vinessence.ca: Food and Wine Pairings

Food / Wine Pairing

We often seek the advice of those people who best know their wines (Swiss wine producers) to suggest the best food pairings; two excellent sources (amongst many on the web) that we turn to are Swiss Wines and OPAGE (see below):

Food and wine matches

Just as there are unlimited ways of cooking, there is no limit to the possibilities when matching wines with food.

This little guide – jointly produced by Geneva’s hospitality association, the Société des Cafetiers, Restaurateurs & Hoteliers de Genève, and OPAGE member winegrowers – gives you just some interesting possible food and wine matches as well as an overview of the rich variety of wines made in Geneva.

Bon appétit – and Santé!


APERITIF
Aperitif	Chasselas, Aligoté, Pinot Blanc
FIRST COURSE
Seafood	Sauvignon, Viognier
Fish tartare	Sauvignon, Chardonnay*
Fish terrine and smoked fish	Aligoté, Chasselas, Chardonnay
Foie Gras	Chardonnay*, Vins doux
Meat terrine	Chardonnay, Gamay
Meat tartare	Gamaret*, Syrah
Charcuterie	Gamay, Chasselas
Mushrooms	Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gamay, Pinot Noir
PASTA
with meat	Pinot Noir, Merlot, Gamaret
with fish	Rosés
tomato, basil	Gamay, Pinot Noir, Garanoir
CHEESE DISHES
Fondue, Raclette	Chasselas, Aligoté
EXOTIC DISHES
Spicy food	Rosés, Gewürztraminer, Müller-Thurgau
FISH
Sweet water	Chasselas, Aligoté, Pinot Gris, Rosés
Salt water	Chardonnay*, Sauvignon, Rosés, Gamay
MEAT
Poultry, rabbit, veal	Gamay, Pinot Noir
Beef	Pinot Noir, Gamaret, Assemblages Rouges
Lamb	Gamaret, Syrah, Merlot, Assemblages Rouges
Pork	Gamay, Pinot Noir, Garanoir
Game	Gamaret*, Merlot, Syrah
Kidneys, tongue, liver, etc...	Gamay, Pinot Noir, Gamaret*
DESSERTS
Pastry	Sweet wines, Sparkling wines
Ice cream	Sparkling wines

	* Oak aged

Cheese and wine

Delectable match There are so many wines and cheeses, and possible combinations thereof, that it is impossible to compile an exhaustive listing – so it was difficult, in compiling this little guide, to make a selection from the wealth of options. To produce the guide, wine expert Eric Duret, who held the “best sommelier of Europe” title in 1998, worked with Geneva’s winemakers and renowned cheese specialist Marcel Pillonel. The savvy matches they created together also highlight the rich diversity of Geneva wines. The suggestions in this guide are the result of numerous tastings, during which red wines with supple tannins held their own, wines with a strong woody character did not, and the frontrunners proved to be fresh whites – ideal partners to balance cheese’s natural fat content. The revelation of the sessions: Chasselas, bottle-aged for a couple of years, served with fromages d’alpage, or cheeses made from the milk of cows that graze in Alpine pastures. Enjoy! .

Cheeses from cow's milk
Appenzeller	Chardonnay, Muscat, Chasselas
Appenzeller extra vieux	Chardonnay, Chasselas, Gamay
Bagnes	Pinot noir, Chasselas
Vieux Bagnes	Chardonnay barriques, Gamaret
Brie affiné	Chasselas, Gamaret
Brillat Savarin	Aligoté, Chasselas, Chardonnay (cuve & barriques)
Camenbert	Viognier, Sauvignon
Epoisses	Vin rouge muté, vieux Chasselas, Muscat, marc
L'Etivaz	Sauvignon, Muscat, Chasselas
L'Etivaz spécial affiné	Aligoté, Chardonnay, Muscat, Chasselas
Gorgonzola	Vin doux blanc, vin rouge muté
Gruyère surchoix	Chasselas, vieux Chasselas, Sauvignon
Gruyère d'alpage	Chasselas, vieux Chasselas, Sauvignon
Munster	Gewürztraminer
Reblochon	Chasselas, Aligoté, Gamay
Sbrinz	Chasselas, vieux Chasselas
Tomme vaudoise	Chasselas
Tête de moine	Chasselas, Gamay, Gamaret
Vacherin de Fribourg doux	Chasselas, Chardonnay, vieux Chasselas
Vacherin de Fribourg affiné	Vieux Chasselas, Chardonnay barriques
Vacherin Mont d'Or	Chasselas, Aligoté, Chardonnay, Gamaret
Cheese from goat's milk
Chèvre frais	Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Chasselas
Chèvre légèrement affiné	Pinot blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet sauvignon
Chèvre cendré, affiné	Sauvignon, Gamaret
Chèvre sec	Chardonnay barriques, Pinot blanc, Chardonnay
Cheese from sheep's milk
Brebis des Pyrénées	Pinot blanc, Chardonnay, Chasselas
Montenebro	Chardonnay barriques, vin rouge muté
Pecorino	Chasselas, Chardonnay
Roquefort	Vin doux blanc, vin rouge muté