A CHEESE AND BUBBLY PAIRING GUIDE

Whether it's Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain, Champagne from France, or sparkling wine from the US, bubbly wines are the perfect match for an array of cheeses. What better way to ring in the New Year than with a cheese plate designed to complement the festive nature of sparkling wine? A sparkling wine-friendly cheese platter is the perfect thing to serve late-night while waiting for the ball to drop. Serve alongside dessert and watch your guests swoon. Sparkling wines work well with so many cheese styles because they have a nice amount of acidity and bubbles. The acidity and bubbles act as a palate-cleansing mechanism to cheese's soft, rich, mouth-coating nature. They are indeed a match made in heaven! Below you will find our picks for a New Year's Eve cheese platter. Remember, all sparking wines will work well with these cheese, not just Champagne, so feel free to experiment.

LANGRES

Made in the Champagne region of France, Langres has a concave top designed to hold a bit of Champagne. The cheesemakers wash each cheese with brine and rub it with raccou, a natural colorant derived from a tropical shrub. The pretty wrinkled rind adds interest and helps develop a dense, creamy cheese cakey at the core with a decadent creamline and distinctive savory flavor. What grows together goes together! 

SBRINZ D'ALPAGE 

Sbrinz AOP is known as the oldest European cheese and historically predates Parmigiano Reggiano. It is produced as it was then: from fresh, whole, raw milk. We opened this alpage wheel, and the first thing we wanted to drink with it was Champagne! Sbrinz has a deep grassy, buttery flavor and finishes quite yeasty, a perfect complimentary match to a yeasty, bready Champagne. Its high-fat content begs for bubbles.

ST. STEPHEN

Four Fat Fowl sources the milk for St. Stephen from Dutch Hollow Farms in nearby Schodack, NY. This decadent hand-crafted triple crème has a soft and creamy texture and a rich mouthfeel. The flavors are butter, hay, and fresh cream, while the edible rind contributes earthy, mushroomy notes. We love St. Stephen with a glass of sparkling wine.

SOFIA

We think Capriole Farm makes some of the best goat cheese in the world and Sofia is truly a cheesemonger favorite. Ask any cheesemonger in the United States. This slightly aged chèvre makes us all swoon! Hand-ladled and ash ripened (which is neutral in flavor) Sofia's bright acidity plays well with the acidity of your favorite white sparkling wines.