Jack Cheese

White · Medium · Dry

The most-planted white grape and the most chameleon-like. Crisp and steely from Chablis; rich, oaky, and tropical from California. Read the label, then match the style to the dish.

Works with Dry Jack Cheese · Colby Jack Cheese · Pepper Jack Cheese +6 more Dry Jack Cheese · Colby Jack Cheese · Pepper Jack Cheese · Peeper Jack Cheese · Monterey Jack Cheese · Smoked Pepper Jack Cheese · Roasted Chili And Jack Cheese · Horseradish Monterey Jack Cheese · Chicken Breast Stuffed With Bacon And Pepper Jack Cheese

Red · Light · Dry

Burgundy's most temperamental grape, but the rewards are real — translucent ruby with a perfumed lift of red cherry, forest floor, and clove. Silken tannins and bright acid make it the most versatile red on the table; serve cool, around 58°F.

Works with Dry Jack Cheese · Colby Jack Cheese · Pepper Jack Cheese +6 more Dry Jack Cheese · Colby Jack Cheese · Pepper Jack Cheese · Peeper Jack Cheese · Monterey Jack Cheese · Smoked Pepper Jack Cheese · Roasted Chili And Jack Cheese · Horseradish Monterey Jack Cheese · Chicken Breast Stuffed With Bacon And Pepper Jack Cheese

Red · Full · Dry

The benchmark for full-bodied red — structured, age-worthy, unapologetic. Black currant, graphite, and tobacco lead into firm tannins that demand protein on the plate. Decant young bottles; cellar the serious ones.

Works with Dry Jack Cheese · Colby Jack Cheese · Peeper Jack Cheese +5 more Dry Jack Cheese · Colby Jack Cheese · Peeper Jack Cheese · Monterey Jack Cheese · Smoked Pepper Jack Cheese · Roasted Chili And Jack Cheese · Horseradish Monterey Jack Cheese · Chicken Breast Stuffed With Bacon And Pepper Jack Cheese

White · Light · Off-dry

Aromatic, racy, and shapeshifting — bone-dry in Alsace, off-dry on the Mosel, syrupy and ageless when late-harvested. The single most versatile wine for spicy food on earth.

Works with Jack Cheese · Monterey Jack Cheese · Roasted Chili And Jack Cheese

Red · Medium · Dry

Cabernet's softer sibling — plum, black cherry, and a whisper of chocolate, framed by rounder tannins and earlier drinkability. The wine that built Pomerol and the one to reach for when Cabernet feels like overkill.

Works with Pepper Jack Cheese · Monterey Jack Cheese

White · Light · Dry

Citrus, cut grass, and a wire of acid. Marlborough makes it loudest; Sancerre makes it most refined. Either way, it cuts cleanly through goat cheese, herbs, and anything with shellfish.

Works with Monterey Jack Cheese · Chicken Breast Stuffed With Bacon And Pepper Jack Cheese

Red · Medium · Dry

California Merlot, when made well — plummy, supple, with a touch of cocoa and earlier drinkability than its Bordeaux cousins. The unfairly maligned dinner-party red.

White · Light · Off-dry

Washington and Finger Lakes Rieslings split the difference between Mosel delicacy and Alsatian heft — bright stone fruit, modest sweetness, lively acid. A natural with Thai, Indian, and anything off the spice rack.

White · Light · Dry

California's take — riper than Sancerre, calmer than Marlborough, with grapefruit, melon, and a clean mineral finish. The everyday white that pairs with almost anything green or briny.

White · Medium · Dry

Australia's flagship white — formerly butter bombs, now often elegant — citrus, white peach, controlled oak from Margaret River and Yarra. The new-style standard.

Red · Medium · Dry

Australia's signature red — dense, spice-driven, peppery, often pushing 15% alcohol. Barossa makes it brawniest; McLaren Vale, smokier; Hunter, leaner. Built for the grill.

Red · Light · Dry

Gamay-based reds from southern Burgundy — light, fruity, food-friendly. The serious Cru bottlings (Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent) drink like Pinot Noir at half the price.