
Top pairings
The best wine matches for Manchego, Berkswell and other hard sheep cheeses
Hard sheep 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
If you found this post helpful and would like to support the website which is free to use please subscribe to my crowdfunder newsletter Eat This Drink That at fionabeckett.substack.com
You may also enjoy …



Recent posts …
Never miss a post!
Most popular

My latest book

Wine basics

Food & wine pros



