The First Course: Pairing Cheese and Wine for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving cheeseboard photo credit L Baslev

This Thanksgiving, let the cheeseboard set the tone for the feast, like a dramatic opening act. A thoughtfully chosen selection of cheeses, paired with wines that complement or contrast their flavors, can introduce the aromas, textures, and seasonal ingredients that define the holiday table.

Harvest vegetables, woodsy herbs, apples, pears, and cranberry sauce offer plenty of inspiration. Build a board with a range of textures, ages, and flavor profiles, from creamy to crystalline and sweet to sharp, with savory and fruit-forward notes that capture the warmth and richness of the season. Best of all, once you've enjoyed the first course, there's no reason not to continue drinking the same wines with dinner. That is, if you have any left.

Fresh Goat Cheese and Crémant de Loire

Purple Haze and Cremant de Loire

Fresh goat cheese is an ideal opening for a Thanksgiving cheeseboard. Its creamy texture and citrusy tang offer a refreshing counterpoint to the richness of the holiday meal. Cypress Grove’s Purple Haze, flavored with lavender and fennel pollen, or a classic fresh chèvre, such as one from Laura Chenel, make a natural choice.

Pair the cheese with Crémant de Loire, typically made with Chenin Blanc, for its lively acidity, green apple and citrus notes, and subtle honeyed character. Fine bubbles refresh the palate, while the wine’s bright fruit complements the cheese’s tang. Prosecco or another dry sparkling wine offers a similarly crisp, celebratory start.

Serve with: Apple slices, fresh herbs, and seeded crackers.

Aged Goat Cheese and Fumé Blanc

Crypress Grove Midnight Moon and Mondavi Fume Blanc

Aged goat cheese, such as Cypress Grove Midnight Moon, brings concentrated, nutty flavors and rich, firm and texture to the board, calling for a wine with both freshness and depth. Robert Mondavi’s Reserve Fumé Blanc from To Kalon Vineyard, a Sauvignon Blanc with a touch of Sémillon, offers aromas of pear, mango, and citrus, followed by flavors of tropical fruit and lemon custard. Vibrant acidity provides a refreshing counterpoint to the cheese’s richness, while the wine’s creamy texture and layered fruit complement Midnight Moon’s brown-butter and caramel notes. A long, persistent finish brings the pairing into balance, allowing the depth of both the wine and cheese to shine.

Serve with: Pear slices, honey, fresh thyme, and seeded crackers.

Alpine-style and Pinot Noir

Gruyere and Baldacci Pinot Noir

Alpine-style cheeses bring notes of toasted nuts, browned butter, and savory depth to the board. Michael Baldacci, winemaker at Baldacci Family Vineyards in Napa Valley, recommends a Pinot Noir with bright acidity, expressive fruit, and soft tannins to complement these rich, nuanced flavors.

His 2024 Elizabeth Pinot Noir delivers tart cherry and vibrant red-fruit flavors layered with violet, orange peel, black tea, and warming spice. For an ideal pairing, Baldacci turns to aged Gruyère, whose earthy character and savory richness complement the wine without overshadowing its delicate aromatics.

As he explains, “you want to look for cheeses that complement those flavors without overpowering the wine’s more delicate aromatics.” Gruyère’s subtle earthiness echoes the wine’s spice and tea notes, while its rich, nutty character finds balance in the Pinot Noir’s fresh acidity, creating a pairing that is both harmonious and nuanced.

Serve with: Toasted walnuts, dried apple, and crusty levain bread.

Rogue River Blue and Syrah

Rogue River Blue and Argyle Syrah

Few pairings feel as rooted in a sense of place as Rogue River Blue and Syrah. Made by Oregon's Rogue Creamery, this blue cheese is aged for nine to twelve months and wrapped in Syrah grape leaves soaked in pear liqueur. Its fudgy texture reveals layers of blue-cheese tang, truffle, fig, forest floor, and brandy, with a subtle sweetness that tempers its savory intensity.

Marguerite Merritt, a former sommelier and brand manager at Rogue Creamery, recommends an aged red wine with a balance of earth and fruit and moderate tannins. Syrah, particularly from the Northern Rhône, is a natural fit.

“Côte-Rôtie is a standout alongside Rogue River Blue, or Hermitage for those who prefer a bolder alternative,” she says. For a domestic option at a more approachable price point, Merritt recommends an Oregon Syrah, such as Argyle Columbia Gorge Syrah.

Serve with: Ripe pear, toasted hazelnuts, fresh figs, blackberry compote.

American Clothbound Cheddar and Chianti Classico Riserva

Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound Cheddar and Montefili Chianti Classico Riserva

An aged American clothbound cheddar, such as Jasper Hill Farm's Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, makes a natural partner for Chianti Classico Riserva. Aged in Vermont cellars and wrapped in lard-brushed cloth, the cheese develops a firm, crumbly texture and concentrated notes of toasted nuts, brown butter, and savory broth.

These flavors stand up to the structure of a Riserva. Sangiovese's bright cherry fruit, dried herbs, and earthy undertones complement the cheddar's nutty, savory character, while its lively acidity balances the cheese's richness.

Montefili Chianti Classico Riserva brings bright cherry fruit and earthy complexity to the pairing. Its acidity keeps the combination lively, while its tannins provide structure without overwhelming the cheese's nuanced flavors.

Serve with: Toasted hazelnuts, apples, rosemary crackers, dried cherries.

Aged Gouda and Cabernet Sauvignon

Marieke Super Aged Gouda and Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon

An aged Gouda, ideally 18 to 24-months old, develops concentrated nuttiness, caramel notes, and the crystalline crunch that comes with maturation. These characteristics make it a natural companion for a Cabernet Sauvignon with dark fruit and baking spice.

Samantha Silva, estate director at Larkmead Vineyards in Napa Valley, recommends pairing an aged Gouda such as Marieke Super Aged Gouda with the winery's 2023 Solari Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The cheese’s  “concentrated nuttiness, caramel notes, and little crystalline crunch are wonderful with Solari's dark fruit and baking spice,” she explains.

Silva cautions that an excessively mature Gouda can become intensely salty and butterscotch-driven, potentially overshadowing the wine's more subtle nuances. An 18 to 24-month-aged cheese offers a better balance of nuttiness, sweetness, and texture, allowing both partners to shine.

Serve with: Toasted pecans, dried cherries, fresh apple.

From Cheeseboard to Thanksgiving Table

A well-chosen cheeseboard offers a progression of flavors rather than a collection of competing tastes. A few thoughtfully selected cheeses are more compelling than an oversized board on which every flavor vies for attention. Let the pairings celebrate the season, give each wine room to shine, and set the stage for the meal to come.

As Samantha Silva puts it, “Ultimately, for a Thanksgiving appetizer, we want a cheese board to invite guests into the wine—and leave them hungry for dinner.”