Australia, California and Washington produce Syrah that is often quite lush and rich with fruit. French Syrah can be a bit more rustic. Whichever style of this grape you prefer, you're bound to find many complex and enjoyable bottles. Syrah is often a nice compliment to cheeses that have enough flavor and complexity to match this intriguing grape.
Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue
Rogue Creamery Blue Cheese. Photo by J. Meier
Rogue Smokey Blue is cold smoked over hazlenut shells, imparting a lightly smokey and nutty flavor to the cheese. This smokey character pairs especially well with syrah, although many spicy blues pair well with syrah, too. Lush, fruit-forward syrah pairs best with blues and if the wine has some meaty qualities to it, even better.
Consider putting Smokey Blue on a burger and washing it down with a glass of Syrah.
Goat Gouda
Midnight Moon goat gouda. Photo by J. Meier
When goat cheese is young and fresh it can be quite tangy and acidic, but when aged into a gouda-style cheese, the milk becomes sweet and pleasantly sharp with a caramelized finish. The ripe berry flavors in syrah compliment these flavors. Some goat goudas to try are Midnight Moon from California cheesemaker Cypress Grove or Arina, a brand of goat gouda from Holland. Also worth seeking out is an aged goat cheese made more in the style of cheddar than gouda called Le Chevre Noir from Quebec, Canada.
Abbaye de Belloc
French Cheese Abbaye de Belloc. Photo by Jennifer Meier
Abbaye de Belloc is a sheeps' milk cheese with a mild, nutty flavor that is always a crowd pleaser. Its agreeable flavor pairs well with practically any style of syrah. Bolder sheeps' milk cheeses to try with syrah are Vermont Shepherd, Trade Lake Cedar made by Love Tree Farm or Serra de Estrela from Portugal.
Beecher's Flagship Cheddar
Beecher's Flagship Cheddar. Photo by J. Meier
Flagship, made by Beecher's Handmade Cheese in Seattle, is robust, nutty and pleasantly sharp on the finish without making you pucker. A sip of rich, fruit-forward syrah is the perfect way to complete a bite of Flagship. Another cheddar to try with Syrah is Cabot's Clothbound cheddar.
Camembert
French Camembert. Photo by J. Meier
The mushroomy, wet hay characteristics of Camembert match the earthy notes in syrah and are contrasted by the rich, berry fruit in syrah. French Camembert is always a good choice, or you can try US-made versions that tend to be milder and more buttery such as Old Chatham Camembert from New York or Mt. Townsend Creamery's Pacific Northwest Camembert, Cirrus.
