Italian Wine & Cheese Pairings

Every year on July 25th the country celebrates National Wine and Cheese Day.  I mean wine and cheese go together like peanut butter and jelly, don't they?  How can I not take the time out to celebrate such a natural pairing, especially when it comes to Italian wines and cheeses.  This week I also just started my Italian language classes focused solely on Italian food, cheese, and wine so I'm ready to dig in.  I am by no means a cheese expert, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to connect with a local cheese expert in the Boston area whom I've featured here on Vino Travels years ago, Adam Centamore.  

Adam Centamore is food and wine educator and writer helping folks "live their best cheese and wine lives".  He is also author of Tasting Wine and Cheese: An Insider's Guide to Mastering the Principles of Pairing.   I reached out to him recently to pick his brain on some classic Italian wine and cheese pairings and his suggestions on folks navigating the Italian wine and cheese world.  

What are your recommendations for someone getting to know and understand Italian wines and Italian cheeses and then pairing them?

I think it's really important to remember that the wine & cheese cultures of Italy are WAY older than the unified country itself. Cheese production dates back more than 2,000 years to the Romans and the first evidence of wine production is twice that old. Italy only unified in 1961. Before that, it was a collection of territories. Being a kind of "wild, wild west" for so long means lots of variation, with more than 2,000 known grape varieties and 2,500 cheeses. It's nuts. 

For anyone getting to know and understand Italian wines and cheeses, I'd suggest tackling one region at a time. With so much culinary diversity, it's impossible to try a particular style of wine or a couple of different sheep milk cheeses and think "I've got this down." Sorry, but not a chance! Instead, choose a region that interests you and try as many products as you can. Take your time, and really focus on the special characteristics that make them represent the region. Once you get a feel for that region, pick another! With 20 regions to explore, you won't run out of amazing experiences anytime soon. 

What are some of your personal favorite Italian wine and cheese pairings?

Wow, that's a tough one. There are so many great pairings. 

The first that comes to mind is Robiola Due Latti with Franciacorta. Sometimes called "Robiola Bosina", this cheese is a blend of cow and sheep milk made in northern Italy. Soft and creamy, with a mild flavor and a touch of salt on the finish, it's an amazingly textural cheese just begging for a wine with lots of texture and energy. Franciacorta, a sparkling wine from Lombardy (also in the north), is totally up for the job. Made in the same way Champagne is made, the bright, crisp tones cut through the creamy cheese, setting you up for another bite. Delicious.

Another classic combination is Pecorino Gran Riserva with an aged Chianti Classico or even a Brunello di Montalcino. Tuscany is home to sangiovese, that amazing red grape that is all about the tart cherry, red plum, herbs, and tobacco...it has so much personality, and it's amazing with food. Chianti Classico is just the right amount of development and complexity to handle the intensity of pecorino's most esteemed version. The Gran Riserva is intense and incredibly well-balanced. Extensive aging yields a drier texture that emphasizes the savory flavors. If you really want to treat yourself, step the wine up to Brunello di Montalcino. The more sophisticated flavors and richer mouthfeel will knock the heavier weight of the sheep milk pecorino out of the park. 

Image by Elle Katie from Pixabay

What is your rule of thumb or advice when trying to pair Italian wines and cheeses?  There is such a wide array from Italian sparkling, rosé, crisp Italian whites to more textured ones as well as many of Italy's tannic or full-bodied reds so I understand this may not be an easy straightforward question.  

Yeah, it's tough to give a straightforward answer, but a solid rule of thumb for me is to match characteristics between the wine and cheese. If the wine is big & burly, go for a wine that can match that power and assertiveness. If you have a piece of cheese that is herbaceous and fresh, choose a wine that compliments those traits. There is an exception for me, and that's when I want one part of the pairing to completely counter the other part. For example, it's fun to counter a hunk of aromatic, intense gorgonzola naturale blue cheese with a sweet, viscous vin santo. 

