Perfect French Cheese Board + Wine Pairing

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Edyta

Author at Eating European

Recipe developer, photographer and the writer behind the Eating European food blog of European and Mediterranean healthy and delicious recipes

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Sponsored Post: This post is sponsored by The French Ministry of Agriculture but the content and opinions expressed here are mine.

Building the Perfect French Cheese Board can be easier then one might think. This guideline for cheese and wine pairings will help to make any appetizer round super easy, and without losing elegance and sophistication.

I am very excited to partner up with the French Ministry of Agriculture again and bring you this little bit of France. Here I present 4 wines from 3 different regions of France, and 4 kinds of cheese also from 3 different regions. The last time I partnered with the French Ministry of Agriculture I made these fantastic Blond Chocolate-Dipped Pistachio Financiers. This time around I’m presenting you with the Perfect French Cheese Board….and no cheese board is replete without some awesome wines to pair it with. Let’s celebrate winter with French Wine and Cheese. Shall we?

First, let’s talk about the cheeses from Ile de France®. 

Today, the Ile de France brand remains a top seller of soft gourmet cheeses in the United States, which are available in gourmet stores and supermarkets throughout the United States.

ILE DE FRANCE PLAIN GOAT CHEESE is a traditional fresh Chevre from Poitou Charentes, using only the freshest goat’s milk in the region.

• A perfect pairing with Bordeaux or Beaujolais wines (both featured below).
• Great addition to any of your dishes:
  • Salads,
  • Steak,
  • Soups or
  • Scrambled eggs (listen, it’s a French thing), or just simply
  • On crackers, a piece of baguette, sourdough bread, either
  • Fresh or melting.

For my husband, it tasted best on rustic sourdough bread with fig jam and honey. I tried this combination and I must admit, it was pretty damn good…

• SAINT AGUR BLUE CHEESE is a unique and intense Blue cheese with a smooth buttery finish, rich in butterfat (double crème). Blue cheese is typically made from goat’s milk, making the texture rather dry.  This blue cheese, however, is made from cow’s milk and is much creamier.
  • This cheese is great in
    • Salads,
    • Over steak and potatoes, or
    • On pizza, or
    • Naked, on a cheese board.
  • Perfect with
    • Pears,
    • Bacon, or pancetta,
    • Served with a fresh baguette or sourdough bread.
  • Perfect pairing with George Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages 2015, Cote du Rhone or a heavier wine like Cabernet Sauvignon.

I loved it with a slice of cooked pancetta and fresh fig.

ILE DE FRANCE BRIE This double crème Brie is produced with fresh, daily collected cow’s milk from the Normandy region; delivering a unique rich creamy flavor.

• Perfect to pair on a fruit platter with apple slices, berries figs or jams;
• On a baguette or crackers;
• Served on a burger, or
• Baked Brie en Croute (that’s my favorite little bite appetizer with raspberries and walnuts – can’t go wrong with that).

• Perfect with white wines like
  • Légende Blanc or
  • Georges Duboeuf Pouilly-Fuisse 2015, or even
  • Champagne

SAINT ANDRE a unique texture – easy to pair with sweet and savory – a distinctive taste – for any occasion. Known as “the heavenly cheese”, Saint André® is as rich as pure butter. For me this was an absolute winner. I simply love Sainte Andre. I remember the last time I ate it I was pregnant with my second son, which was about 1,5 years ago. Yes, I ate soft, ripened cheese when I was pregnant. And I lived to tell the tale 🙂 I can’t believe I waited that long to have it again, though. I know that from now on this is my number 1 cheese on any cheese board, not only the French one.

• Great pairing with
  • White wines like Legende Blanc or Georges Duboeuf Pouilly-Fuisse 2015
  • Champagne, or with a
  • White beer.
• Cheeseboards with
  • Fruits like figs and berries and
  • Crackers, bread, baguette
• Also great with chocolate and gingerbread

Now let’s talk about some wines from two different vineyards: Les Vins Georges Duboeuf and Légende.

