When it comes to wine and food pairings, the main goal is to enhance the flavor of both the food and the wine. Because Cabernet Savingnon has a strong finish, some are under the impression that it is challenging to find a cheese that is able to match the wine’s flavor correctly, however, this is not the case.

The basis of pairing wine and food has to do with tannins. Tannins are a wine’s “pucker power,” meaning that they are what tend to make one’s mouths feel dry when sipping wine. They are derived from grape skins, pips (seeds) and stems, and wood barrels used during aging. The reason that wine and cheese tend to pair so well together has to do with the fat content of cheese and how that reacts with tannins in the wine. The high fat content of cheese tends to react directly with tannins, thus cutting back on the dry feeling one may get from wine. Cheese can also enhance flavors that may otherwise not be brought out in the wine.

Best Cheeses to pair with Cabernet Sauvingnon:

A Cabernet Sauvignon, such as Red Bear wine, is known to pair best with bold, hearty, hard aged cheeses. See examples below: