299800 Thu Feb 10 17:50:22 -0800 2005 8 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1663053 So I have this nice dinner planned tonight ... a selection of olives, a nice blue cheese, a baguette, some fig/olive spread. I go to a top of the line wine store and ask for a nice wine to go with all of this top of the line food. I learn that red wine, except sweet wines like port, should not be paired with blue cheese. Supposedly the blue cheese will make a wine taste bitter. Is this true? If so, what white wine would go well with blue cheese? According to the suggestion at the shop, I bought a Gruner Veitlner. I don't know what all the else of this stuff on the bottle is, but I says Steinwand, Schmelz, Federspiel 2002. What else would go well with blue cheese / olives? Thu Feb 10 17:50:22 -0800 2005 0 Krys 1 1663055 People pay good money for martinis that have olives stuffed with blue cheese... I wouldn't try it with a California white port (unless some really good ones have surfaced in the last few years), but I have had wonderful experience with blue cheese and Portuguese white port. Thu Feb 10 18:19:01 -0800 2005 1663053 0 Kirk 1 1663062 May I suggest a drier Gewertztraminer or Reisling? Thu Feb 10 20:55:33 -0800 2005 1663053 0 2chez mike 1 1663079 Essentially, sweet wines are about the only wines that pair well with blue cheese. Otherwise, the tannins and dryness of other wines would compete too much with the tang of the blue cheese. Thus, ports are a great choice, as are ice wines. The wine that was suggested by the store should be okay as well. German wines tend to be on the sweeter side. Fri Feb 11 10:28:07 -0800 2005 1663053 0 Juniper 1 1663080 In the north of Spain people drink a nice dry cider (cidra) with blue cheese. It's a great combination. Fri Feb 11 10:33:57 -0800 2005 1663053 0 butterfly 1 1663107 I guess it's really a matter of personal preference. I happen to love a rustic Cotes Du Rhone with Roquefort or Gorgonzola, and I like the funny, burny thing that the combination produces on the tongue. Fri Feb 11 15:34:00 -0800 2005 1663053 0 GG Mora 1 1663364 "What else would go well with blue cheese / olives?" A nice craft brewed, hoppy IPA. Don't believe beer pairs with cheese better than wine does? Try it for yourself, but please try it with a quality beer - not soemthing like you would see advertised on TV. Wed Feb 16 12:04:21 -0800 2005 1663053 0 rl 2 1663387 Thanks to all for the suggestions. Let me tell you, that white Gruner Veitlner did NOT pair well with blue cheese and olives. It brought out sharp horrible flavors in that wine that I'm sure the wine maker never imagined were there. I've had Gruner Veitlner before and I like it. The wine was just way too dry. I finally went with a Barbara. Not great, but at least the red, olives and blue cheese tolerated each other's company. Beer, eh? I have a couple of beers from Poland sitting in the fridge. Think it would go well with Warka or Zyweic which are pale lagers? Although from the web site below it seems they are the types of beer that are advertised on Polish TV. I'm not a real beer person. Do you have some good ones to suggest. It gives me an excuse to go out and buy more olives and blue cheese. Oh, on that bottle of Zyweic there is a beer thermometer. The bottle says "refrigerate well until zyweic logo appears that indicates ideal drinking temperature." Well, it does work. The little red Zyweic logo appears above the message when the beer is chilled. So, I started to wonder about that "ideal drinking temperature". I threw the bottle in the freezer to see if the logo disappeared if the beer got too cold. Nope. You know, that company is just perpetuating the myth that we Poles are dumb. I mean. touch the bottle. If it is cold, it's the right drinking temperature. Although, my throwing the bear in the freezer doesn't exactly make me a bright bulb, eh? Link: http://www.xs4all.nl/~patto1ro/polintr.htm Wed Feb 16 15:28:17 -0800 2005 1663364 0 Krys 3 1663394 Just saw the beer / cheese thread ... will look up there. Wed Feb 16 15:47:50 -0800 2005 1663387 0 Krys