Here's how to pair wine, cheese and charcuterie like a boss for a New Year's Eve party

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Are you hosting or attending a party for New Year’s Eve? Charcuterie is a big deal lately, and a pretty meat-and-cheese platter with complementary nibbles and paired wine is a beautiful thing to feed your guests or bring along as a contribution.

But what wine goes with which cheese, and how do you pair with foods such as spicy salami and pickled vegetables?

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We talked to Mark Fox, general manager of The Wine Vault on Burkhardt Road, about how to pair wine with charcuterie.

The Wine vault has a high-quality cheese selection and is the only spot in town where the cheese is always cut from the wheel when the customer orders it, so you can sample and get exactly as much as you want. The selection contains cheeses from around the world, including England, France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Kentucky.

Pairing wine or wines with your cheese should be your first thought, but keep in mind that charcuterie boards will include a variety of meats and cheeses with different flavors and textures, fruit, crunchy nuts and complements such as salty olives, sweet jams or honeys, and different crackers and breads. With all this going on, no one wine will pair with everything, and it’s fun to have a selection and experiment as you nibble your way through the board.

That said, Fox’s suggestions are as follows:

Higher-fat, creamy Brie-style cheeses such as St. Andre, St. Angel, or D’affinois - “The heavier the wine the better for these,” Fox said. “The whole purpose of fat is to coat the tongue, and it smooths and mellows out a big heavy wine, just like the fat on a nice charred steak does. We have done a very heavy Merlot with a dessert cheese course. The Merlot has dark berry fruits, but you get black pepper on the back end and it’s quite spicy. We also have a white wine from France called Picpoul de Pinet that is very floral, light and minerally that would go with a firmer triple cream like St. Andre.”

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Blue Cheese – “It can go two ways,” Fox said. “Blue cheese can take a heavy port which has sweetness and cuts any bitterness from the cheese, which is nice in a Stilton, but we also have Irish Cashel Blue which is soft and mild, and either a port or a heavy red wine would go well with it.”

Chevre and lightly aged goat cheeses – “I’d do a Pinot Noir with plum and cherry flavors,” Fox said, “something with those bright red fruits.”

Alpine and Alpine-style cheeses such as Gruyere, Emmental, and Parrano – “These are good with whites,” Fox said. “If you think of where they come from, a Pinot Blanc from Alsace, a Gewürztraminer or a dryer Riesling, maybe a Grüner Veltliner -- those are all wines you’ll find in Alpine regions. The Picpoul de Pinet would be wonderful with Emmental Swiss.”

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Cheddar and other aged or salty cheeses – “Right now I have an 11-year old aged cheddar that is very sharp and a 24 month aged Gouda that has sweetness but is quite tart, or you could go with a pecorino which is super tart and salty,” Fox said. “With those I’d choose a Spanish wine. You’ll need something quite heavy to balance out the strong flavors. Actually, any of those cheeses go well with wine from the country that they’re from. Barolo from Tuscany or a Cabernet Sauvignon with a little Sangiovese would be great with Pecorino.”

Salami, summer sausage and prosciutto -- “There again it’s fattier, saltier foods so you’ll want a heavier wine,” Fox said.

Pickles and marinated vegetables – “It’s difficult to pair wine with acidic foods,” Fox said, “but a good bet to try is an unoaked or lightly oaked French Chardonnay that’s heavy on the minerality, and the stoniness of that will cut against that acid; beer is really great at that point too.”

In addition to The Wine Vault, other worthy cheese selections can be found at The Fresh Market, larger Schnucks markets, and Fresh Thyme Farmers Market. Aldi often has interesting cheeses at good prices. On the meat end of things, be sure to hit the Old Fashioned Butcher Shoppe on Stringtown Road or in Newburgh for local sauces and Merkley and Son products, Dewig Meats in Haubstadt (try the one-of-a-kind peppered sweet bologna, please, and add some Tailgator’s Beer Mustard from Huntingburg to go with it) and Mayse Farm Market for their house smoked sausage and other local meat products.

Costco and Sam’s Club both have changing selections of good cheese and interesting salami and sausages, lox and smoked salmon, and olive mixes.

The Wine Vault

Location: 230 N. Burkhardt Road

Phone: 812-401-9463

Hours: Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Contact Aimee Blume at aimee.blume@courierpress.com

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: How to pair wine and cheese with The Wine Vault of Evansville