Cheese and wine pairings can be a mind boggling minefield. With so many varieties of each, it is an extremely subjective activity. Below are some suggestions of what to pair with our Award Winning Cheese Platter, though the options are endless depending on your own preferences.
Smooth Blue
We recommend wines with both oomph and sweetness to balance the bold but gentle flavour of the Smooth Blue. We like to pair ours with a rich, sweet Sauternes for dessert, but if you want something a little less sweet and a little more crisp, then we would recommend a nice Sancerre. If you’re feeling really wild, sparkling wines also go well with Smooth Blue because the acidity and bubbles lift the richness and saltiness of the cheese.
Aged Leicestershire Red
Our Aged Leicestershire red is slightly sweet with an almost caramel flavour and builds up a more robust taste as it ages. It can be eaten young, however we butter and cloth bind ours, then age it for 6 months to reach the optimum flavour. The cheese suits a full bodied white wine such as an oaked Chardonnay. If it’s red you’re after, then the perfect partner is medium bodied Rioja.
Mature Blue Stilton
Cheese lovers agree that Port and Stilton is a match made in heaven. Tawny Port is the recommended choice as Stilton requires a wine with a robust depth of flavour, however there are a number of perfect pairings. Sauternes is a highly regarded match, but If we’re feeling controversial we recommend Sloe gin which has a lighter, fresher slightly more bitter flavour but goes brilliantly with blue cheese. For a truly manly ploughman’s lunch, match your Stilton with an oak aged Stout which will be silky, full and creamy.
Carnival
One of our most popular cheeses, creamy white Stilton is blended with juicy mango and spicy crystalised ginger to make perfect dessert cheese. This is a mild, light cheese so it needs a wine that will not overpower it. We recommend a crisp and slightly sweet, smooth white wine such as Sauternes, or a bolder, more fruity Zinfandel.
Blue Shropshire
Stilton’s sunkissed cousin is a great addition to any cheeseboard and requires a pairing which stands up to its full bodied, rich distinctive flavour. A medium dry white is a safe option, but for something more adventurous we would recommend Elderberry wine which has the perfect port like profile for full bodied blues. The Gran of a Clawson HQ staff member even swears by a glass of Sherry with her Clawson Blue Shropshire!
You can buy your award winning cheese platter here!