by DRINK

Pinot Noir

Named for the dark purple, cooler-climate-loving grapes that go into it, pinot noir is a complex wine that, at its best, is a silky, mysterious and supple wine.

Alpine-Style

Mountain cheeses like a robust drink with a slight sweetness, so we recommend Belgian-style ales, ambers, brown ales, bocks and stouts. For wine, any fruit-forward red or white such as cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, beaujolais, riesling or grüner veltliner will do. Want more punch? Port, madeira, scotch and rye whiskey all love our alpine cheeses.

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Alpine-Style

Asiago

Whether young or aged, asiago is a versatile cheese. Put-in-a-pint drinks that we favor with it include hard ciders and fruit beers, pilsners, pale ales and lighter Belgian ales. If wine sounds fine, then we recommend riesling, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, cabernet sauvignon and syrah. If liquor is more your speed, then both scotch and rye whiskey pair well. A nutty and assertive sake loves asiago too.

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Asiago

Blue

Big, bold blues as well as milder wedges go surprisingly well with all sorts of drinks. In Wisconsin, we normally pair our blues with cider or beer -- everything from fruit beers, stout, weiss beer, porter and Belgian ales get along famously with blue. In the world of wine, we recommend cabernet sauvignon, chianti, pinot noir, zinfandel, riesling, syrah/shiraz, ice wines and malbec. For higher-proof hankerings, reach for the port, madeira, tequila reposado or tequila añejo.

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Blue

Brick

Wisconsin brick likes to share the loveseat with solid, salt-of-the-earth brews and wines. If you''re thinking beer, we recommend bock, stout, pale ale, weiss beer, porter or brown ale. If you prefer wine: chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot, champagne, riesling, sauvignon blanc, beaujolais, pinot gris and gruner veltliner are all wise choices.

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Brick

Colby

Colby is a mild, crowd-pleaser of a cheese, so it’s friendly with all sorts of drinks. If you're wanting beer, go for a pilsner, pale ale, brown ale or lager. Wines that pair well with colby include cabernet sauvignon, chianti, pinot noir, red zinfandel, champagne, riesling and malbec. If you prefer the strong stuff, tequila reposado and rye whiskey are definitely good bets.

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Colby

Feta

If you’ve never had retsina, we highly recommend drinking this pine-flavored Greek white or rosé with feta. It’s like traveling to Greece without leaving your home. Any crisp and bright beer or wine will do for feta, but we particularly like pilsner, lager, pinot gris and grüner veltliner. It’s fantastic with ouzo too -- if you can handle the powerful anise, licorice-like flavor.

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Feta

Fontina

With fontina, we love to drink vouvray, chardonnay, riesling, chianti, montepulciano and cabernet sauvignon. If beer sounds better, we recommend bocks, saisons and lambics.

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Fontina

Gorgonzola

Nothing but big flavor all-around for heavyweight gorgonzola. For beer, pair it with stout, porter and Belgian ales. Wines that match gorgonzola’s boldness include cab sauv, chianti, pinot noir, merlot, red zinfandel, riesling and malbec. If you want a sipper with your gorgonzola, we recommend port, madeira, scotch, tequila reposado, tequila anejo and definitely mescal.

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Gorgonzola

Havarti

Havarti is easy to pair and you really can partner it with just about any drink that sounds good in the moment. If we were pushing your havarti-filled cart in the beer aisle, however, we’d fill it with weiss beer, doppelbock, stout or ESB. Wines that we matchmake with havarti include buttery chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, beaujolais or an on-the-lighter-side pinot noir.

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Havarti

Muenster

Beers and wines are our go-to for Wisconsin muenster. Stouts, pilsners, pale ales, porters, brown ales, lagers and Belgian ales are all really tasty with it. If you’d rather sip on wine, we suggest chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot, red zinfandel, riesling, sauvignon blanc, beaujolais, pinot gris or gruner veltliner.

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Muenster

Swiss

Nutty cheeses like slightly sweet sippers so we often pour bock, weiss beer, gewürztraminer, riesling, ice wines, port and sherry with Swiss. If stronger spirits sound best, then we recommend grappa and fruit brandies.

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Swiss

Find Your Next Pairing

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Pinot Noir

Alpine-Style

Asiago

Blue

Brick

Colby

Feta

Fontina

Gorgonzola

Havarti

Muenster

Swiss

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