Riesling Wine and Cheese Pairings

Pairing Cheese with Riesling - The full range of Riesling styles offer many fine pairings with a broad range of cheese types. While blue cheeses are not as successful as we would expect them to be with even the sweeter Rieslings, the grapes's spicy, honey-like qualities offer a lovely counterpoint to savory, washed rind cheeses.

About Riesling - Rieslings, with their delicate balance of acidity and sweetness, are often overlooked but provide some of the best pairings for food. Grown in cooler climates, Riesling grapes can result in both light, refreshing wines and full-bodied, deep wines. The high natural acidity of the grape acts as a counterpoint to the sweetness of some examples while serving as a natural preservative for extended aging. Rieslings, in fact, are generally better with considerable age - a little know fact is that the oldest preserved wine ever tasted was a German Riesling from the 1540 vintage! There are both sweet and dry incarnations of Riesling, of which the best examples are grown in Alsace. Delicately floral and fruity, their subtlety and low alcohol levels make Riesling a wonderful warm weather wine.