Wines For Antipasto & Cheese

Types of Wines for Antipasto & Cheese

Most people do not know this, but red wines are the best for antipasto and cheese. Surprise! Also, good rose wines work well. And, depending on the type of cheese, some white wines work well. However, they do not go with meats. This is a lesson in food pairing. Red wine has many components that intensify and blend with these foods. Food pairing is extremely important. The wrong wine or food pairing can make the wine taste terrible. This is why merlot is a bad choice for sliced meats. Merlot has a fatty characteristic. When you eat fatty meats, the two cancel out and the merlot tastes flat. And, this why merlot is a poor match for chocolate. However, merlot blends like Bordeaux wines can work sometimes.

Antipasto and Cheeses

Antipasto usually consists of sliced meats like sopressata, salami, mortadella and others. Also, it has roasted red peppers, assorted olives with pits, mozzarella balls and more. While any type of hard cheese works, I prefer asiago and manchego. Often you find sharp provolone, but I find it to be too sharp. And, it smells like feet. LOL. Asiago from Italy is similar, but not as sharp and smelly. Manchego is from Spain. It is made with sheep’s milk which gives it a mild and delicious flavor. Try to buy all of these foods made from Europe. There are versions made in America and they are not the same!

Great Wine For Antipasto & Cheese

My favorite wine for antipasto and cheese is Chianti Classico or Chianti. They are a match made in heaven! Also, cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo and some roses are nice choices. White zinfandel is too sweet. Try the ones below or any others producers you can find.

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