Nothing goes together quite like a great glass of wine or beer and a delicious cheese. Put together a tray with a selection of cheeses and a few wine or beer choices, and it’s entertaining made easy.
The Cheese Tray
A good selection of cheeses for a cheeseboard will have a variety of firmness and flavor. Think of choosing three to five cheeses, with one soft, one firm, one blue and one that no one would expect.
Experiment with different cheese and flavor combinations. Serving a cheese that your guests haven’t tried before is a great way to get them talking.
To serve, cut the cheese from rind to tip to experience the full texture and flavour of the cheese. In general the rind of soft cheeses is edible while the rind of hard cheeses is not.
Pairing Castello Alps Selection cheeses with Wine or Beer
HIRTEN
Castello Alps Selection Hirten pairs perfectly with a lager, or serve with a full-bodied red like Rioja or Tempranillo. If white wine is preferred, serve with a white Bourgogne or Sauvignon Blanc. With notes of hazelnuts, butterscotch and some resinous notes, this cheese pairs well with the malty, low-hopped and lightly earthy backbone of a rich, strong Scotch Ale. Look for this ale’s sweetness and light smokiness to add a great balance to the sharpness and spice of this cheese.
To serve, cut into very thin slices (like Parmesan) and use in pasta dishes, salads or sandwiches with spiced ingredients like chili or raw onions.
BERGKASE
Castello® Alps Selection Bergkase pairs well with a full-bodied red like Rioja or Tempranillo. If beer is preferred, pair with a lager or brown ale. The fruitiness and spice of an Belgian style Dubbel or Brown Ale will complement this selection without overpowering it.
Bergkase goes perfectly on a cheese board with fresh-baked bread, or try it with baked onions, sun-dried tomatoes or prosciutto.
WEISSBIER
Castello® Alps Selection Weissbier pairs perfectly with its namesake, Bavarian Weissbier, or with Riesling or Gewürztraminer. It goes wonderfully with grilled vegetables, fennel, or figs and will enhance any sandwich with high quality ham and tomato.
