Just because people have been doing it for centuries doesn’t make it right. Read on to find out why you shouldn’t drink red wine with Brie.
SEE ALSO: What’s the difference between Brie & Camembert? →
Red wine & soft cheese
Let me explain to you why you shouldn’t drink red wine with Brie. I love cheese (no surprise there). And I love red wine. But some things are just not meant to go together. And my buddy Michel Roux Jr. (you may have heard of him) agrees with me here.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that you should never have red wine with cheese. There are actually some red wines that will pair spectacularly with cheese. E.g. a dry red with a pressed matured cheese or a fortified wine with blue cheese. But it simply does not work with Brie. Or any other soft white mould cheese for that matter.
The science of pairing
The idea behind pairing is to put together two things that augment each other. In the case of red wine and soft cheese, the relationship is actually detrimental to both.
That doesn’t sound like a good idea right?
Let’s talk about tannins
Tannins are naturally occurring chemicals that exist inside grape skins, seed and stems. Moreover, they are also found in the oak barrels that are often used to age wines. Whilst they make a significant contribution to the character of the wine, they do tend to dry out your mouth and can be quite bitter at high concentrations.
Said tannins are supercharged by salt. And guess what has a lot of salt? Cheese!
The supercharged tannins will then overpower the more subtle flavours in both the cheese and the wine. Gone are the subtle nutty, fruity and grassy notes in the Brie. And also gone are the characters of acidity, fruit and oak in the wine. So, this is far from being a synergistic relationship.
So, what should you drink with Brie?
Now you know why you shouldn’t have red wine with Brie. That doesn’t mean that you can’t have any wine with it though. Try a fresh white wine like a Pinot Gris, Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc. There will be less conflict on your palate.
If you are hell-bent on drinking red wine with cheese, try it with a more robust cheese such as an aged Cheddar or a washed rind like Epoisses de Bourgogne.
I’m afraid I must disagree. Something magical and delicious happens in the mouth when one eats brie on a plain cracker and then takes a sip of red wine, especially a light fruity red wine. It is one of my favorite flavors.
That’s very interesting to hear. While the science might argue that the two clash, as humans, we are all different. So, you do you!