Roquefort 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 Roquefort Cheese · Roasted Pear With Roquefort Cheese · Roquefort Cheesecake With Pears In Balsamic Vinaigrette

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 Roasted Pear With Roquefort Cheese · Roquefort Cheesecake With Pears In Balsamic Vinaigrette

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 Roasted Pear With Roquefort Cheese · Roquefort Cheesecake With Pears In Balsamic Vinaigrette

Red · Full · Dry

The classical red blend — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and friends — from southwest France. Black currant, cedar, tobacco; serious structure; rewards patience and decanting.

American Bordeaux-style blend — must use the traditional Bordeaux grape varieties. The flag for serious New World red blending; varies wildly in style.

White · Light · Dry

Italy's everyday white — light, lemony, neutral by design. Pleasant with anything; profound with very little. The best Friuli bottles are quietly excellent.

Fortified · Full · Sweet

Fortified red from Portugal's Douro Valley — sweet, warming, and surprisingly versatile. Ruby and LBV are for everyday; Vintage and Tawny are for serious occasions. Pair with blue cheese, walnuts, or just a fire.

Red · Medium · Dry

A catchall for red wine generally — covers everything from a $12 weeknight pour to first-growth Bordeaux. Match the bottle's weight to the food's weight and you'll rarely go wrong.

Dessert · Full · Sweet

Bordeaux's legendary sweet white — Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc hit by noble rot, then patiently fermented. Honey, apricot, candied citrus, and a finish that lasts a small eternity. Pair with foie gras, blue cheese, or a fruit tart.

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.

Hungary's historic dessert wine — noble-rot Furmint, apricot, marmalade, ginger. The Aszú designation marks the noble-rot bottlings.