Who Cut The Cheese?!

 I do not know a single person who does not like cheese! It is so versatile! It can be served with really anything if you think about it. I figured since I love wine so much I better learn a little about cheese too since it pairs well with it. I love all kinds of cheese but I have never actually eaten cheese with my wine so I had to do a little research. I went to an online school to learn about cheese. You may have heard of it. It's called Google. So far in my research I have learned the VERY basics of cheese and serving said cheese. So for all you foodies out there that want to serve a little cheese with that wine, here is what I have learned....

The first thing I learned at cheese school is that cheese should be served on a "board". In layman's terms: a cutting board so you can "cut the cheese"! hehe! Whether you need one to serve with wine, or to finish a meal, it pays to put a little effort into it.

Choosing Your Cheese

Plan on serving five cheeses in order of creamy/mild to really stinky! So you should serve a goat cheese, a soft variety, a hard variety, a washed rind cheese, and a blue. Goat cheese is really creamy and my personal fave! My daughter loves it as well and will eat crumbled goat cheese straight out of the container! Pick a soft cheese like Brie or Camembert. The hard cheese is easy because everyone loves a Cheddar, Parm, or Swiss. The washed rind cheese is cheese washed in alcohol such as cider or brandy. It's generally stinky so if you are not into stinky cheeses I would leave this and the blue out and just add more soft and hard varieties.

Accompaniments

Put some crackers and bread on the board that are mild so they do not distract from the flavor of the cheese. Also add some fruit like grapes, apples, pears, and peaches. Olives and nuts work well too.

Wine Pairings

Goat and feta pair well with a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir. Soft cheeses can be served with a Chardonnay. Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Burgundy taste yummy with hard cheese. And blue or stinky cheeses pair well with dessert wines like Port.

Serving

Serve cheese on a platter or cheese board large enough to keep them from touching each other. Remove the wrapper but leave on the rind and bring cheeses to room temp before serving. Also each cheese should have it's own knife. Buy a cheese knife set to make it easy!

There you go! Now you are a cheese serving expert!