The Wine & Cheese Corner - Dry Riesling Pairings

SACRAMENTO, CA Experts have recommended pairing dry Riesling with salty or creamy cheeses. The acidity of this wine accentuates a cheese's saltiness and also cuts through its fattiness. Blue cheeses are also recommended. Wine: Dry Riesling, Red Tail Ridge, Finger Lakes, NY, 2012. Cheeses: Arla's Castello Soft Blue Somerdale's Red Dragon (aka Y Fenni) Laura Chenel's Chèvre's Honey Chèvre

Arla's Castello Soft Blue, a triple-cream blue cow's cheese from Denmark: This creamy blue paired very well with my Riesling. Typically, I love the taste of blue cheeses and enjoy them in small quantities, but Castello Soft Blue kept me coming back for more. Its buttery taste makes it a more mild and creamy blue, while the wine helped to bring out its blue flavor. Somerdale's Red Dragon (aka Y Fenni), a traditional English cheddar from the UK, made using cow's milk, light brown ale and whole mustard seeds: If you enjoy the taste of Dijon mustard, you will love Red Dragon. This moist, spreadable cheese has a mild spiciness and tastes very strongly of Dijon mustard. I happen to really like the taste of mustard seed, so for me this was quite a treat. It paired well with the Riesling, which complemented the tangy flavor. While not always the appropriate cheese, I could easily see this cheddar finding its way onto my plate on a regular basis. Laura Chenel's Chèvre's Honey Chèvre, a goat cheese from Sonoma, California that is made with honey: I chose this cheese because I wanted to try a goat cheese with the Riesling. I understood that it had 'Honey' in the name, but its taste was still very unexpected. Almost like a dessert, the creamy Honey Chèvre was much sweeter than I had anticipated. The sweetness made for an awkward pairing with the Riesling, but I had no complaints once I switched to enjoying the Honey Chèvre with some actual wildflower honey on a bland cracker. The result tasted like a dessert pastry and was very delicious. Though not an ideal pairing, it was certainly worthy of my palate. Be sure to check out The Wine & Cheese Corner next week, for new wine & cheese pairings and reviews. Arla's Castello Soft Blue Somerdale's Red Dragon Laura Chenel's Chèvre