Pairing White Wine With Cheese

Since traditionally most consumers think about cheese with red wine, and usually after dinner, we wanted to inspire you to think about entertaining friends at home with cheese in a completely different environment -- as in something other than the après dinner cheese course setting.

Alice reminds us that "cheese may be enjoyed with white wines, champagne, late harvest wines and port as well as red wine. To start your discovery your first cheese tasting could explore the unlikely but rewarding pairing of white wine with cheese. In this case Alice has chosen three grape varietals to work with: chardonnay, gewürztraminer and pinot gris.

Keep in mind the purpose of your tasting is to have fun but don't miss the opportunity to discover which cheese is best suited to which wine. This is an adventure in learning and you can be sure that at least according to your palate, some matches will be better than others.
 
To begin the tasting Alice suggests the following order:

o First taste the wine
o Then taste the cheese
o And finally, taste both wine and cheese together. The mixture should turn out to be the perfect blending of the two in your mouth - neither wine nor cheese should dominate.

The combinations are endless, but a safe rule of thumb is that cheeses and wines from the same region usually sympathize. We have suggested ten cheeses to pick from for each wine although you need only choose five or six from the list for your tasting plate. Be sure to purchase enough cheese to allow for pairing each cheese with each wine for each taster. Wine selections are courtesy of www.gismondionwine.

THE CHEESE

Chevre Frais - $2.95/100gr
Any fresh goat cheese - Salt Spring Cheese Co.'s fresh Chevre, French Chevre frais or Happy Days fresh goat log Salmon Arm.

Aged Chevres - Various prices
Chabichou, Chevrot, Cabriflore, Marcella from Salt Spring Cheese Co. or one of the many other aged chevres.  These cheeses will have a more complex flavour. 

Italian Asiago Pressato - $2.95/100 gr
A young cows milk cheese with the fresh taste of milk and flavour that stays on the palate

Explorateur - $3.95/100 gr
A very fresh cows milk cheese that looks like cream cheese, but has unique levels of flavour

Baskeriu - $3.95/100 gr
A delicate and flavorful sheep's milk cheese from the French Pyréneés

Brebiou - $4.20/100 gr
A soft ripened sheep's milk cheese.  It would be interesting to try a very young version and the one that has ripened

Munster - $3.60/100 gr
A washed rind cheese from the Alsace.  Full flavored

Comte Juraflore $2.75/100gr
A mountain cheese with a complex flavour

2 yr Quebec Cheddar - $2.55/100 gr
Rich and creamy in the mouth with flavours that continue to develop

Saint-Marcellin - $5.95/Each
A unique cow's milk cheese that will be of great interest

GEWURZTRAMINER

89/100 Pierre Sparr Gewürztraminer Reserve 2001
Alsace, France
Open spicy, sausage, honey, mineral aromas with a bit of lychee. Very intense and round with a big buttery palate. Lots of mineral, honey, butter, sausage and dried lychee flavours. Quite warm and soft on the finish but great drinking now and over the next year.
Tasted: 2003-07-02 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $24.99 Specialty
CSPC: 473116;   UPC: 3263530020819
Producer: Pierre Sparr et Ses Fils
Distributor: Pacific Wines & Spirits 95 Ltd.
 
87/100 Calona Vineyards Gewurztraminer Artist Series Reserve 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Spicy, floral, sausage nose with fresh lychee and green apple aromas. Fresh and crisp textures with some sweetness in the finish. Green apple skin, mineral, peach and citrus flavours. Great summer sipper we recommend with sautéed scallops in a citrus, butter sauce.
Tasted: 2003-06-16 by AG
Prices: BC $12.99 Specialty
CSPC: 237453;   UPC: 058976320073
Producer: Calona Wines Ltd.
Distributor: Grady Wine Marketing
 
89/100 Tinhorn Creek Gewürztraminer 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Classic gewürztraminer aromas of lychee and rose petals. The entry is soft and round with a touch sweetness on the mid-palate and spice in the finish. Lightly spiced Asian or Indian food would be a fine match or chill down and sip on the patio.
Tasted: 2003-06-08 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $14.95 Specialty
CSPC: 530675;   UPC: 624802981031
Producer: Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
Distributor: Renaissance Wine Merchants
 
