What Wine or Beer Pairs Well with Cheshire Cheese?

Cheese and wine are a classic combination; pairing cheese with the right wine can be half the fun. We all have our favourite white wine to drink with blue cheese or chilled sparkling wine for soft cheeses.

Beer and cheese are happy companions in the rustic English tradition, but sometimes, the cheese connoisseur may baulk at pairing beer with fine cheese.

However, a salty cheese like Cheshire does call for some liquid accompaniment and by following a few guidelines, you can find the perfect match - whether wine or beer - for your Cheshire cheese pairing.

What does Cheshire Cheese taste like?

Cheshire cheese is one of the oldest English cheeses. It is a classic British crumbly cheese like Wensleydale, Lancashire, and Welsh Caerphilly.

Cheshire is eaten young and fresh and has a different flavour profile from strong and pungent cheeses like Cheddar or blue cheese. It is one of the tangy cheeses with a complex flavour profile, combining mild acidity with luscious creaminess.

Cheshire cheese, from its traditional terroir in the North West of England, has its own salty kick. The lush meadows of Mid Cheshire lie above extensive mineral salt deposits that have been mined for millennia, and their taste has leached into the grass grazed by Cheshire dairy herds.

Cheshire is a suitable alternative to feta cheese in recipes and salads as it shares the complex cream and salt flavours and crumbly texture with this Greek variety.

Pairing Cheshire Cheese with wine

Like peaches and cream, cheese and wine are bound together by tradition because they taste so good. This happy marriage is due to the fat in the cheese and the acid in the wine, which complement each other perfectly.

As a general rule, aged cheeses and hard cheeses like Cheddar are paired with robust wines. Full-bodied reds like Pinot Noir are favourites. However, a red wine that would complement sharp cheddar and other aged cheeses would overwhelm mild cheeses like Cheshire.

The complex flavour of Cheshire, with its salty and creamy sweet notes, pairs best with sweet wines or a sparkling wine like a white burgundy.

Pairing beer and Cheshire Cheese

So, does beer pair well with cheese? Cheese and wine are a classic combination, but pairing beer and cheese may be challenging.

When English cheeses like Cheshire originated, they would probably have been drunk with a light beer. This was a matter of necessity rather than taste, as weak ale or beer was typically drunk as a healthier alternative to the dirty water that was around at the time.

Nowadays, beer is a more sophisticated drink, and the craft beer movement has given us a much wider range of flavours.

When pairing beer and cheese of the crumbly variety like Cheshire, it is essential to avoid overwhelming the cheese's subtle flavours. An English dark bitter or a brown ale would be too much.

A light beer, such as an aromatic wheat beer or a hoppy lager, would allow the flavour of the Cheshire cheese to sing.

A favourite pairing would be an India pale ale, whose bitter and fruity notes are ideal companions for tangy Cheshire Cheese.

Discover your own favourite cheese pairing

Never let tradition get in the way of your enjoyment of one of life's greatest gifts - a fine cheese. The essential thing is that you love both the cheese and whichever kind of beverage you choose to drink with it.

You can browse our website here for more ideas about cheese pairing and to discover the many cheeses that we offer.