Pairing wine and cheese is a delicate situation. You don’t want one overpowering the other – or worse, both bringing out the worst in each other. Ideally, the best wine and cheese matches are those that complement each other, that swim together on the palate in harmony, swooning like a match made in heaven.

Talking about swooning together, we’ve decided to match up with Woolworths and the Wine Selectors to bring you some devilishly good classic wine and cheese pairings you must try. From gooey camembert to classic cheddar, and from delectable rosé to punchy pinot noir, read on through for our guide to the seven best wine and cheese pairings you must try at your next dinner party!

Pinot Noir Cheese Pairing

If you’re looking for a pinot noir cheese pairing and truffle-infused foods, the earthy complexity of the dish requires a wine that is just as complex. But it mustn’t be too aromatic, lest it’ll overtake the unsubtle flavours. This Castello Double Cream Truffle Brie works best with a lighter bodied wine like the Rob Dolan Signature Series Pinot Noir 2017. With flavours of cherry, strawberry, rhubarb, tea leaf and charred oak, it will swim between the earthy tones of the truffle, lifting the cheese flavours to a perfect harmony. One of the best combinations you’ll try!

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Riesling Cheese Pairing

Other than delectable stroopwafels, the next best thing to come out of The Netherlands is Gouda cheese. Named after the town of Gouda, the Frico Gouda Wedge is youthful and semi-soft, with a flavour profile that can easily go well with many styles of wine, particularly Chardonnay. However, if you’re looking for a classic wine and cheese pairing, the Di Giorgio Family Riesling 2019 goes best with Gouda. It is richly flavoured, but wonderfully dry featuring finger lime perfume and dashes of quinine, which will intertwine beautifully with that gooey Gouda cheese.

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Chardonnay Cheese Pairing

Soft and creamy, camembert cheese is a must-have staple on any cheeseboard. And one cannot look past this Tasmanian Heritage Camembert Cheese, made with 100 per cent Tasmanian milk. Ideally, the best wines to pair camembert with are those with prominent acidity – with plenty of fruity undertones. Just like the Mountadam Vineyards Chardonnay 2019 grown in one of Australia’s oldest cool climate vineyards. With a pale golden hue, this wine packs plenty of punches which are sure to complement the creamy light texture of camembert.

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Sauvignon Blanc Cheese Pairing

It’s the cheese you either love or hate, with no room for in-betweeners. But we love this President Le Blue Extra Creamy Cheese. As expected, such a pungent cheese is quite difficult to match with a good wine. One thing to avoid is tannin-rich wines. The bitterness will clash terribly with the mouldy texture of blue cheese. A delectable choice to pair blue cheese with is the Franca’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2020 from South Australia, dripping in pale straw colour with a revitalising palate. The tropical, citrusy notes will balance beautifully with such a creamy blue cheese.

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Rosé Cheese Pairing

Just like camembert cheese, brie requires an acidic dry wine to break through the creaminess. But the Thomas Dux Ash Brie is coated with ash to bring a smoky touch to such a light cheese. So, a dry wine with savoury aromas is required. Hence why we’ve chosen the Amadio Evanescence Nebbiolo Rosé 2020. The Italian grape Nebbiolo makes a textured and slightly complex wine, with plenty of red berries and a touch of white pepper to boot. It is sure to lift out the creaminess of the Rosé without disrupting the harmonious dance on your palate.

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Viognier Cheese Pairing

The Mersey Valley Classic Cheddar Cheese is punchy and crumbly, delivering a confident bite. Which means we require a wine that will bite back just as hard, offering a delicate conflict inside your mouth. And the wine that will surely do the trick is the Artwine Madame V Viognier 2019. Its medium body is enough to punch back, with a soft acidity that won’t overpower the sharp aftertaste of the cheddar cheese. Expect a complex profile of peach, apricot, ginger and beeswax, with sweet honeysuckle as a truce.

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Merlot Cheese Pairing

Havarti, like the Castello Creamy Havarti, is a washed-curd cheese, smooth in texture, with a soft flavour palate. And, with that being said, a wine that is just as soft and mysterious will do the trick. Preferably soft reds like the Schild Estate Merlot 2018. Its deep red-black colour deceives, bringing a velvety feel on the palate that is bested with blackberry, mulberry, violet and deluxe oak spice, with a gentle and polished finish. It’s bold enough to win, but is delicate enough to allow the mild, aromatic flavours of the creamy Havarti cheese rise to climax.

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Feature image: Photographed by Yulia Grigoryeva. Image via Shutterstock.