Central Otago.) Or try a fruity (but not too tannic) Merlot or a ripe ‘cru’ Beaujolais from a good vintage such as 2022. For milder bries a basic Beaujolais Villages is better

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Tags: cheese blanc de blancs sparkling Chardonnay Champagne Guignolet raspberry beer cherry beer frambozen kriek fruit beer Merlot chardonnay Beaujolais New Zealand Pinot Noir Pinot Noir drink:red wine Brie food:cheese

Comments: 3 (Add)

tim on February 2 2024 at 13:07

Cider. Proper Normandy cider 100% pur jus and most definitively not a pretend cyder (strongbow, magners etc) - this cuts riht through the ammonia notes with mature runny Brie.

I wonder if a young Chenin Blanc would work... green apple notes, some sweetness and creamy texture.

Martha on August 15 2018 at 13:36

What would you say to serving a flavoured beer with a cheese course followed by berry cream birthday cake

Urvashi on August 27 2013 at 17:42

Thanks for this post. We love Brie and it's the preferred late night nibble but we always disagre on what to drink with it usually opting for a white rioja but I shall try the above!

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