Perfect Pair: Best Wine and Cheese Pairings for Picnics

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Wine and Cheese Pairings for Picnics perfect pair
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We may not be able to head to our favorite wineries right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our favorite wine and sunshine.

In fact, you can refine your tasting palette for wine from the comforts of your backyard! With a nice little backyard picnic, you can delve into the wines you find tastiest and figure out which varieties you can’t stand.

But of course, no picnic would be complete without cheese, so we’re helping you out on both ends of the spectrum. With this guide to the best wine and cheese pairings for picnics, you can take your backyard, socially distanced picnic to the next level.

Check it out!

Brie and Champagne

As your go-to summer cheese, brie is perfect for any picnic. Make it even better with Champagne! The creaminess of the cheese will pair beautifully with the bubbles. Your taste buds will dance with joy if you add some berries and jams into the mix. Pop a strawberry with some brie into your mouth and then take a sip of Champagne. You’ll never want to eat brie without Champagne again.

Gouda and Zinfandel

Learn more about the love people have for tannins when you sip on some Zinfandel. It’s not the super dry-mouth wine of other reds, as it’s lighter-bodied. You’ll still get the high ABV, but the easy mouth-feel makes it better to pair with picnic foods. Since tannins are compounds most-often found in red wines, you’ll want a cheese that can stand up to the test and not completely dry out your mouth. That’s where Gouda comes in! It’s flavorful and aromatic without being too much for your taste buds—the perfect complement to tannins and Zinfandel.

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Havarti and Rosé

Warm weather and Rosé are basically a matched set, which means your picnic basket needs to have a bottle. No matter if you choose a fruit-forward Rosé like a Sangiovese Rosé or the savory Tempranillo Rosé, you’ll love the simple pair of sunshine and your chosen wine. Make it better by pairing it with some Havarti. The mellow flavor of the cheese will fit well with all the different Rosé varieties, so if you’re not confident in your pairing abilities, this is a safe bet.

Goat Cheese and Sauvignon Blanc

If you’re looking for a spring cheese, then goat cheese it is. The best part is, there are so many different goat cheese varieties, so you can purchase the kind that sparks your fancy the best. In the most basic sense of goat cheese, Sauvignon Blanc hits the mark for pairing. This is another sweet partnership that’s further improved with some berries.

Gruyère and Pinot Noir

Another one of our favorites wine and cheese pairings for picnics comes from Gruyère. The nutty, medium-firm cheese has the perfect aroma and complexity to pair nicely, no matter what other foods you bring to the picnic. When you pair the lovely cheese with a light Pinot Noir, you’re complementing complexity without overwhelming it. If you’re not the biggest fan of Pinot Noir, then you could also get a similar partnership with a Beaujolais.

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Make the most of the sunshine and see what tasty pairings you create in your backyard. Nobody said picnics have to be far from home! And the best part is, you can easily walk into the kitchen and pop open a different bottle. Happy picnicking!