89/100 Quails' Gate Gewürztraminer Limited Release 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
It looks as if 2002 was very kind to B.C. gewürztraminer. Look for a whack of lychee fruit and rose petal aromas with an exotic touch of cinnamon spice. This is an off-dry version but with a nice streak of citrus through the finish. Proprietor Andrea Stewart recommends pairing this with free range turkey; I would like to see it on the wine list at Vij's and most every Chinese restaurant in the city.
Tasted: 2003-06-08 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $14.99 Specialty
CSPC: 585745;   UPC: 77856102406
Producer: Quails' Gate Vineyards Estate Winery
Distributor: Medallion Wine Marketing

PINOT GRIS

88/100 Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 2002
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Light floral, earthy, mineral, marzipan, and citrus peel aromas. Dry, round, elegant styling with mineral, green apple, spicy, pear and grapefruit rind flavours. Crisp acidity but nicely balanced, will improve over the next year. Fine style and very representative of what the best B.C. pinot gris is all about.
Tasted: 2003-09-06 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $20.00 Winery
CSPC: 510941;   UPC: 626990004448
Producer: Burrowing Owl Vineyards
Distributor: Burrowing Owl Vineyards; Grady Wine Marketing
 
89/100 Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris Reserve 2001
Alsace, France
Very aromatic with buttery, baked apple, quince/mineral floral notes. Quite rich and fat on the palate with ripe apple, slate, citrus and nutty butter flavours with good acidity on the finish but so ripe it is almost sweet. Full bodied style quite the opposite of what you might expect form a B.C. pinot gris.
Tasted: 2003-07-23 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $24.99 Specialty
CSPC: 509984;   UPC: 3263530020512
Producer: Pierre Sparr et Ses Fils
Distributor: Pacific Wines & Spirits 95 Ltd.
 
87/100 Mission Hill Pinot Gris Reserve 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Spicy, apple, grapefruit aromas with some kiwi and mineral notes. Light, soft, slightly sweet with mineral, baked apple and telltale winemaker John Sime's grapefruit rind flavours. Delicate, easy style with lighter overall intensity of flavours.
Tasted: 2003-06-20 by AG
Prices: BC $15.95 Specialty
CSPC: 537076;   UPC: 776545991034
Producer: Mission Hill Family Estate
Distributor: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants; Mission Hill Winery

88/100 Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Winemaker Sandra Oldfield is well known for her merlot production but she also has the touch with pinot gris. Look for a mix of mineral green apple and honey notes with a nice twist of pie crust in the background. More mineral and apple skin flavours mark the aftertaste. Balanced, ready to drink and it sells for an affordable price.
Tasted: 2003-06-08 by AG
Prices: BC $14.95 Specialty
CSPC: 530683;   UPC: 624802981024
Producer: Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
Distributor: Renaissance Wine Merchants
 
88/100 Mission Hill Pinot Grigio 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Mission Hill's ode to the Italian pinot grigio is the most exciting $14 white wine made in B.C. and could easily hold its own against most any imported white selling at the same price. Look for a fresh citrus pear and tropical fruit nose with a medium dry piecrust flavoured finish. All it needs is a screwcap to take on the world.
Tasted: 2003-05-22 by AG
Prices: BC $13.95 Specialty
CSPC: 563981;   UPC: 776545995322
Producer: Mission Hill Family Estate
Distributor: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants; Mission Hill Winery
 

CHARDONNAY

88/100 Montes Chardonnay Reserve Barrel Fermented 2002
Valle del Curicó, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Attractive mineral, citrus rind and buttery, nectarine nose with some floral notes. Ripe, round, dry palate with a pronounced slate-y mineral flavours mixed with buttery, green melon, baked apple flavours and honeyed, citrus finish. Elegant and well balanced.
Tasted: 2003-10-18 by AG
Prices: BC $0.00 Special Order Whitehall Agencies
UPC: 715126011228
Producer: Viña Montes S.A.
Distributor: Whitehall Agencies Inc.

89/100 J. Lohr Chardonnay Riverstone 2001
Arroyo Seco, Monterey County, Central Coast, California, United States
Enticing creamy lees, honey, green apple, floral pear aromas. Round, dry, smooth textures with nice nutty lees, creamy, green apple, pear and honey flavours with a crisp, spicy nut finish. Also available in half-bottle format for $13.50.
tasted: 2003-10-18 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $24.95 Specialty
CSPC: 258699;   UPC: 089121068823
Producer: J. Lohr Winery
Distributor: Grady Wine Marketing

87/100 Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay 2002
Pirque, Valle de Maipo, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Leesy, honey, garlic, apple and pear aromas. Dry, round and slightly austere with dry mineral, grapefruit rind, honey vanilla flavours. Good intensity and elegance but there is a bit too much of that mineral rind (bitter) character in the finish.
Tasted: 2003-10-18 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $19.95 Specialty
CSPC: 342857;   UPC: 7804320411149
Producer: Vina Concha y Toro S.A.
Distributor: Select Wine Merchants
 
87/100 Haras Character Chardonnay 2001
Valle de Maipo, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Very leesy, garlic, floral, green apple skin, honey citrus aromas. Round, dry, elegant style with a big mineral, citrus rind, honey, quince and lees palate. Quite crisp and intense with an intense citrus-rind flavoured finish.
Tasted: 2003-10-18 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $21.00 Speculative - Seacove Group
UPC: 7809636600041
Producer: Vina Haras de Pirque
Distributor: The Seacove Group Inc.

