Content

• Method 2 of 4: Combining cheese and wine
• Method 3 of 4: How to pair cheese with other foods
• Method 4 of 4: Eating cheese in a formal and informal setting
• Tips
• Warnings

1 Eat room temperature cheese. This will reveal the flavor and texture of the cheese. Take the cheese out of the refrigerator about an hour before serving it, but do not remove the packaging to prevent it from drying out. Remember that in hot countries the cheese will reach room temperature faster. Don't wait for the cheese to melt and flow.

• Hard cheese (for example, cheddar) should be removed from the refrigerator an hour or an hour and a half before serving.
• Soft cream cheeses like brie should be taken out two to three hours before meals.
• Remove fresh cheeses (for example, homemade) from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

2 Cut the crust off the hard cheese. It is usually hard and contains wax. The crust should be cut from cheese such as cheddar, gruyere, romano.

3 Don't be afraid to eat the crust of soft cheeses. This cheese usually has a soft and white crust. Grapes such as Camembert and Brie are not crusty.

4 Smell the cheese before you eat it. Don't show it off. Smell is an integral part of the cheese. It can even enhance the flavor.

5 Eat cheese with a little bread or crackers. This food shouldn't distract you from the taste of the cheese. Breads and crackers can overwhelm the unique flavor of the cheese, so if you want to experience all the flavor, eat the cheese separately from the rest of your meal.

6 If there are different types of cheese on your plate, eat the softest first and the hardest at the end. Soft cheeses are generally younger than hard cheeses.If you don't know which cheese is young and which is mature, ask the owner.

• If you start with hard cheese, its rich flavor will prevent you from enjoying the soft cheese hues that you eat afterwards.
• Cut different types of cheese with different knives to keep the flavors from mixing.

Method 2 of 4: Combining cheese and wine

1. 1 Know how to pair cheese and wine. The wine goes well with cheese and allows you to reveal its taste. However, there are certain recommendations regarding combinations. In this section, we'll show you how to best match different types of wine and cheese.
2. 2 Pair soft and fresh cheeses with white wine. Dry aperitifs, dry rosés, sparkling and light red wines, which are low in tannins, are suitable for soft cheese. Red wines with a high tannin content are not suitable: Bordeaux, Bordeaux blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec.
   • Examples of fresh soft cheeses are brie, brilla-savarin, boucheron, burrata, camembert, chevre, crotten, feta, halloumi, mozzarella, ricotta.
   • The following wines go well with soft cheeses: albariño, beaujolais, cava, chablis, chardonnay (not aged in oak), champagne, chané blanc, Fino sherry, gewürztraminer, gruner feltliner, lambrusco, muscat, pinot grigio, pinot gris, Provencal rose Riesling (dry to sweet), sauvignon blanc, white port.
3. 3 Pair medium-aged semi-hard cheeses with medium-bodied wines. You can also eat them with fruity reds and vintage sparkling wines. Light aperitif wines with varying degrees of acidity, fruity notes and tannins are also fine.
   • Examples of semi-hard cheeses are edam, emmenthal, gruyere, hawarty, jarlsberg, manchego, monterey jack, tom de alsace, young cheddar.
   • The following varieties of wine are suitable for these types of cheese: sherry amontillado, barbera, beaujolais, champagne, chardonnay, dolchetto, gewurztraminer, merlot, pinot blanc, pinot noir, red burgundy, riesling (dry), port tony (young), white bordeaux, white Burgundy, Rhone Valley White Blends, Viognier, Vintage Port, Zinfandel.
4. 4 Pair hard, aged cheeses with full-bodied white wines. Red wines with a lot of tannins and oxidative wines are fine too. These wines reveal a rich (often nutty) cheese flavor.
   • Here are some examples of hard, aged cheeses: Aged Cheddar, Aciago, Cheshire, Comte, Aged Gouda, Aged Gruyere, Manchego, Parmesan Reggiano, Pecorino.
   • Aged burgundy or bordeaux, barbaresco, barolo, cabernet sauvignon, red Californian blends, Madeira, nebbiolo, oloroso sherry, petit sira, red burgundy, red burgundy, red port wine, red blends of the Rhône Valley, sauternes, sweet riesling go well with these cheeses. port tony, white blends of the Rhône Valley, viognier, van jon, vintage champagne, zinfandel.
5. 5 Pair salty blue cheeses with sweet wines. This will create a contrast that will reveal the aromas of both the wine and the cheese. Blue cheese is easily recognizable for its blue veins and salty taste.
   • Examples of blue cheese are bleu doverny, cambozola, gorgonzola, roquefort, stilton.
   • Combine blue cheese with banyuls, oloroso sherry, red port, recito, sauternes, tony port, tocadji.
6. 6 Pair pungent cheeses with light-bodied wines. Since cheeses such as epuas, morbières and taleggio have a pungent smell, aromatic wine should balance them. Try opening a bottle of any of the following wines to this cheese: Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Red Burgundy, Sauternes.
7. 7 Know which wine to choose if you have a cheese platter in front of you. If there are many types of cheese on the platter, it may be difficult for you to find a wine that pairs well with different cheeses. Any of the wines below will be a win-win. These wines pair well with most types of cheese:
   • Alsatian Gewürztraminer
   • Champagne
   • Riesling, especially dry
   • Sparkling wines, dry to sweet

