Somewhere in the back of our collective unconscious many of us have a vision of a café table, a bottle of wine with two glasses, an unsliced loaf of crusty bread, and a plate of cheese. There’s something about this vision that just seems right. But when we begin to look deeper perhaps we begin to scratch our heads and wonder what color the wine should be and what type of cheese should be on our plate.

Well, I have a few suggestions and a few general rules which you may or may not choose to follow.

First of all, remember that different styles and textures of cheeses demand different types of wine. Generally speaking the whiter, fresher styled cheeses need a more crisp and fruity wine, while heavier, richer cheeses demand big-flavor wines. Heavy tannic Cabernet Sauvignons, however, can overwhelm all but the most powerful hard cheese and make you miss some of the subtle flavors. Most blue cheeses, though heavy, pair best with a sweet wine.

So here I offer a few styles of cheese and suggest some wines you might want to pair them with:

Fresh Cheeses (such as ricotta, chevre, feta, mozzarella, or cream cheese) need crisp white wines with nice fruit. I would recommend Rasteau White Cotes Du Rhone 2008, La Cappuccina Soave Classico 2008, or Les Fosses D’Harengs Vouvray 2007.

Soft-White Cheeses (such as Brie, Camembert, or Chaource) are well-paired with wines that have a nice balance of fruit and acidity like Young Meg Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008 from New Zealand, or if they are slightly sharp or salty try something a little sweeter like Goerg Piesporter Goldtropchen Riesling Kabinett 2008. With more mature or full-bodied brie try something like Rene Lequin-Colin Chardonnay 2009 from Burgundy or if you want to go red, Block 559 Los Carneros Pinot Noir 2009.

Semi-Soft Cheeses (such as Edam, Raclette, Sonoma Jack, or Fontina) are best served with full-bodied whites or lighter-style, fruity reds. For whites try Block 570 Alexander Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2009, or for reds Hart & McGarry Napa Valley Merlot 2008, or Arviza Crianza 2004 from Rioja, Spain.

Washed-Rind Cheeses (such as Muenster, Epoisses, or Stinking Bishop) generally pair better with beer, but on a visit to Alsace a few years back Laurence Faller (the brilliant winemaker at Domaine Weinbach) recommended trying Gewurztraminer from Alsace as a perfect pairing with Muenster, and I agree.

Hard Cheeses (such as Cheddar, Cheshire, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino, or Manchego) can pair with many types of wine. So let’s just say the stronger the cheese, the bigger the wine. For milder hard cheeses, try Rasteau Red Cotes Du Rhone 2008. For medium cheeses, try Michael Mondavi’s Anticipation 2007, which is a Napa Valley Red Blend made primarily from Merlot. For strong cheeses you can bring out the Rugged Hills Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. But if the cheese is especially strong you’re better going with sweet fortified wine.

Blue Cheeses (such as Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or Danish Blue) need a good sweet wine. For milder blues you can go with Ch. Moncontour Vouvray 2007 or Ch. de la Roulerie Rose D’Anjou 2009. Sometimes a spicy red like the Ch. Cabrieres Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007  (which got a 90 point rating from Wine Spectator) or Oliver Hill Jimmy Section McLaren Vale Shiraz 2006 (93 points from Wine Advocate) will work. But once you get to the stronger blues like Roquefort you should look to a Sauterne or one of its more reasonable neighbors like Barsac or Loupiac, or traditionally with Stilton, serve port.

What else can be served with your wine and cheese? Good crusty bread is a must. Nuts also make a great addition, especially almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts. If you want to serve fruit, stay away from citrus or tropical fruits, but apples, pears, and figs work well, as do most dried fruits. Finally, keep some wild honey nearby – drizzling a little on certain cheeses can really heighten the flavor.

-Bill Stobbs, Wine Supervisor, West Florida