What Cheese Goes with Sangiovese?
For a Sangiovese cheese pairing, choose firm cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Toscano and Aged Gouda. Their salty, savory or caramel-like flavors are strong enough to match the wine's high acidity, fairly high tannins and cherry fruit.
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Top Cheese Pairings for Sangiovese
Other Cheese Pairings for Sangiovese
Sangiovese cheese pairing: which cheeses work and why
Sangiovese is a red wine grape from Italy with high acidity, fairly high tannins and flavors of cherry, plum and spice. Firm cheeses with strong flavor are a good match for it.
Parmigiano Reggiano
Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard, granular Italian cheese made from cow's milk and aged at least 12 months. Its sharp, salty, savory taste balances the high acidity and sour red cherry flavor that Sangiovese often has. Break it into small chunks and eat them between sips.
Pecorino Toscano
Pecorino Toscano is a firm sheep's milk cheese from Tuscany, where Sangiovese is the main grape. Its fragrant flavor goes well with the earthy aromas and tea leaf notes that Sangiovese often has.
You can buy it soft, aged at least 20 days, or semi-hard, aged four months. Try both with the same glass of wine to taste the difference.
Aged Gouda
Aged Gouda is a hard cheese from the Netherlands with a rich aroma and a deep, caramel-like flavor with hints of nuttiness. That caramel and nut flavor goes well with the cherry and plum fruit in Sangiovese. Its firm texture suits the wine's medium to full body.
Cut it into thin slices for a cheese board. You will notice a slight crunch from its protein crystals.
Other cheeses to try with Sangiovese
Aged Cheddar is a hard, crumbly cheese, so it is firm like Parmigiano Reggiano and Aged Gouda.
Fontina is semi-soft, with a mild, buttery and nutty flavor. Mozzarella is mild and milky with a creamy texture. Both are milder choices than the hard cheeses.
How to serve Sangiovese with cheese
- Put Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Toscano and Aged Gouda on one board and taste each one with the same wine.
- Pair the hard cheeses with a Sangiovese that was aged in barrels. Barrel aging gives the wine oaky flavors.
- Pair milder cheeses like Fontina or Mozzarella with a young Sangiovese, which has fresh strawberry flavors and a little spice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Sangiovese pair well with?
Sangiovese pairs well with firm cheeses that have strong flavor, such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Toscano and Aged Gouda. Pecorino Toscano comes from Tuscany, the same region where Sangiovese is the main grape. For a milder match, try Fontina or Mozzarella with a young Sangiovese.
Which wines are made with the Sangiovese grape?
Sangiovese is the only or main grape in several Tuscan wines, including Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano and Carmignano. It is also used in Sangiovese di Romagna and in some Super Tuscan wines, such as Tignanello, which is 80% Sangiovese.