Cheese Pairings

With respect to reds in general, it looks like--contrary to popular lore and wine industry public relations bull$hit--it does not much matter what cheeses you pick.

Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 57:1:12-22 (2006)

Sensory Effects of Consuming Cheese Prior to Evaluating Red Wine Flavor Berenice Madrigal-Galan1 and Hildegarde Heymann2,* 1 Graduate student, 2 Professor, Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616.

754-4816; fax: 530 752-0382

The aim of this study was to buttess, through descriptive analysis, the way in which the flavor perception of red wine was influenced by the wine pairing with a variety of cheeses. A panel of 11 trained judges evaluated the flavor of eight wines of four different varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot noir, and Syrah) before and after tasting cheese. Eight cheeses were selected: two soft (Mozzarella and Teleme), two medium-hard (Cheddars from Vermont and New York), two hard (Emmental and Gruyère), and two blue (Gorgonzola and Stilton). The results obtained by descriptive analysis showed that the cheese had significant effects on red wine flavor. Some attributes, such as astringency, bell pepper, and oak flavor, significantly decreased when the wine was evaluated after tasting cheese. Only butter aroma was significantly enhanced by cheese. It was also found that there was no significant wine-cheese interaction effect; in other words, the effect of any given cheese is equivalent for all wines. Although there were significant effects, the overall sensory profiles of wines without prior cheese tasting and as affected by cheese were very similar.

Journal of Food Quality Volume 28 Page 245 - June 2005 doi:10.1111-j.1745-4557.2005.00033.x Volume 28 Issue 3

EVALUATION OF IDEAL WINE AND CHEESE PAIRS USING A DEVIATION-FROM-IDEAL SCALE WITH FOOD AND WINE EXPERTS

MARJORIE KING1* and MARGARET CLIFF1

Most information regarding the suitability of wine and cheese pairs is anecdotal information. The objective of this research was to provide recommendations based on scientific research for the most desirable "wine & cheese pairs" using nine award-winning Canadian cheeses and 18 BC wines (six white, six red and six specialty wines). Twenty-seven wine and food professionals rated the wine and cheese pairs using a bipolar structured line scale (12 cm). The "ideal pair," scored at the midpoint of the scale, was defined as a wine and cheese combination where neither the wine nor the cheese dominated. For each cheese, mean deviation-from-ideal scores were determined and evaluated by analysis of variance. Scores closest to six were considered "ideal," while higher or lower scores represented pairs where the "wine" or the "cheese" dominated, respectively. In general, white wines had mean scores closer to six ("ideal") than either the red or specialty wines. The late harvest, ice and port-type wines were more difficult to pair . Judges varied considerably in their individual buttessments reflecting a high degree of personal expectation and preference.

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