Goat cheese, flavouring profile

Goat cheese, flavouring profile

Goat cheese is sharp before it is rich, so the wine must match its tang, and what the cheese is served with decides whether that wine is white, rosé or a light red.

The compounds that matter. Caproic, caprylic and capric acids, named after the goat, give the cheese its tangy, faintly animal smell, and fresh goat cheese adds a bright lactic sharpness. A wine with less acid than the cheese tastes flat and flabby beside it. The protein and chalky texture turn firm tannin metallic, especially in young, fresh cheese.

What it demands of a wine. High acid first, at least equal to the cheese. A green, herbal or citrus character that echoes the tang. Little or no tannin, and no heavy oak. Where the cheese comes with honey, figs or caramelised onion, enough ripe fruit or a touch of sweetness to meet them.

Seek

With fresh goat cheese in salads, with herbs or green vegetables, Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre matches the tang with sharp acid and green, flinty notes, the pairing the Loire makes with its own goat cheeses. Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, does the same with riper fruit and is easy to find. With goat cheese baked with honey, figs or caramelised onion, reach for Alsace Pinot Gris, which is off dry: its ripe stone fruit and honey meet the sweetness. For a bone dry glass, or with beetroot, a pale Sancerre rosé brings red fruit and chalky acid. With roast vegetables or lamb, where a red is wanted, a lighter Cru Beaujolais such as Fleurie, served cool, has the acid and the low tannin to stay friendly with the cheese.

Avoid

Young Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and other reds with firm tannin, which turn metallic and bitter against the cheese. Oaked, buttery Chardonnay, which is too soft and heavy for the tang. Low acid whites such as Viognier, which the cheese makes taste flat.

Three to reach for. For salads and fresh goat cheese, Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre, Loire, France. For goat cheese with honey or figs, Pinot Gris, off dry, Alsace, France. For roast vegetables and lamb, Cru Beaujolais, Fleurie, France.