Pairing Off: Wine and cheese, sure. But string cheese?

When you think of wine and cheese, what comes to mind? A tray loaded with époisses, brillat-savarin, maybe a fresh burrata and a little tomme de savoie.

Sure, but check your fridge. Thought so. String cheese.

Not everyone has the time or wherewithal to stock up at The Cheese Shop. And let’s face it, the prepackaged snacks are pretty handy. But they also pose a problem, at least when it comes to wine.

If you do have Cheese Shop wherewithal, you’ve probably forgotten that those cheese sticks lack something when it comes to character. The off-brand variety in question for this pairing challenge are mellow with just a faint tang and a trace of salt.

“You almost want something…pairing with cheese usually isn’t difficult,” says Claire Sutton of Sovino Wine Bar & Merchant in Monterey. “The salt is the key.”

There’s not much to string cheese, but that streak of salinity can trip up a wine. But after a little more thought, Sutton zeroed in on a Syrah—the 2018 vintage from Silvestri.

“You need something big to dampen the salt,” she explains. “The Silvestri is really good, and at a good price point.”

It is indeed a nice wine. Aromas of ripe berries and plums swirl from the glass, laced with pepper and a lightly cured tobacco. Take a sip and the fruits cascade over the palate—loads of plum and tart blueberries, strapped by velvety tannins. There’s an earthy undertone with a tingle of whole peppercorns.

Something remarkable happens when paired with string cheese, however. A strong notion of chocolate mousse emerges and the fruit deepens into a compote. It becomes a rich, imposing wine—something to reckon with. It’s the sort of flavor profile you might expect from a long cellared bottle.

The string cheese—well, there’s no helping the string cheese.