25.05.2021

Wine and Cheese: A Successful Symbiosis

Tips from Gourmet Ambassador Sigrid Innerebner

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Wine and cheese are a tried and true team. But only when they are correctly combined together. What has to be observed with the combining? Which wine pairs with sharp cheese? Which wine with mild? We spoke with gourmet ambassador Sigrid Innerebner about it and got a number of tips for the connoisseur.

Do wine and cheese really even go together at all?

Yes, absolutely! Alto Adige Wine and Alto Adige cheese are among the culinary pleasures of life. As a delicious undertaking, I recommend finding the perfect combination and also trying out new things.
What should fundamentally be observed with the combination of wine and cheese?

The flavor of the cheese must in any case be subordinate to the aroma of the wine. Which type of cheese it is that will be chosen is therefore very important. As a rule, cheese and wine from the same region go together well. So you’ll be fine with wine and cheese from Alto Adige.
Which types of Alto Adige cheese go with which Alto Adige wines?

Here are some of my cheese favorites that I enjoy combining with Alto Adige wine:

Kräuterhexe
The flavor of this cheese is fresh and pleasantly buttery. Its aroma is accompanied by seventeen Alpine herbs, and thanks to this, it pairs especially well with Alto Adige Chardonnay.

Lagrein Cheese
As the name already reveals, it is recommended to enjoy this cheese with a glass of Alto Adige Lagrein. The Lagrein wine cheese, which is named after the indigenous grape variety Lagrein, reveals its fully aromatic flavor thanks to its finishing with the red wine and top-quality spices.

Trenker Cheese
This consists of a strong, sharp, hard cheese made from cow’s milk. The crumbly, softly dissolving cheese has a fruity aroma with light tones of hay and is captivating with its long-lasting aromas of cocoa and roasted nuts. Since these aromas are also to be found in Alto Adige Cabernet Sauvignon, the combination with this red wine works especially well.

Which goes better with cheese: white wines or red wines? On what does it depend?

There is no sweeping rule. It depends upon the aromas in the cheese and wine. Thus fruity wines go well with fruity aromas in the cheese, and flavor-intense wines with strong, sharp types of cheese.

While cheese and wine ought to complement each other in terms of aroma, they should in any case differ from each other when it comes to acidity and sweetness. For example, the contrast between a sweet wine and a sharp cheese can be very exciting.

In the event that several types of cheese are being served, it is advisable to orient the selection of the wine toward the strongest cheese variety.
Which wines would you recommend to go with mild cheese?

With a mild cheese, such as a farmer’s cheese or a goat cheese, a subtle and fine-structured wine should be drunk. I recommend a light Alto Adige Pinot Bl anc to go with those. Its fruity scent with tones of apples and ripe pears is also reminiscent of aromas of soft chamomile and creamy hazelnuts which are an ideal pairing with mild cheeses.
Which wines would you recommend to go with a sharp cheese?

A sharp cheese needs a wine that supports the strong aromas. What goes with these are first and foremost strong Alto Adige red wines. But Alto Adige white wines that have been aged for a very long time are also recommended with them.
Which wine pairs with Stilfser PDO cheese ?

Stelvio or Stilfser PDO Cheese is a typical mountain cheese with a soft, supple, and easily melting consistency. For that, I recommended an Alto Adige Pinot Noir or an aged Alto Adige Gewürztraminer which will harmonize with the aromatic flavor of the cheese and its dominant sharpness.
What is your personal favorite combination?

My favorite combination consists of a Carbonito – a soft cheese made from goat’s milk that is finished with ash – and an Alto Adige sparkling wine.

Even if pairing wine with cheese sounds complex, according to Sigrid Innerebner there is one message you should not forget: the most important thing is always your own personal preference.

We wish you great enjoyment finding your own favorite combination.

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