Wine & Cheese in Paris: A Beginner's Guide to French Pairings

In France, wine and cheese aren't served together by accident. The pairing is a centuries-old tradition rooted in terroir — the idea that what grows together in the same soil, same climate, same region, tends to taste extraordinary together. Understanding this principle is the first step to navigating one of the world's great gastronomic pleasures.

The Four Families of French Cheese

Before we talk pairings, it helps to know who you're working with. French cheeses fall into four broad families, each with different textures, flavours and wine affinities.

Soft-ripened (pâte molle)

Think Brie de Meaux, Camembert de Normandie, Chaource. These are the creamy, bloomy-rind cheeses that ooze at room temperature. They're mild, buttery, with an earthy mushroom note from the white mould. Best paired with: unoaked Chardonnay, Champagne, light Pinot Noir.

Pressed, uncooked (pâte pressée non cuite)

Comté, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon. These are firmer, nuttier, with more complexity. Comté aged 18+ months develops caramel and hazlenut notes that pair beautifully with Jura whites (Savagnin, Chardonnay) or a medium-bodied Burgundy.

Washed-rind (pâte molle à croûte lavée)

Époisses, Munster, Livarot. The boldest, most pungent family. The smell is infamous; the taste is surprisingly sweeter and more complex than the aroma suggests. These need wines with some sweetness or body to stand up to them: Alsatian Gewurztraminer, Sauternes, or a Rhône red.

Blue (pâte persillée)

Roquefort, Bleu d'Auvergne, Fourme d'Ambert. The classic pairing for Roquefort is Sauternes — salty and sweet is one of gastronomy's great duets. Other blues work well with late-harvest wines, Port, or even a robust Rhône red.

The Golden Rule of Pairing

What grows together, goes together. If you're not sure, start with a wine from the same region as the cheese. You'll be right 80% of the time.

This principle — called 'terroir pairing' — is the easiest shortcut a beginner can use. Comté comes from the Jura, so drink a Jura Chardonnay. Reblochon comes from Haute-Savoie, so try a Savoyard Jacquère. Epoisses comes from Burgundy, so reach for a white Burgundy.

Red Wine and Cheese: The Great Myth

Most people assume red wine and cheese is the classic combination. French sommeliers will tell you the opposite: white wine and rosé are almost universally better with cheese. The tannins in red wine clash with the fat and salt of most cheeses, making both taste worse. The exceptions are blue cheeses with big Rhône reds, and aged hard cheeses with mature Bordeaux.

Where to Find the Best Cheese in Montmartre

Montmartre has several exceptional fromageries that operate the old way: cheese bought directly from small farms, aged on-site, and sold at peak ripeness. The shopkeepers know every cheese's origin, how it was made, and exactly which wine to drink with it. Ask them. They love talking about it.

On our food tour, we visit one of these fromageries and taste 3–4 cheeses with matched wine pairings — guided by your local host who grew up in this neighborhood and has been eating in these shops since childhood.

A Starter Pairing Cheat Sheet

• Brie de Meaux → Champagne or Chablis
• Comté 18 months → Jura Chardonnay or aged Burgundy white
• Reblochon → Savoyard white (Jacquère, Roussette)
• Roquefort → Sauternes or Banyuls
• Chèvre frais → Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé
• Époisses → Alsatian Gewurztraminer or Burgundy Pinot Noir