Method 3 of 4: How to pair cheese with other foods

1. 1 Add some fruit, but not citrus. Most cheeses go well with sweet foods, including fruits. Next time, try serving cheese with several types of fruits.
   • Dried fruits go well with hard cheese: apricots, cherries, figs.
   • Try adding fresh fruits: apples, dates, figs, apricots, plums.
2. 2 Add some nuts. The nuts accentuate the sweetness of the cheese. Almost any nuts can be paired with cheese, but most often almonds, hazelnuts and fried pecans are served with cheese.
3. 3 Try serving or eating several types of cheese. Cheese doesn't have to be paired with fruit, nuts, or wine only. You can combine different types of cheese with each other. Next time, try serving 3-5 different types of cheese with different flavors and textures. But remember to eat the softest cheeses first, gradually moving on to harder and more mature ones. You can try the following combination:
   • Soft cream cheese (like brie).
   • Cheese with a special texture and nutty flavor (comte).
   • Dry and hard aged goat cheese.
4. 4 Try brie with honey. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place the brie cheese on a baking sheet and drizzle a little honey on top. Dried cranberries, figs, rosemary, thyme, walnuts, or pecans can be added as desired. Bake the cheese until it melts. Then serve with crackers.
   • If you have a triangular slice, bake it for 5-7 minutes.
   • If it's a round head of cheese, bake it for 8-10 minutes.
5. 5 Try grated or sliced ​​cheese in your meals. This will change the texture of the dishes and make them taste more interesting. Try adding cheese:
   • To scrambled eggs and scrambled eggs.
   • For baked potatoes and mashed potatoes.
   • For French fries (cheddar with bacon bits).
   • In tortilla (Mexican cheese with sour cream and salsa sauce).
   • In salads (Parmesan is added to Caesar).

Method 4 of 4: Eating cheese in a formal and informal setting

1. 1 Consider the nature of the event and the texture of the cheese. Etiquette will depend on whether the event is official or not. How the cheese is served will also influence the expected behavior. In this section, you will learn how to avoid oversights.
2. 2 Know how to proceed at a formal event. As a rule, at such events guests are offered small plates, and there are reasons for this. If you want to try the cheese, bring a small plate with you. First you will need to put cheese on top of it.
3. 3 Spread soft cheese on bread or breadsticks with a knife. Eat bread with your hands, but try not to touch the cheese. This is extremely important.
4. 4 Use a toothpick to transfer the cheese from the dish onto your plate. You can eat the cheese with a fork, or put it on the bread and eat it with your hands. It is also an extremely important element of etiquette.
   • If there are crackers or fruit next to the cheese, sprinkle them on a toothpick and place them on your plate.
5. 5 If cheese is served with a dish (for example, a pie), eat it with a fork. At an informal event, cheese may be on the plate next to the main course. In this case, eat it with a fork, not with your hands.
6. 6 Eat cheese with your hands only if the event is informal. If the cheese is diced and chopped with a toothpick, eat it by hand. If the cheese is sliced, place it on a cracker with a toothpick and eat it with your hands.

Tips

• Buy cheese from specialty stores or the good cheese sections of large hypermarkets with a large selection. In specialized stores, you can often taste cheese before buying. Take this opportunity to avoid accidentally buying cheese that you don't like.
• Although the cheese tastes best at room temperature, it should be kept in the refrigerator to prevent spoilage. When you're ready to eat it, remove it from the refrigerator and let it stand.
• Plan ahead.If you want to serve cheese at a party, buy several different varieties with different flavors and textures.
• In some countries (France, for example), cheese is served after dinner. Usually in such cases wine is served with cheese.

Warnings

• Different types of cheese contain different amounts of milk. Keep this in mind if you are lactose intolerant. Try goat cheese as it is made from goat's milk, not cow's milk, and has less lactose.
• Do not store cheese in plastic. Cheese needs to breathe. Wrap the cheese in wax paper or a special bag. You can buy the bags online or at a specialty kitchen supply store.