Italian Regional Cheeses: How To Find The Perfect Wine Match
For as long as Italians have been making cheese, they’ve been pairing it with wine. Scientists have found that an “optimal pairing” is usually down to two factors: cheese that softens the astringency or sharpness of a wine, and wine that makes the mouth feel cleansed between bites. In other words, a good wine and cheese pairing should make eating or drinking more of each more enjoyable. It’s as simple as that.
Your mouth should water at the thought of that next taste or sip. That’s not difficult when the pairings are Italian. Italian cheese and winemakers often make their products with the other in mind, which is why regional pairings are so common. Some of the most delicious combinations exist because they were produced in the same area. Some are made better by contrast. The common thread throughout is the complexity that Italian wines can bring out in their cheeses, and vice versa.
Regional Wine and Cheese Traditions
Italy is home to 20 regions, and Italian food by region varies enough that the cheeses and wines of one area can taste nothing like those a few hours’ drive away. Climate has a lot to do with this. In the Alpine north, the food tends to be heartier, and the wine and cheese similarly focused on warming you up. Stanley Tucci famously highlighted that region’s version of fondue in his CNN travel series, claiming that “fonduta” is so smooth it doesn’t even need wine.
In the south, where winters are milder and summer temperatures hit higher every year, you’re unlikely to find fonduta. What you will find are salty ricottas paired with bright, citrus-led white wines. This is also shaped by local farming practices. Each region has developed traditions around the kind of dairy and viticulture that best thrive there.
Sicily’s rugged hills aren’t easy for cattle to scale, but sheep have been grazing those parts since the time of the Greeks, hence the area’s fame for its sheep’s milk cheeses. Lombardy in the North, however, benefits from the water runoff from the Alps, and large, flat, grassy fields that more easily support cattle.
From North to South, Italy’s regions have managed to create wine and cheese offerings that are rooted in the breath-taking landscape and local culture. Here are some of the best pairings to be had from each major area, and the array of flavours they can coax out of each other:
Northern Italy: Alpine Cream and Character
Piedmont and Lombardy are home to some of Northern Italy’s most famed cheeses. Piedmont’s Robiola Bosina Alta Langa is made from a blend of sheep, cow, and goat’s milk and provides all the creaminess and softness you’d expect from the Italian Alps, without it being overpowering. Enjoy it alongside a glass of Roero Arneis. The crisp white Piedmontese wine perfectly balances the richness of the cheese.
For something more dramatic, it’s worth trying the Gorgonzola Dolce DOP. It’s a younger version of Lombardian blue with a gorgeously silky, spicy quality. Italian tradition demands it be drunk with Asti – a lightly sparkling wine with notes of honey and apricot that contrasts the Gorgonzola.
Central Italy: The Savoury Side
Emilia-Romagna is the geographic bridge between Northern and Central Italy, and perhaps best known for being the leading producer of Parmigiano Reggiano. Heat waves may have threatened Emilia-Romagna’s cheese banks, but Parmigiano’s deliciousness remains unchanged.
The hard cheese goes brilliantly on a cheese board with Parma ham and balsamic vinegar (another product of the region) and is best eaten alongside a dry or semi-dry Lambrusco. The acidity of the wine helps cleanse the palate of the cheese’s saltiness so that you can enjoy even more without getting fatigued.
Pecorino Toscano DOP is found in the heart of Tuscany, as is Chianti Classico. As a pairing, the Chianti’s acidity brightens against the rich, nuttiness of the Pecorino. The wine also helps ground the cheese in its more savoury qualities. Add a few figs, olives and fresh, crusty bread to the mix to make it feel even more Tuscan.
Southern Italy: Sunshine and Sheep’s Milk
The further south you go in Italy, the more important sheep’s milk becomes in local cheeses. Perhaps the most important example is Pecorino Romano. The clue to its significance is in the name. “Pecorino” comes from the Italian word for sheep, “pecora”, and Romano, of course, is down to the fact that this cheese has roots in Ancient Rome, where it was once a common part of the diet for Roman legionaries.
Thankfully, the crumbly cheese hasn’t changed much since then. The distinctive tangy, spicy notes are just as more-ish as ever, especially when enjoyed with a glass of wine. If the Pecorino is young or semi-aged, a crisp, saline wine like Vermentino di Sardegna helps cut through the salt. More aged versions of the cheese can handle the minerality of a glass of Etna Rosso. The red fruit and high acidity meet the cheese’s intensity head-on.
Texture, Flavour, and Ageing
Generally, a soft, creamy cheese is best served alongside something fresh and high in acidity. A sparkling wine is also a lovely way to lift the creaminess that richer cheeses can leave on the palate.
Strong cheeses often benefit from strong wines. A red, tannic wine can, for example, go well with a Gorgonzola. The intensity matches and ensures that no flavours are overpowered or missed.
Ageing can change a cheese dramatically. As cheeses mature, they harden and also tend to develop more nutty and aromatic qualities. Wine pairings then become a matter of balancing that savouriness. Red, fruity wines do this well, as does Prosecco. Younger cheeses are often more delicate and thus require fresher, more delicate wines.
As ever though, pairings are a subjective thing. There are no hard rules. As long as the cheese is good quality and the wine and company match it, there’s little that can’t be enjoyed.
Written by Sophia Rossi for EatingEurope
