Carefully selected wines and cheeses accompany each other successfully.
Party cheese platters provide a forum to offer a diverse variety of cheeses and pair them according to drink selection, region of origin and taste. Alcoholic beverages, such as wine, beer and mixed drinks provide a direction to choose the cheeses for your party platter, and allow you to tailor it to the drink instead of the taste of your guests, making selection easier.
Wine
Wine and cheese are synonymous with informal gatherings. However, many cheeses, particularly of the pungent and bold variety, mask many of wine's subtle nuances. Wine merchants carry numerous high-quality wines in the $15 to $25 price range ideal for a cheese tasting. Pair each cheese with a complementary wine, and vice versa, in terms of taste, aroma and body. A basic wine and cheese tasting menu would include a sweet, fruity wine, such as a young chardonnay, paired with brie, camembert and gruyere. Bold cheeses, such as shaved pecorino, pair well with a mildly tannic red, such as Bordeaux, and Riesling, one of the most versatile wines, complements a wide array of cheeses, mild and pungent.
Beer
Beer and cheese are almost as ubiquitous as wine and cheese when it comes to pairings. Make your beer selection as diverse as your cheese selection. For instance, offer two to three pale beers with light cheeses, such as real white cheddar, two or three medium-bodied beers with mild cheeses, such as gruyere, and offer one or two stouts to accompany sharp and pungent cheeses, such as stilton. Latin American cheeses, such as white Oaxacan, pair well with dark beers, especially those that hail from the region.
Mixed Drinks
Mixed drinks and cocktails contain a variety of ingredients that make them suited to and equally varied selection of cheeses. For instance, cosmopolitans and martinis share an affinity for mild to medium-bodied cheeses, such as brie, camembert and gruyere. Mild, floral cheeses, such as queso fresco, go well with fruit-based mixed drinks. Sharp, complex cheeses, such as Roquefort, go well with drinks that have notes of anise or juniper berry, such as those containing absinthe.
Cheese Selection
Not having to pair cheese with drinks allows the cheese to stand on its own, making a varied and diverse selection important. Choose a flight, or a series of cheeses ranked in ascending order from mild to pungent. Start off with your choice of mild cheeses, such as brie, move on to slightly heartier cheeses, such as gruyere, and finish with a small selection of strong cheeses, such as stilton and the Italian hard cheeses. Offering cheeses grouped according to region highlights a wide range of cheeses. Comprise each group with one mild, one moderate and one bold cheese from a region. For instance, a well-rounded Italian selection would have sheep's milk mozzarella, ricotta and Parmigiano-Regianno.
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