The Best Wine & Cheese Pairings For Happy Hour
There are few things more classic, awesome, and primed for Great Times than cheese and wine. Whether you’re entertaining your Flock or enjoying your own personal happy hour - some of our best moments have been made over wine and cheese.
We’re breaking down our go-to pairings for each Sea Bird Wine varietal so you know exactly what to grab when you’re snacking and sipping.
When pairing wine with cheese, or really, any food, the things that will taste the best will be things that have a little bit of similarity. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “what grows together goes together,” this applies perfectly! If you’re drinking regionally, it helps to choose cheeses that are grown geographically close, if you can. If you can’t get that in-depth, try to identify nuance in the food that may come from spices, herbs or minor ingredients. This can be things like olive, fruits, bacon, etc…then select a wine that contains similar features like herbal notes, for example.
Chardonnay
Sea Bird Chardonnay (like our 2017 Courtney's Vineyard!) tend to be medium bodied, which pair perfectly in the “medium range” of cheese. Work your way down the list depending on the vintage. Newer vintages should pair with the top of the list, and if you’re drinking the Chardonnay young, could even venture into a salty, more crumbly cheese (feta, Cotija, Halloumi) and as it develops (2015 Robert's Road, anyone?), move further down the list into more buttery and then into harder, nuttier styles with age.
Avoid anything particularly pungent with Chardonnay - which means, sorry guys but blue cheeses is off the menu.
If you're looking for a more sour style of cheese, pair with:
- Sour cream
- Ricotta
- Havarti
- Chèvre
Charodonnay also love buttery, delicate cheeses like:
- Brie
- Camembert
- Burrata
- Device de bourgogne
If you’re looking for something more on the harder, nutty style to go with your older vintage Chard, go for:
- Aged gruyere
- Comte
- Provolone
- Emmental
Pinot Noir
Hard, nutty styles of cheese are the perfect pairing with a Sea Bird Pinot Noir (looking at you, 2013 Sonoma Stage Vineyard). Our Pinot Noir style is light bodied, more of a Burgundian style that captures the essence of California terroir. As a result, choosing a cheese too creamy, salty or pungent would take over your palate.
Head for the harder, nutty style cheese including:
- Aged gruyere,
- Comte
- Provolone
- Emmental
- Smoked Mozzarella
- Scamaroza
Merlot
You at me at Merlot! Aphrodite is the newest addition to our Flock - a plush, decadent Napa Valley expression with a kiss of oak makes for the happiest of hours. When sipping, opt for nutty, hard cheese or cheeses that have more of a fruity or umami quality which could be anything from:
- Aged gruyere
- Comte
- Provolone
- Emmental
- Smoked Mozzarella
- Scamaroza
- Cheddar
- Smoked Gouda
- Muenster
- Colby
- Ossau-Iraty
Cabernet Sauvignon
Our Cabernet Sauvignon styles of wine (most notably, Poseidon or Broken Rock from Napa Valley) are full bodied, and express the boldness of California terroir with the balance that holds age incredibly well. The bigger and bolder the wine, the more it can lead the show.
When sipping a Cab, avoid anything too sour or creamy - leave the ricotta and chèvre on the table. Cheese that play with fruity, nutty or umami flavors are your go-to, including:
- Cheddar
- Smoked Gouda
- Muenster
- Colby
- Ossau-Iraty
This is officially your permission to have wine and cheese for dinner. Have a particularly favorite pairing we need to know about? Tell us over on our Instagram page and tag us while you're enjoying Great Vines to Great Times with a bottle of Sea Bird.
Create The Perfect Fall Cheese Board
As summer fades and sweater weather arrives, we're bringing our fun indoors for some cozier Fall fun. As we roll into "entertaining season" it's always a good idea to keep a few essentials on hand to whip up a snack board when #wineoclock rolls around.
Here are a few tips that we live by for creating a simple but delicious cheese board to welcome guests with a glass of wine to stay awhile for a great time.
Popcorn For Grownups
Fresh warm popcorn is a perfect addition to a Fall cheese board as a base layer with a ton of ways to dress it up. Add toppings like truffle salt, a drizzle of fresh herbs and butter, or spice it up with paprika and garlic salt for a little kick.
Say Cheese
We love mild and creamier cheeses like a sheep's milk cheese that is a great middle ground for everyone to enjoy. It can be tempting to leave the whole hunk with a knife to cut, but cutting up some slices for your guests to grab easily is the way to go.
Add Charcuterie
A variety pack of charcuterie offers a perfect range of paring. Salami with peppercorns pairs with a little spice to a glass of Sangicomo Vineyard Pinot Noir. A slice of creamy prosciutto will balance out the lively acidity from a glass of Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Get a little flair for presentation by rolling slices and arranging them on your board for extra visual appeal (and easy snacking!).
Toast The Bread
It's an extra step that really elevates your board...and so worth it. Grab a fresh baguette or sourdough loaf from the store, smear it with butter and toast the slices for the perfect delivery of a cheese and meat combo.
Garnish with Greens
We eat with our eyes, and a little greenery is always a welcome sight on a platter. We love using microgreens easily found at your local grocery store to fill in any gaps on your platter.
Here are our top wine pairing suggestions to go along with your perfect Fall cheese board. Don't forget to stock up, because every bottle you enjoy, we donate our proceeds to support marine life habitat conservations to non-profits like 4ocean and International Bird Rescue. Sounds like a reason for another glass to us!
Enjoying some cheese with your wine? Tag us in your photos on Instagram #seabirdwines and enjoy Great Vines To Great Times with us all Fall long.