Cómo maridar vinos y quesos: La combinación perfecta

Wine and cheese get along almost by nature, but truly nailing the match takes a bit of technique. These guidelines help you build boards that work without leaving anything to chance.

Match by intensity

The rule that fails least often is balance: a bold cheese calls for a full-bodied wine, and a delicate one gets lost if you pair it with something too robust. A fresh goat's cheese shines alongside a crisp, aromatic white; a cured sheep's cheese stands up perfectly to a structured red. The idea is that neither one drowns out the other.

Texture matters too

It's not just about flavour, but about the feel in the mouth. Creamy, fatty cheeses welcome wines with acidity or a touch of bubbles, because they cleanse the palate between bites. A cava or a lively white does that job better than a heavy red.

• Blue cheeses: they call for sweetness. A sweet or fortified wine contrasts with their salty, sharp edge.
• Cured and aged cheeses: they pair with aged reds whose tannins have already softened.
• Creamy and lactic cheeses: better with fresh whites or sparkling wines.

Play with contrast, not just affinity

Pairing by similarity is safe, but a well-judged contrast gives you the finest moments. The classic example is blue cheese with a sweet wine: the cheese's salt and the wine's sugar balance out and new flavours appear. It's worth taking a risk on one or two pairings on the board.

Favour common ground

Products from the same region tend to understand each other. A cheese and a wine that share a climate and a tradition usually fit together, because they've evolved alongside the same tastes. When in doubt, lean on geographic proximity rather than on fancy names.

Build the board thoughtfully

Arrange from least to most intense and open one or two wines that cover that range, rather than a bottle per cheese. Serve with neutral bread, a little fruit and some nuts, and bring the cheeses to room temperature. If you'd like to dig deeper into the varieties and regions behind each wine, it's worth taking a look at the denominations of origin before deciding what to buy.