My personal favorite Italian cheeses are pecorino, parmigiano reggiano and mozzarella.  Very different cheeses, although what most folks are probably most familiar with here in the states.  What would you recommend with these ones in particular?  I always say what grows together goes together. Would you say that holds true in this situation?

You have great taste! These are some of my favorite cheeses as well. I do agree with your belief that "what grows together goes together", although I usually follow that up with a gentle reminder that great combinations can come from anywhere. For me, the idea that wine and cheese from the same region naturally go together is a fantastic starting point. From there, I try to figure out why they are such great partners and think of other options that might fit the bill. 

For a great pecorino pairing, I consider the specific cheese. The word "pecorino" roughly means "of sheep" in English, and that encompasses a whole family of amazing cheeses, with all sorts of different attributes. Pecorino di Pienza Rosso, for example, is rubbed with tomato paste as it ages, whereas the Morchiato is rubbed with olive must. Similar cheeses at the beginning of their lives, but a bit different at the end. If you mean pecorino in general, I prefer a medium or full-bodied white like pecorino (yes, a white wine), or chardonnay from up north in the mountain regions. Reds made from sangiovese and nebbiolo work great as well. If the cheese has more age on it, you can pick a wine with more body. Reservas, for example, or even wines made in the ripasso style. The salty intensity of the cheese will provide balance to the wine. 

For the king of all cheeses, parmigiano reggiano, I reach straight away for a bottle of chilly, dry Lambrusco. Made in the same region, this combination is a stellar example of "what grows together goes together", especially if you add in a slice or two of mortadella, the star of nearby Bologna. The wine's subtle fruitiness and dry structure are gorgeous with the subtle fruit notes of the cheese and the fattiness of the mortadella. This really is one of my favorite combinations.

Image by Morana T from Pixabay

As for mozzarella, it really depends on what you're doing with it, at least for me. Just straight-up, fresh mozzarella calls for a bright & sassy white wine like Orvieto or Gavi di Gavi. If it's melted, I like it with something a bit heavier but still buoyant, like Roero Arneis. If it's covering a pizza or flatbread hot off my grill and covered in torn (never sliced!) basil leaves, preserved lemon, and a healthy pinch of peperoncini, a cooled-off Frapatto is sublime. If you're rocking a burrata, ice-cold Prosecco Valdobbiadene is my way to go.  

Any unique Italian cheese and wine pairings you have experienced? 

Absolutely. I experienced one of the best pairings I've ever had last year when I was in Piedmont. There's a small village called Castelmagno that has been making their namesake cheese since the 13th century. It's a raw cow milk cheese that is semi-hard. As it ages, it gets crumbly and usually develops a bit of blue veining, so the flavor is fairly intense especially the older ones. I tried a few different ages with some of the region's famous wines, like Barolo and Barbaresco, and they were delicious, but then I had it with a youngish Barbera d'Alba Superiore, and...holy cow. It was electric. The wine had tons of red cherry aromas and flavors, and it just made the cheese wake up, really pushing the animal, milky tones to the front. That was awesome. 

During one of your food and wine virtual events I attended you shared some information on this  cheese festival in Bra, Italy that you attended in 2023.  It sounds like this event will be taking place again in 2025.  Can you tell us a little about it for our cheese lovers?  

Believe it or not, it's just called "Cheese" - in English! It takes place in Bra, home to Slow Food Italy. Every other year, in September, the entire village turns into a gigantic cheese exposition. Thousands of people descend on the small village for a few days, visiting kiosk after kiosk of small producers from all over Europe and the States, sampling cheese, charcuterie, jams, honey...it's bonkers how many amazing things there are to experience. It's truly something everyone should see at least once in their lives. 

Do you have any particular events coming up that my readers should be aware of?

I've started arranging more food and wine trips through the Commonwealth Wine School in Cambridge, MA. We have some fun stuff coming up. If anyone would like more info, they can reach out to me via my email, Instagram, or whatever is easiest.

What are some of your favorite Italian wine and cheese pairings?

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