Golden wine tips for your cheese fondue
Dark, cold evenings call for comfort food. Something cosy, snug and warming. For example, a steaming pan full of creamy, melted cheese. And of course, with lots of wine. On the side and in it. But which wine is best suited? We’re here to help.
Traditionally, cheese fondue comes with a mountain of bread, cornichons and green salad. Raw vegetables, cold cuts, mushrooms and even wedges of ripe pear are also great for dipping.
Naturally, a good glass of wine goes with it. Well, a bowl of tea is actually best; much less heavy and a more mindful choice. But cheese and wine are simply too delicious together. We’ll be sensible again tomorrow. Don’t just grab any bottle. Not every wine works well with such a cheese feast. So use these golden fondue tips, and you can’t go wrong.
Wine in your cheese fondue
If you make the fondue yourself, the wine also goes into the raclette. That wine affects both the texture and the flavour of the fondue. A lightly acidic wine helps the cheese melt properly and creates a homogeneous mixture. A somewhat ‘fatter’ wine, on the other hand, increases the chance of the fondue splitting.
Do not use red wine when mixing. Red wine gives it an unattractive brown colour and, if you’re unlucky, even a metallic taste. Of course, you can drink it alongside the fondue. Naturally, you wouldn’t pour a top wine into the cheese fondue, but cheap rubbish isn’t ideal either. A bad wine stays bad when mixed with melted cheese.
Jansz. and Smelt join forces: cheese fondue in their Winter Garden
Wine with your cheese fondue
Don’t serve your wine too cold. Highly chilled drinks are said to cause the cheese to solidify more quickly in your stomach. Hence the warm tea. A higher temperature makes digestion easier and leaves you feeling less bloated. Don’t serve sparkling wine either. Carbonated drinks — including soft drinks and beer — apparently don’t make a happy match with melted cheese either.
Traditionally, we serve a — not too cold — white wine. Fresh with a pleasant acidity, as a counterpoint to that heavy Swiss fare. Red is also a perfectly good alternative. Choose one with plenty of fruit, no oak ageing and sufficient acidity.
Best cheese fondue/wine match
Personally, I don’t like overly lean, dry wine with cheese fondue. I think something with floral and tropical notes on the nose is much better. And a nicely spicy mountain wine from the region where fondue originated is completely in keeping with the theme. Think of a Fendant (Chasselas) from Switzerland, a Roussette or Apremont de Savoie. Pinot Blanc/Weissburgunder, Riesling Spätlese and an unoaked Chardonnay also make a lovely match. If you prefer red, fruity Gamay, Blaufränkisch or another Pinot Noir-like wine is the best choice.
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