Cheese & Wine Wheel

Every cheese has its bottle.

Seven cheese families, the wines that work, and the reasoning behind each call. Pick a slice of the wheel to start.

Fresh Soft Washed-Rind Goat Semi-Hard Aged Hard Blue Soft Bloomy-rind, buttery

The wines

Wines for soft cheese

Building a board

How to plan a cheese-and-wine board

Three to five cheeses

One soft, one semi-hard, one blue is a classic trio. Add a goat or a washed-rind for range. Avoid duplicate textures.

One bottle per zone

Don't try to find one wine for every cheese — pair two or three bottles to a board. A Champagne and a Port covers most of the wheel.

When in doubt, fortified

Sherry, Port, and Madeira span more of the wheel than any single still wine. They're the cheese course's secret weapon.