The best wine matches for Manchego, Berkswell and other hard sheep cheeses

Hard sheep’s cheeses are the winelover’s friend.

Nutty, tangy and savoury, they show off a good red like no other cheese which makes them a great choice if you’ve picked a serious wine with your main course.

You can also pair them with sweet wines, and with sherry and other fortified wines. Here are the pairings I think work best:

Mature Spanish reds especially Rioja and Valdepeñas (the latter comes from the same region as Manchego, La Mancha). Other oak-aged tempranillos too.

Mature Bordeaux

Reds from the south-west of France - an area which specialises in sheep’s cheese - often served with a cherry compote. Madiran, for example. Sweet wines from the same region such as Jurançon and Pacherenc-du-Vic-Bilh also work well

Mature Chianti - especially with aged pecorinos

Sherry, especially dry amontillado, palo cortado and dry oloroso. Aged tawny ports are also good - see this post on Zamorano and 30 y.o. tawny

Aged oaked white rioja - its nuttiness compliments sheep cheese perfectly as you can see here

Orange wines. Maybe not your cup of tea but their quince-like flavours are brilliant with sheep cheese (think membrillo)

Younger, fresher-tasting hard sheep cheeses are good with a crisp dry white such as albarino or vermentino

Image © nito - Fotolia.com

Got other ideas? Do email your favourite pairings to us at greatmatches@matchingfoodandwine.com. To subscribe to our free monthly newsletter and be eligible to enter our fabulous prize draws click here or to get notice of posts as soon as they're published click here.

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Comments: 4 (Add)

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Lucas White on July 19 2018 at 08:001531983641

Thank you for sharing this blog! I absolutely loved it, personally I am not a cheese enthusiast but after reading your blog I think I am gonna try some of it with my all time favourite sweet red wine.
https://wispwines.com.au/

Rick on September 17 2014 at 16:081410966493

Thank you so much.

Fiona Beckett on September 17 2014 at 09:001410940855

Hi Rick. Have just re-posted the one in the archives. Hope that's useful

Rick on September 17 2014 at 04:221410924170

Fiona, Thanks for the informative review. I was wondering if you can do a goat cheese review and pairings with wine. It would be very helpful. Thanks again.
Rick
www.quickstopwine.com