Cheese is often paired with the wine - usually a red - that remains in the glasses of diners in the interlude between the main course and dessert. With a bit of thought, this pairing can be made into a highlight of a meal.
Perennial favourites brie and camembert pair well with chardonnay; either a burgundy (a montagny, for instance) or a five-year-old Californian. The little bit of oak that is present in the wine is balanced nicely by the creaminess of the cheese.
Goat's cheese (or chevre, if it's from France) is always a splendid match with a sauvignon blanc from the Loire, New Zealand or Australia. The slight gaminess of the goat's cheese with the grassiness of the sauvignon blanc is a combination not to be missed. If you are feeling adventurous, try a cabernet franc from the Loire, which will have a bit of fresh pencil shavings on the nose that pairs up amazingly well with goat's cheese.
Pungent washed rind cheeses - those with a slightly dampish orangey rind - demand specific accompaniment. My first impression of this cheese was memorable (on my first trip to France). We had a munster in the back of the car with us but had to exile it to the boot, as the aroma, akin to that of the durian fruit, permeated the interior. The smell was still evident two days later. We had the munster with a young wine from the Rhone - a gigondas - and a malbec from Pecharmant. The aroma of the cheese was far more tolerable after a sip of either of those two.
And what of that splash of red that's leftover from the main course?
If it's a burgundy, pair it with a mild cheese such as a brillat-savarin (a triple cream cheese), a morbier (it has a line of ash in the middle, which is a separation of the morning and evening milks) or a saint-nectaire (this has a rather dusty looking rind).
