They ruin each other's taste. I'm trying to save your Superbowl party here.

Cheese and wine are in worst possible taste
SHAN ROSS

EATING cheese ruins the flavours of wine and makes fine vintages indistinguishable from cheap plonk, research has revealed.

While the two are often served together in the belief they make a sophisticated combination, scientists have discovered even expert tasters could not distinguish between wines after eating cheese.

Scientists in California asked trained wine tasters to try eight different cheeses before presenting them with four different varieties of cheap and expensive wines.

The tasters evaluated the strength of various flavours and aromas in each wine both alone and when preceded by the cheeses. Cheese was found to curb just about everything including berry and oak flavours, sourness and astringency, making it virtually impossible to distinguish them.

Strong cheeses overpowered the flavours more than milder varieties, but flavours of all the wines were smothered, meaning there was no magical wine and cheese pairing.

Professor Hildegarde Heymann and Bernice Madrigal-Galan of the University of California in Davis, who conducted the research, found cheese only enhanced wines with a butter aroma.

They suggested this was probably because cheese itself contains the molecule responsible for the buttery wine smell.

Another theory from the research, published in New Scientist magazine today, is that fat from the cheese could coat the mouth, deadening the taster's perception of the drink's flavours.

The findings come as no surprise to both wine tasters and cheese experts who said that wine and cheese was never a natural combination.

Graham Holter, wine expert and editor of Wine and Spirit, said the trend for cheese and wine being consumed together took off in the 1970s when people copied their contemporaries in an attempt to appear cosmopolitan.

"People were trying to be chic but really it has become clear that red wine and cheese is a pretty ghastly combination which most people in the wine trade are well aware of. It is a bit like the terrible fashion for pairing chocolate with champagne.

"Some strong cheese flavours and white wines harmonise such as Jacob's Creek and cheddar. But cheese is particularly pungent and will overpower almost everything."

Mr Holter said that experts in the wine trade taste everything in isolation.

"The film Sideways set in the Napa Valley in California showed how popular wine tasting and New World wines have become. You will have noticed no food was involved."

Paul Thomas, of Iain J Mellis cheesemongers in Edinburgh, said: "This research comes as absolutely no surprise. It is actually difficult to find a wine to suit the majority of cheeses.

"The combinations I would suggest are those such as Montgomery mature cheddar and cider and Lanark Blue with Laphroaig malt whisky.

"Basically what you're looking for is something crisp like a white wine from the Loire to go with the saltiness of the cheese."

red wine with choloate.

Quoted: red wine with dark choloate.

Beer and popcorn is still okay, right?

I hate wine.  Problem solved.  Give me more cheese!!!

MadDog and Velveeta is a bad combo...I agree.

I thought people served cheese so you couldn't tell they were serving swill.

Like, as in, taking advantage of this phenomenon.

This is completely correct...

There is a very old adage that goes something like this:  Sell wine with cheese, and buy with bread...

Cheese does compliment wine in that it does help mask problems.  All wines taste good with cheese (sorta).  On the other hand, cleansing a palate with a plain bread tends to accentuate all the little nuances, character, and deficiences.

A fine red wine with PIE.

go link?

Sliced Parmigiano Reggiano + bottle of cheap red =

Quoted: MadDog and Velveeta is a bad combo...I agree.

Ugh.  Thanks for the freshman year flashback.  Just add cheap Domino's pepperoni pizza.

Jim

I'm trying to save your Superbowl party here.

Wine at a superbowl party?

I agree, in fact I prefer drinking any alcohol before I eat the food. The food ruins the taste of the booze to me.

Quoted: I'm trying to save your Superbowl party here. Wine at a superbowl party?

Teh ghey has struck again!!!

Quoted: I'm trying to save your Superbowl party here. Wine at a superbowl party?

Yeah, where are you posting from... France?

Quoted: Quoted: I'm trying to save your Superbowl party here. Wine at a superbowl party? Teh ghey has struck again!!!

Thats totaly ghey

Liederkranz & Bali Hai....  now that's good eatin'!!  

Quoted: Quoted: I'm trying to save your Superbowl party here. Wine at a superbowl party? Teh ghey has struck again!!!

Well, Seattle is one of the teams, so.........

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I'm trying to save your Superbowl party here. Wine at a superbowl party? Teh ghey has struck again!!! Thats totaly ghey

Don't you guys ever have chicks at the party that like wine instead of beer?

You do have chicks at the party...right?

This is old news.  But... there are alot of exceptions.

What are Californians going to do for their smarmy parties now?!