88/100 Castello della Sala Chardonnay 2002
Umbria, Italy
Castello della Sala Chardonnay was first produced in 1994 and it is the second Chardonnay made at the property, the sibling if you like to Cervaro. Look for a light lees nose streaked with mineral, citrus rind and nutty, green apple skin aromas. Elegant, dry, round and stylish with fresh green apple, citrus, buttery lees flavours and some mineral, orange notes on the finish. Very fresh, round and sophisticated.
Tasted: 2003-10-18 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $60.00 Speculative - Mark Anthony Brands
Producer: Marchesi Antinori
Distributor: Halpern; Mark Anthony Wine Merchants; Maxxium Canada
 
87/100 Peter Lehmann Weighbridge Chardonnay 2002
South Australia, Australia
An unwooded style with peach, pear, melon aromas and a touch of mineral and buttery lees. Dry, round and elegant with fresh melon, pear, orange citrus flavours and an oily, buttery finish. Good balance and acidity. Made from 45% Barossa fruit. Good value.
Tasted: 2003-09-04 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $13.99 Specialty
CSPC: 611434;   UPC: 032726001665
Producer: Peter Lehmann Wines Limited
Distributor: International Cellars Inc.

88/100 Sebastiani Chardonnay 2000
Sonoma County, California, United States
Toasty, buttery, ripe peach, mango aromas with some orange rind and honey notes. Soft, rich, round, oily textures with honey, toasty vanilla, mango and citrus rind flavours. A touch warm and oaky but very flavourful and a good value. Classic California chardonnay.
Tasted: 2003-08-31 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $21.99 Specialty
CSPC: 361634;   UPC: 088232002627
Producer: Sebastiani
Distributor: Select Wine Merchants
 
87/100 Hess Select Chardonnay 2001
California, United States
Fairly rich buttery, toasty, citrus aromas with pineapple floral hints. More buttery, oily textures with vanilla and baked apple flavours. Quite soft and warm on the finish with a touch of sweetness. Fine but could use some cooler fruit characters and acidity to join the new fresher style of chardonnay.
Tasted: 2003-08-31 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $24.95 Specialty
CSPC: 335802;   UPC: 717888520024
Producer: The Hess Collection Winery
Distributor: Grady Wine Marketing

89/100 Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 2002
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Open ripe, apple/lees nose with streaks of peach and some cool floral characters that remind us of Sonoma. Promising entry with mineral, apple and honey flavours on the palate and lime rind in the finish. Fine elegant styling and weight but it should improve further throughout the year. Well done.
Tasted: 2003-08-12 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $23.00 Winery
CSPC: 510933;   UPC: 626990004431
Producer: Burrowing Owl Vineyards
Distributor: Burrowing Owl Vineyards; Grady Wine Marketing

87/100 Penny's Hill McLaren Vale Chardonnay 2000
McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia
Look for an intense honey, mango, vanilla butter nose that jumps out of the glass - almost Santa Maria Valley-like. Oily and round with medium extract. Again more honey spice pineapple and lees in the finish. A warm New World chardonnay with a canned pineapple finish.
Tasted: 2003-08-12 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $26.95 Specialty
CSPC: 578484;   UPC: 9326215000163
Producer: Ingleburne Wine Company Pty Ltd.
Distributor: Delf Group Inc.
 
87/100 Spires Chardonnay 2002
Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia
A very attractive light lees, mineral nose streaked with pear, apple aromas and a touch of melon and butter. The flavour is ripe, round and juicy with more mineral, ripe apple, peach, and melon flavours with lime and orange butter on the finish. Well balanced with good acidity. Impressive styling and value for an inexpensive chardonnay and made better than many of its U.S. counterparts.
Tasted: 2003-07-23 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $13.94 Specialty
CSPC: 598136;   UPC: 9311043085857
Producer: Barossa Valley Estate Winery
Distributor: Select Wine Merchants