There's Now Proof That Eating Cheese Makes Wine Taste Better

Snacking on cheese can increase the aroma of wine and decrease the duration of its astringency.

Confirming what we've suspected for years, a group of researchers have found that eating cheese alongside your vino can make the wine taste even better.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Food Science, tasked locals from the wine-loving town of Dijon, France with the tough job of snacking on cheese in between sips of wine and giving feedback on the sensations they experienced with every taste. Each of the wines, which included Pancherenc, Sancerre, Bourgogne, and Madiran, was evaluated alone and then in between bites of a variety of cheeses.

Following the taste test, the researchers at France's Center for Taste and Feeding Behavior came to the conclusion that none of the cheeses tested—which included epoisses, compte, Roquefort, and crottin de chavignol—had a negative effect on the taste of the wine and the preferences of the drinker. In fact, the sipping sensations were improved for a number of the wines when snacking was thrown into the mix. The cheese was shown to increase the aroma and decrease the duration of astringency for both of the red wines tested, and boosted the aroma of another. The only wine that wasn't impacted was Pacherenc, a sweeter variety.

"We learned that the duration of the perception of astringency of a certain wine could be reduced after having cheese and that the four evaluated cheeses had the same effect," lead author Mara V. Galmarini said in a press release. "In short, when having a plate of assorted cheeses, the wine will probably taste better no matter which one they choose."

Beyond making dairy lovers everywhere happy, this data could also encourage marketers to take into account how one food or beverage's profile changes by the addition of another. And if nothing else, it's a great excuse to eat more cheese—something we support wholeheartedly.

(h/t International Business Times)

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