Les Vins Georges Duboeuf is a family-owned winery in the heart of the Beaujolais region of France that produces wines with an emphasis on quality and terroir since 1964. Georges has become, in a sense, the ambassador of the region and the undisputed “King of Beaujolais”.

George Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages 2015 is a versatile and exceptionally food-friendly wine made from 100% Gamay. Gamay is a light-bodied red wine that’s similar in taste to Pinot Noir. It grows primarily next to Burgundy, France (Pinot motherland) in Burgundy. Gamay wines are loved for their delicate floral aromas, subtle earthy notes, and surprising ability to pair with food. Beaujolais-Villages is incredibly versatile – it is a great pairing for cheese and charcuterie, burgers, grilled chicken or roast salmon. Best served lightly chilled.

Georges Duboeuf Pouilly-Fuisse 2015 Made from 100% Chardonnay. Pouilly-Fuissé, as a region, is famous for offering white wines that offer incredible value compared to pricier white Burgundies. Very food-friendly but also great to enjoy on its own.

Légende offers the consumer an enjoyable journey through Bordeaux, and its historic terroir, at a very approachable price point. The prestigious Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) family has owned vineyards in Bordeaux for generations. In addition to the wines issued from their world-renowned vineyards, Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) has been elaborating a range of wines which are easy and pleasant to drink called “Legende”.  Affordability meets elegance.

Légende Rouge 2016 was a remarkable vintage in the Bordeaux region, a fairly challenging year for winegrowers, with a very wet start and a very dry period, and finally localized thunderstorms and a beautiful Indian summer that enabled the grapes to reach optimal ripeness. Pairs beautifully with beef, lamb, duck, and hard-aged cheeses.

Légende Blanc Elegance meets affordability; everyday drinkability. The cooler terroirs produced perfect balances of alcohol and acidity and very exuberant aromas. 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Gris. It pairs beautifully with soft cheeses, especially goat cheese.

Now, that I’ve introduced all the main players for this board and we know which wines will work with it, let’s build up this Perfect French Cheese Board.

I must admit, I made this Perfect French Cheese Board and I opened all the wines to give them a try and here’s what happened…. My husband and I were so in love with this food that we decided to forego dinner that night and just ate cheeses and meats while sipping wine. A decadent substitute to a traditional dinner. Alright, getting back to the board:

First, we need the cheeses. Here we have:

• Ile De France Plain Goat Cheese
• Saint Agur Blue Cheese
• Ile De France Brie
• Saint André

Then we need a vehicle like:

• Rustic sourdough bread (it was my choice because I love it),
• Baguette or
• Crackers

Then we need something salty like:

• Cured meats (charcuterie):
  • Salami,
  • Prosciutto, or
  • Cooked pancetta or bacon,
• An assortment of olives, or
• You can also add any nuts you like

Then we need something sweet like:

• Honey,
• Fig Jam

Then we need something fresh like:

• Figs,
• Blueberries,
• Raspberries,
• You can also add grapes or apples

And “voila”, it’s just that simple. You can create this beautiful Perfect French Cheese Board for any day you get the itch or for the Holidays and to celebrate winter with French Wine and Cheese. Cheers my friends!

Perfect French Cheese Board

Building the Perfect French Cheese Board can be easier then one might think. This guideline for cheese and wine pairings will help to make any appetizer round super easy, and without losing elegance and sophistication.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetiser

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Author: Edyta

Ingredients

• 1 round Ile De France Brie Cheese
• 1 round Saint André Cheese
• 1 Ile De France Goat Cheese
• 1 Saint Agur Blue Cheese
• Salami
• Prosciutto
• Pancetta
• Figs
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Olives
• Fig Jam
• Honey
• Bread, Baguette or Crackers

Instructions

• Arrange cheeses, meats, fruit, olives and bread on a platter or wooden board with side of honey and jam. Serve with wine.

Notes

This is more like a guideline then a recipe. You can use as much or as little of each ingredient as you want. You can also add, nuts, apples or dried fruit.

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