Crisp white wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Champagne, along with lighter reds such as Beaujolais and Pinot Noir, pair best with Brie Cheese. However, nearly any wine will go along just fine with Brie cheese. There is a famous phrase with wine that states’ buy on apples, sell on cheese’. This phrase means that the protein and fats in Brie smooths out the wine, eliminating any flaws. This is why nearly any wine pairs well with Brie Cheese or any cheese.
While Brie can be served on its own, you’ll often find it on a mixed cheese board, baked and served with crackers, or as an appetizer with other ingredients. As such, my choices below reflect the best wines with Brie but will go well with other things that may accompany the creamy cheese.
Best Wine with Brie Cheese
Sparkling Wine & Brie Cheese Pairing
The ultimate sparkling wine with Brie Cheese is Blanc de Blancs Champagne from France. Blanc de Blancs is made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes and is excellent with creamy and earthy foods, like Brie. Blanc de Blancs features amazing flavours of almond, apple, apricot, brioche, chalk, pears, smoke, toast, vanilla and mineral. All of these flavours contrast and complement the creamy, buttery, earthy and fruity flavours of Brie Cheese. Furthermore, the high acidity in the Champagne brings out these rich Brie flavours, while the bubbles of the Champagne scrub your mouth clean of all the cheese fats and proteins.
Champagne is pricy and often worth the cost, however, not many of us can afford to drink Champagne as much as we’d like to. Thus, any sparkling wine will work, and cost a lot less, such as an Italian Prosecco. While not as complex and amazing as Blanc de Blancs Champagne, Prosecco features clean flavours of pear, apple, almond, melon and mineral that jive wonderfully with the earthy, nutty and fruity flavours of Brie Cheese. My advice is to select a Brut Prosecco, which means the wine is extra dry. The sweeter a sparkling wine is, the less acidity you’ll find, and acidity is a must to cut through the fats and proteins of your Brie Cheese.
Sparkling wine is also a great way to start a party off right, as everyone loves being handed a flute of bubbly. There’s a reason for this too, as Sparkling wine will go well with nearly any Hors d’oeuvre you might decide to serve due to its high acidity, neutral flavours and cheek scrubbing action.
Sauvignon Blanc & Brie Cheese Pairing
Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp white wine that has flavours of lemon, line, grapefruit, grass and green herbs. The grassy notes complement the grass flavours found in Brie, while the tangy citrus flavours of the wine complement the tangy fruitiness found in Brie cheese. Meanwhile, the high acidity of Sauvignon Blanc sharpens the earthy, nutty and fruity flavours of the Brie.
Sauvignon Blanc is produced all around the globe, however, my favourite Sauvignon Blanc with Brie Cheese would be a French Sancerre, or a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. These styles of Sauvignon Blanc are consistently good, taste clean and deliver a crisp, tart acidity.
Grenache Blanc & Brie Cheese Pairing
Grenache Blanc (also known as Garnacha Blanca) is a full-bodied white wine with notes of dill, green apple, lime zest, nutmeg, and pear, as well as toasted, creamy flavours. Grenache Blanc’s creamy body complements the texture of Brie cheese, while green apple, pear, and lime zest blend with the Brie cheese’s mild fruity flavours. Meanwhile, the toasted flavours of Grenache blanc pair perfectly with Brie’s nuttier side.
Grenache Blanc is a little more difficult to find in wine stores, and you’ll rarely find it in restaurants. However, if you’re up for trying something a little more intense, give Grenache Blanc a try. You’ll find excellent examples of this rich and green white wine grown in Spain, France (often blended with Roussanne for the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc), California and Croatia.
Beaujolais-Villages & Brie Cheese Pairing
Beaujolais-Villages is a light and fruity red wine with juicy flavours of cherries, raspberries, strawberries and plumbs. This French red wine also has a subtle earthiness that picks up on the tangy funkiness of the Brie Cheese. Hints of spice and black pepper give Beaujolais-Villages just the right amount of complexity to hold up to the rich and creamy Brie flavours.
High in acidity, Beaujolais-Villages brings out the best flavours in Brie Cheese, while the fats and proteins of the Brie bring out the soft velvety fruit flavours of the red wine. Often inexpensive, Beaujolais-Villages is low in alcohol, making it perfect for cocktail receptions or picnic lunches featuring Brie.
Beaujolais Cru is a more costly Beaujolais that has a deeper earthiness while yet having the delicious fruitiness that you’ve come to expect from the region. Beaujolais Cru is a better match for Brie cheese, but because it’s more expensive, and often difficult to find, it’s best saved for special occasions.
Pinot Noir & Brie Cheese Pairing
Brie cheese has an earthy funk to it that reminds people of mushrooms. Pinot Noir, while light and fruity, also has an earthy quality that complements this mushroom nuance of Brie cheese. Because Pinot Noir is on the acidic side of the wine spectrum, it helps to cleanse your palate between bites. Otherwise, the proteins and fats in the cheese would flood your taste buds, dulling your sense of taste.
Aside from its mushroom or forest floor notes, Pinot Noir tastes like fresh strawberries and cherries, making it an excellent wine to enjoy after dinner with a platter of cheese and mixed berries. Good Pinot Noir is also pricey, so I recommend serving Pinot Noir at intimate gatherings involving Brie Cheese. While you can buy inexpensive Pinot Noir, it is often not of decent quality and will not do the wine or the Brie any justice.
Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc & Brie Cheese
With Brie Cheese, you can essentially serve any type of red wine, even heavier red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Barolo, or Shiraz. The Brie Cheese will make these wines taste exceptional and smooth as the cheese’s proteins and fat soften the wine’s tannin. Heavier red wines are not ideal for appetizers, where you’ll often find Brie, thus, reserve these reds for your main course, and save a little bit later for an after-dinner cheese platter with Brie.