Wine and Cheese Pairing Suggestions Needed

Has anyone ever had a "wine and cheese pairing" at their house? I'd like to do one for some friends when I see them again, but I'd like some suggestions on how to go about it. Can some of you "wine and cheese" veterans help this rookie out?

Also, as a gag, I'd like to pair Velveeta or Kraft Singles with a particular wine. Any recommendations there?

Thanks in advance for the help. Peace to all of you!!

KimChee43

quote:

Originally posted by KimChee43



Also, as a gag, I'd like to pair Velveeta or Kraft Singles with a particular wine. Any recommendations there?

Thanks in advance for the help. Peace to all of you!!

KimChee43

Thunderbird with velveeta! That would be so much fun to watch the expressions on their face as you announce that you will start them off with a very special pairing to get the evening off to a gala start Wait............maybe the Thunderbird would look nicer on your tray with the wrapped slices of cheese food

CHEZKATIE: Thanks for the suggestion! I've never had Thunderbird before. Is it a red or white wine? Is it sweet or dry? Is the bottle corked or screwcapped? If it's a screwcap, should I sniff the cap after opening or skip that part? Just curious to know.

The kraft/velveeta thing is great! Takes the pompous fluff out of the whole thing.

I would start with white wines and milder cheeses. Sauvingion blancs, pinot grigio, unoaked chardonnays, along side brie, camembert, unripened goat etc. Heavier whites and light reds like Gewurtztraminer, gamay noir(beaujolais) and some pinot noirs(burgundy) I like with not too old cheddars, monteray jacks, farmhouse cheeses(etorki,manchego) or good feta and parmesan. Save the blues and strong stuff for the chunky reds. Amarone, big cabs and zinfandels qualify. Decent Port and stilton or blue d'avergne with wheatmeal crackers still to me are one of the best food combos on the planet. A great end to any evening!

Oh I forgot the kraft thing. I suggest night train or Canadian sherry.

Cheers

RUMBELLY: Thank you so much! I'm off to a good start!

Anyone speak French well enough (Grampy, Lleechef, are you there?)to give me the French translation of "Thunderbird" or "Night Train"? How would one give "Velveeta" or "Kraft Singles" a French spin as well?

quote:

Originally posted by KimChee43

CHEZKATIE: Thanks for the suggestion! I've never had Thunderbird before. Is it a red or white wine? Is it sweet or dry? Is the bottle corked or screwcapped? If it's a screwcap, should I sniff the cap after opening or skip that part? Just curious to know.

Thunderbird is a horrid cheap sweet (as I remember)wine and as I remember from my teen years has a screwtop. It is white and disgusting and would pair very well with either the yellow or white cheese food slices that are individually wrapped. I am laughing just thinking about it and might do that the next time we have a certain couple (who really know their wine) over for dinner.

I was going to suggest "Fat Bastard" or "Old Fart" until the T-Bird or Night Train suggestion trumped me!

Anybody remember "Boones Farm" - lol - oh man the memories.

I think this is inspiring me to have a little get together as well!!

Gallo White Port and Kraft Easy Cheese on Saltines is always nice

quote:

Originally posted by chezkatie
Thunderbird is a horrid cheap sweet white wine

You could also serve the lovely Boone's Farm or Mad Dog 20/20...

Perhaps nice Annie Green Springs Tickle Pink?

Served with Kraft Pimento cheese spread on a Ritz cracker.

Aleswench - I do indeed remember my Boone's Farm days. Most of them anyway. Boones Farm and the Doobie Brothers.

Hmm, I believe that there is no French word for thunderbird, so use: oiseau de tonnerre (bird of thunder). Night train would be train de nuit.

Rumbelly has some good suggestions, but here are some very loose rules of thumb:

Pair sparkling wines with blue, creamy and salty cheese.
Pick bigger, meaty wines to go with stronger cheese.
Texture also matters: Semi-hard Cheddar would go with a Merlot; Gruyère with a crisp Chardonnay. Semi soft like Monterey Jack would go with lighter-bodied wines.
Fresh goat cheeses that are strong in flavor go with fruity wines like Sauvignon Blanc; while a cow's milk brie ot camembert could go equally well with a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Riesling goes with almost anything.

GRAMPY: Merci! Thunderbird and Night Train sound much more "upscale" and palatable in French. Your "pairing guidelines" are a big help to me as well. Enjoy your evening libation. Sante!

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Aleswench - I do indeed remember my Boone's Farm days. Most of them anyway. Boones Farm and the Doobie Brothers.

Strawberry Hill - my teenage booze of choice You are so right - many many fuzzy memories!

KimChee: On my way home from work, I stopped to get a bottle of wine. Our local Bottle King, which is a big discount liquor store in NJ, just published a free 2004 Wine Guide. I picked one up - if you would like I can mail it to you. I haven't gotten into it in detail yet, but basically it features certain wines, tells you about them and what they cost (a good comparison reference). If you would like a copy email me where I can send it to. Sue

I don't speak French, but I think Easy Cheese (Cheeze?) would be "fromage facile."

quote:

Originally posted by KimChee43

RUMBELLY: Thank you so much! I'm off to a good start!

Anyone speak French well enough (Grampy, Lleechef, are you there?)to give me the French translation of "Thunderbird" or "Night Train"? How would one give "Velveeta" or "Kraft Singles" a French spin as well?

Night Train in french would be "Le Chemin de Fer du Nuit" or vulgarly "Le Train du Nuit". Thunderbird would be "Le Oiseau de Tonnerre". Drinking Night Train as a student in the 70's, we used to say you could hear the train by the time you finished the bottle, I remember the eerie-looking, cheaply printed label of the locomotive cutting through the night. Didn't it have 1 1/2% formaldahyde in addition to the alcohol? Hey, it was cheap and it did the job.

My favorite pairing is Bushie with a mild red, a strong soft cheese, and my favorite lady. (Mrs. Bushie)

Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Wait, that may be a tripling. Or, technically, it may be a quadrupling.

Sh*t. I'm getting too old for these complicated questions!

From time to time we have friends in for wine and cheese ( and other goodies) and I never worry about the
"pairings". I just put out three kinds of wine, a red, a white (usually Riesling), and a Rose' ( not a "blush"). The cheeses will be something like a well aged New York State cheddar, a Danish blue, a nutty emmentaler. brie ( I never eat the stuff, but other people love it), maybe a roquefort.

Let your guests mix and match all they want. after a glass or two they have forgotten all about the theme of the party and are just having fun drinking and eating.

And don't forget the crackers, a good crusty white bread, and something dark and heavy. And a dish of mixed of olives. ( And Mrs. Seafarer always puts out a dish of sticks of celery and carrots- but I never eat that either).

Cheers, John