Cabrales (Spain)

Cabrales is a famous, PDO-protected Spanish blue cheese from Asturias, produced using traditional, artisanal methods from raw cow milk or blended with goat/sheep milk. It is aged for 2-5 months in natural limestone caves, producing a strong, spicy flavor and a creamy yet crumbly texture with intense blue-green veins.

Cabrales

Wine Pairing Cabrales

Our favorite wine pairing is Riesling Spätlese.

Another favorite is Red Port.

Cambozola has Cambozola Classic has a delicate blue cheese flavor and a softer texture than a typical blue style cheese. When selecting wines to pair with Cambozola, it is essential to consider its bold and pungent taste profile.

Below are some excellent wine options to complement Cabrales:

Sweet Wines

The classic pairing with blue cheese is sweet dessert wine: sweet + fat + salt + umami is delicious.

Sauternes, Spätlese, Auslese, Tokay or any other late harvest wines, with a bit of residual sugar, will dance with the tanginess and saltiness of Cabrales.

Sauternes

Sauternes is a classic pairing for Cabrales. This sweet white wine from the Bordeaux region of France offers flavors of honey, apricot, and botrytized fruit. Its richness and sweetness can balance the sharpness and saltiness of the cheese, creating a harmonious combination.

Note: Similar wines like Monbazillac or Sainte Croix du Mont are a more affordable alternatives.

Late harvest Gewürztraminer

Late harvest Gewürztraminer offers intense aromatics, tropical fruit flavors, and a hint of spice. Its sweetness and acidity can provide a refreshing contrast to the pungency of Cabrales, creating a unique and enjoyable pairing.

Late harvest Riesling

Late harvest Riesling offers intense aromatics, ripe fruit flavors, and a hint of sweetness. Its acidity can provide a refreshing contrast to the pungency of Cabrales, while the sweetness complements the cheese's tanginess.

Late harvest Chenin Blanc

Late harvest Chenin Blanc offers flavors of ripe stone fruits, honey, and floral notes. Its sweetness and acidity can balance the cheese's sharpness and enhance its creamy texture, creating a harmonious pairing.

Dessert Wines

Sauternes

A Frenchman would traditionally drink a Sauternes (a luscious, sweet wine from Bordeaux) to pair with aged, salty cheese, particularly Roquefort.

This pairing is considered one of the ultimate French sweet-and-salty combinations, where the intense honey, apricot, and high acidity of the Sauternes balances the pungent, salty funk of blue or long-aged cheeses.

Banyuls

Banyuls is a fortified sweet wine from the Roussillon region of France, made from Grenache grapes. Its dark fruit flavors, hints of chocolate, and velvety texture can complement the bold flavors and creamy texture of Cabrales.

Coteaux du Layon (Loire Valley)

A very sweet white wine made from Chenin Blanc, often paired with older goat cheeses or strong blue cheeses.

Sparkling Wines

Moscato d'Asti

Moscato d'Asti is a sweet and slightly sparkling white wine from Italy, known for its floral aromas and flavors of ripe stone fruits. Its light effervescence and sweetness can balance the sharpness of Cabrales, making it an enjoyable pairing.

Lambrusco

This slightly sparkling red wine from Emilia-Romagna, Italy, offers a touch of sweetness, bright acidity, and fruity flavors that can balance the richness of Cabraleswhile cleansing the palate between the bites.

Red Wines

Full bodied red wines can be a suitable choice if you’re eating Cabrales as part of a meal rather than on its own. Anyway, the red wine must be bold, aromatic and savory.

Malbec

Malbec from Argentina is a full-bodied red with notes of black berries and plum. This distinctive flavor profile makes it a great partner for Cabrales. Oaked Malbecs also have hints of cocoa, coffee, tobacco and leather, so the complex flavors of Cabraleswill not overwhelm the wine. Instead, they marry beautifully.

Cabernet Sauvignon

A full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with its rich dark fruit flavors, firm tannins, and hints of spice can provide a bold complement to Cabrales.

The wine's structure and intensity balances the cheese's creamy texture and enhances its undertones.

Syrah / Shiraz

A bold and fruity Syrah/Shiraz can be a delicious pairing with Cabrales. The wine's dark fruit flavors, spicy notes, hints of pepper, and firm tannins complements the cheese's robust flavors.

Zinfandel

Zinfandel, particularly those with jammy fruit flavors and a hint of spice, can complement the richness and complexity of Cabrales. The oak, the tannins, the acidity, and the aromas of vanilla and coconut in Zinfandel match the blue cheese without overpowering it.

Personal Preferences

Enjoy your wine and cheese with local fruits nuts and bread!

Personal preferences play a significant role in wine and cheese pairings, so don't hesitate to experiment to find the combination that suits your taste buds best.

Consider adding some accompaniments like fruit, nuts, or bread to enhance the pairing experience: