White wines of provence

Cheese is the star of French cuisine. And its ideal companion during a meal is, of course, wine. But it can sometimes be difficult to pair the right wine with the right cheese, as there is such a wide variety of both products.

That is why we are going to explore the different pairings between these two flagship products.

Fresh cheeses:

Made from goat’s, cow’s or sheep’s milk, they are mild and rindless, such as mozzarella, burrata, ricotta and fresh goat’s cheese.

These cheeses pair perfectly with dry, young white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, young Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.

Sweet wines such as Riesling and Gewürztraminer also pair well with these cheeses.

More traditionally, fresh cheeses can also be enjoyed with fairly young red wines.

‘Fleuraison’ cheeses:

These cheeses are creamier. Their white rind gives them the name ‘fleuraison’ cheeses. They are rich cheeses with a soft texture and a stronger flavour on the outside than on the inside.

Cheeses such as Brie, Camembert and Robiola are best enjoyed with dry, sparkling wines such as Champagne.

They can also be enjoyed with white wines, particularly Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Riesling and Chenin.

If you choose to pair these cheeses with red wines, opt for light, young and fruity wines.

Wash-rind cheeses:

These cheeses are easily recognisable by their orange-coloured rind. Their colour comes from being immersed in a brine, beer or wine bath and then rubbed to prevent a hard rind from forming. They are rich and creamy, sometimes soft or semi-soft. Époisse and Reblochon are examples of this category of cheeses with a strong character.

They pair perfectly with sparkling wines and white wines, particularly Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris d’Alsace, Roussane or Riesling.

For the more matured and tangier cheeses in this category, they are best paired with fruity red wines made from Pinot Noir, Poulsard or Trousseau du Jura grapes.

Semi-soft cheeses:

These milder, creamier cheeses, such as Gruyère and Gouda, can be both sliced and melted.

This type of cheese is ideal with dry white wines such as Condrieu and full-bodied red wines.

Hard cheeses:

These are mature cheeses, which are quite firm and crumbly. Some, such as Parmesan, can be quite tangy and salty.

They pair well with white wines, vintage sparkling wines, Champagne and Franciacorta.

To pair them with red wine, choose bold wines with some age and a strong presence on the palate, such as a wine from the Bordeaux or Provence regions.

Blue cheeses:

This category of characterful cheeses features a variety of textures. They can be mild and creamy or semi-mild and crumbly, such as Gorgonzola or Roquefort.

To accompany the sharp, salty cheeses in this category, it is best to choose sweet, fine white wines such as Sauternes or Monbazillac, or even sweeter dessert wines to pair with cheeses that are not too pungent.

When pairing these cheeses with red wines, it is best to choose sweet, fortified wines such as Vintage Port, LBV Port, Maury or Banyuls.

It is important to understand the distinction between different types of sweet wine, particularly ‘moelleux’ and ‘liquoreux’.

The difference lies in the sugar content of these wines.

A ‘moelleux’ wine has a sugar content of between 10 and 45 grams per litre. Above this level, it is referred to as a ‘liquoreux’ wine.

Sweet wines are generally made from late harvests, which are rich in sugar, and undergo a very specific winemaking process. During this process, not all the yeast converts all the sugar in the grapes into alcohol.

In France, the regions most renowned for producing sweet wines are Alsace, with Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Riesling.

For example, the 1991 Riesling Quintessence de Grains Nobles is produced by the Weinbach estate using late-harvested Muscat grapes. This method yields riper grapes and therefore a higher sugar content.

In south-western France lies the star of sweet wines: Sauternes from Château d’Yquem.

The Loire Valley, with its Vouvray.

A sweet wine is balanced by its acidity and freshness. It pairs well with cheeses and desserts, as well as foie gras and Asian dishes.

There are various types of white wine. These are made from white grapes, but also from black grapes that produce white juice. There are a large number of white wine grape varieties, such as: Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Viognier, Rolle, Gewürztraminer…

o As soon as they arrive at the winery (where the wine is made), the bunches are crushed and pressed. This is done to separate the grapes from the stalks (the ‘skeleton’) and to extract only the juice.

All this takes place at a low temperature, which must remain below 12°C to prevent alcoholic fermentation from starting too early.

o After pressing, the juice obtained (the must) is transferred to a vat.

At this stage, it still contains solid particles in suspension, known as ‘lees’. Racking involves removing these. There are two techniques:

• Centrifugation: the juice is placed in a centrifuge which separates the must from the lees quickly and efficiently.
• Stabilisation: the temperature of the juice is lowered to almost 0°C to protect it. The lees are then allowed to settle slowly by gravity to the bottom of the vat. Finally, the juice is racked off to separate it from the lees.

Alcoholic fermentation, during which sugars are converted into alcohol by the action of yeasts, can then begin. This fermentation lasts 10 days on average.

Yeast cultivation takes place in two ways: malolactic fermentation, which is generally carried out in barrels, or ageing.

After this, the wine is racked into another vat where it is left to stabilise and settle for a few weeks.

Before bottling, the producer may blend several vintages or further treat the wine to make it clearer using protein fining agents and filtration, before completing the process with the final stage of bottling.