Sauvignon blanc is a very approachable white wine when it comes to food pairing. Although this wine is enjoyable on its own, pairing it with complementary food brings it to the next level. Sauvignon blanc is a crisp, refreshing wine with high acidity, showing up mainly in notes of lime, leafy herbs, grapefruit, passionfruit, and white peach.
Pairing food/cheese and wine is a fine art, but once mastered, it will bring your wine and cheese experience to new heights.
Due to its refreshing acidity, sauvignon blanc pairs with almost anything. When in doubt, go green with herb-driven sauces and sides. Parsley, cilantro, basil, and rosemary are great herbs to keep in mind when preparing a dish or sauce to pair with a sauvignon blanc. Proteins such as chicken, white fish, smoked meats, and tofu pair wonderfully to help bring out the light fruity notes in the wine.
When seeking out cheese pairings, think light and creamy. We suggest reaching for plain goat cheese, Asiago, Gouda, Gruyere, or feta.
Goat cheese pairs specifically well with sauvignon blanc that is heavily oaked. The rich but tart flavour of the cheese with its creamy texture helps to bring out the rich and bold flavours of the wine. As mentioned above, when pairing it with green leafy herbs, we’d suggest goat cheese in a kale or romaine salad with a light olive oil-based dressing to create balance.
Asiago is relatively different from the other 3 cheeses we recommend pairing with a sauvignon blanc as it is quite pungent. Despite the strong smell, it is often recommended as one of the top cheese choices for white wine pairings. Generally, the lighter and dryer the wine, the better it will contrast with the strong odours of Asiago cheese. If you love both a strong taste and smell in your appetizers, you are sure to enjoy this combination.
Gouda is an obvious choice for pairing with sauvignon blanc, but an aged Gouda is what takes it to the next level. The nutty flavour of aged Gouda balances out the “grassy” and acidic fruit flavours in the wine. Complementing each other, they create a natural balance and would be enjoyable on their own or with a charcuterie spread.
Gruyere is another cheese whose nutty flavour complements the aroma and complexity of a sauvignon blanc. This pairing would typically run the risk of overpowering each other, however, the rich and bold, but creamy, flavours of the Gruyere help balance out the pungent aroma and acidic flavour of the wine.
As a wine and cheese lover, it could be easy to rationalize that any cheese with any wine would do, however, that is not the case. Both have very complex taste and smell profiles which often differ. Compared to other foods, like apple pie for instance, when you smell apple pie, you have a pretty good idea of what it will taste like. For wine and cheese, what you get on the nose is most often pretty different from what you get on the palate. This is why taking all of these components into consideration is key in pairing wine and cheese. We hope this has given you a good starting point for pairing your favourite sauvignon blanc at your next dinner party. Happy pairing!
Cheers,
The SommEvents Team
1. TodayTopReviews, 2021