301147 Thu Nov 17 17:43:44 -0800 2005 9 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1677955 I'm going to buy a bunch of wine, cheese, snacks/etc. for an office party. I want to do it fairly nicely (ie, no jug wine, but no bottles over $20) and since I'll have at least 20 people, I can go for some decent variety. What are your favorite wine/cheese pairings? Thu Nov 17 17:43:44 -0800 2005 0 Aimee 1 1677968 I'd say to save your sanity pick one white and one red. Possibly two reds but you don't want to be explaining the wine all night. I find more success with fruity wines like riesling and pinot noir although a good pinot around $20 is kind of hard. You may want to look to Spain or South America (Argentinian Malbecs are yummy, fruity and cheap) Of course, you can never go wrong with champagne in my book. I'd say a brie or camembert, a goat cheese or two maybe one fresh and one aged, a cheddar or even better manchego. You may want to stay away from the blue cheese, a lot of people are scared off by the molds and its a hard one to pair up with wine. Don't forget some pears or apples and neutral crackers. The other thing I was thinking is to pick a theme. Italian cheese and Italian wines. Spanish, Oregon... You get the idea. That may depend on how adventerous your group is. Have fun! Thu Nov 17 21:25:35 -0800 2005 1677955 0 Morgan 2 1678000 "You may want to stay away from the blue cheese, a lot of people are scared off by the molds and its a hard one to pair up with wine." Matches up pretty well with a barley wine or imperial stout. In fact most cheeses pair better with beer than wine. For a change of pace, pick up some nice Belgian beers in 750ml champagne bottles and startle your wine friends. Fri Nov 18 15:09:45 -0800 2005 1677968 0 rl 3 1678001 Great idea...this is going to be fun! Fri Nov 18 15:31:18 -0800 2005 1678000 0 Aimee 4 1678007 Here is an excellent article on pairing beer and cheese. Garrett Oliver rocks my world! Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/17/WIGHKBA1OC1.DTL&hw=garrett+oliver&sn=001&sc=1000 Fri Nov 18 18:45:39 -0800 2005 1678001 0 Morton the Mousse 5 1678012 Orval (a Belgian beer) and Camembert cheese remains on the greatest food/beverage combinations I have ever tried in my life. I'm a fan of fresh goat cheese with crisp sauvignon blancs from Sancerre or New Zealand. There are some good California ones too but you have to be sure you're getting one that's not a buttery wannabe-Chardonnay oak bomb. If you can find it, Juniper Grove Buche cheese is to die for. Fri Nov 18 20:16:56 -0800 2005 1678007 0 nja 5 1678075 As a dedicated wine drinker, I only pair beer with cheese when the cheese is on a pizza. Mon Nov 21 16:05:48 -0800 2005 1678007 0 dinwiddie 6 1678079 Oliver's book is full of anecdotes about wine snobs and sommeliers who had the exact same attitude, until they went to one of Oliver's pairings and had a "beer epiphany." Don't disparage beer pairing until you've tried it. Get a good barley wine and a strong stilton. The British nobility have been pairing these two for centuries. No wine and cheese pairing comes close. You just may have a beer epiphany. Then, try pairing imperial stout with chocolate. You'll never mutter another disparaging word about beer. Mon Nov 21 17:51:18 -0800 2005 1678075 0 Morton the Mousse 1 1678008 There are very few combinations in the world that can surpass port and stilton. Fri Nov 18 19:04:23 -0800 2005 1677955 0 DanaB 1 1678011 I find that I prefer red wines with aged cheeses, and white wines with softer young cheeses (chevre, brie, etc.) But that might just be my taste buds. Me, my favorite wine-cheese pairing is an Italian wine (chianti, dolcetto d'alba) and a good, imported parmesan. I also like Spanish wine and cheese (like rioja and manchego). And, though it's not fashionable, I really like California Chardonnay with soft goat cheese. For more ideas, check out The Cheese Mistress. Link: http://www.cheesemistress.com/ Fri Nov 18 19:47:17 -0800 2005 1677955 0 AnneInMpls