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The Perfect Pairing

9 Perfect Texas Cheese and Wine Pairings

From Lubbock to Driftwood, Blanco to Grapevine, Texas cheeses and wines have been garnering awards and cult followings. Now it's time to enjoy the two together.

By Gwendolyn Knapp Published in the March 2019 issue of Houstonia Magazine

Hoja Santa from Mozzarella Company, Dallas

Paula Lambert has been making cheese since 1982—her mozz and Deep Ellum blue are staples. This fresh, fluffy goat cheese comes wrapped in native hoja santa leaves and tied with raffia grass for a hyper-Texas take on classic French-style Banon, which traditionally is wrapped in chestnut leaves. With a mild sassafras and sunshiny lemon flavor, this cheese goes well with the Sangiovese from Lubbock-based McPherson Cellars, which, according to Houston Dairymaids’ Lindsey Schechter, also has “a kind of sassafras quality to it that works.”

Get it at Central Market and Houston Dairymaids.

Texas Gold Cheddar from Veldhuizen Farm, Dublin

You probably know this dairy in Dublin outside of Fort Worth for its summer grill-out favorite—the Shiner Bohemian Black–spiked Redneck Cheddar, a burger topper if ever there was one. But the flagship Texas Gold is the true shining star of Stuart and Connie Veldhuizen’s 18-year-old cheesemaking operation. Made with quality raw milk from their 40-deep herd—Jerseys, Holsteins, and Ayrshires that graze over 180 acres of pasture—and aged for a year, it’s grassy, buttery, sharp enough to linger on the tongue, and wonderful with a William Chris 2016 Enchanté, a red blend with notes of bramble fruit, mocha, and even a hint of pepper.

Get it at Houston Dairymaids.

The Welshman from River Whey Creamery, Schertz

It was only in 2014 that bookseller Susan Rigg turned to cheesemaking, launching her creamery just outside of San Antonio. Today her wares are quickly gaining a following. The offering she calls The Welshman—inspired by the humble, hearty, shroomy, salty, crumbly Welsh cheese known as Caerphilly—boasts an earthy rind, tart and tangy nuances, sea salt sourced directly from Wales, and quality raw milk from the Jersey cows at Four E Dairy over in Moulton. And no wonder it’s so good: Rigg learned to make it in Wales, from the makers of world-class Gorwydd Caerphilly at Trethowan’s Dairy. Try it with the dry and citrusy Chenin Blanc from Pheasant Ridge Winery, made from the oldest Chenin Blanc vines in Texas.

Get it at River Whey Creamery.

Pure Luck Chèvre from Pure Luck Dairy, Dripping Springs

Amelia Sweethardt’s seasonal, fresh, delicately piquant goat’s-milk cheese, sourced from 85 Nubian and Alpine goats on her 11-acre farm, is basket-drained by hand. It was named the best chèvre at last year’s American Cheese Society Competition—a big deal. She sells it plain, and also coated in ingredients such as herbs; Anaheim red chile flakes; or honey, smoked black pepper, and thyme (June’s Joy, a fan favorite). For a cheery pairing, try it with the Roussanne from Fredericksburg’s Lost Draw Cellars—a sunny, lemony, and floral white.

Get it at Houston Dairymaids.

Baby Blue from CKC Farms, Blanco

This heavenly half-pound wheel of Gorgonzola Dolce–inspired goat’s-milk blue is as beautiful as it is rare. With a cult following and small-batch status—cheesemaker Chrissy Omo only makes it when milk supply allows, as her 140 goats also produce the ash-covered bestseller, Baby Caprino—the assertively goaty, mildly sweet blue sells out fast at Houston Dairymaids. “It’s got a little barnyard going on,” Schechter says, “but in a good way.” We can’t get enough of it, especially when it’s paired with a glass of Malvasia Bianca from Crowson in Johnson City, a compelling, forward-thinking, unfiltered natural wine.

Get it at Houston Dairymaids.

Granbury Gold from Eagle Mountain Farmhouse Cheese, Granbury

Cheesemakers Dave and Matt Eagle source milk from sixth-generation dairyman Mike Moyers, who raises award-winning Brown Swiss cows—a rarity in Texas—to make this Dutch-style crowd-pleaser. The cows are known for their incredible milk, and though this luscious, semi-firm wheel is similar to a gouda, it’s smoother, softer, and milder, making it an excellent snacking cheese that will please just about anyone. Enjoy it with a bottle of 2017 All The Good Things You Keep Inside from Fredericksburg’s Southold Farm + Cellar, made from Mataró grapes sourced from the Texas High Plains and imbued with elegant strawberry and spice—let it breathe.

Get it at Houston Dairymaids.

Latte Da Pepper Jack from Latte Da Dairy, Flower Mound

At her five-acre dairy outside of Grapevine, Anne Jones has all but mastered the fine, finicky art of aging goat cheese, although her small herd of purebred Nubian and LaMancha milkers also deserves some credit. Favorites include a chive-y Cotswald, a Caerphilly, and, of course, her stunning pepper jack. With a creamy mouthfeel that reminds us of a goaty gouda, but nuttier and less sweet, it’s laced with peppery rings of fire—appropriate for a must-have Texas cheese. Try it with a glass of sweet, Spanish-style Albariño from Pedernales Cellars, with notes of almond and mango.

Get it at Houston Dairymaids.

Manos de Dios from Revelation Artisan Cheese, Meridian Blue

Eric and Karen Tippit source raw milk from a farmer who lives near their new creamery, where they turn out Spanish-inspired charmers including this cow’s-milk beauty, a tomme aged for at least two months and rubbed with olive oil and smoked paprika. Faintly nutty, it speaks to lovers of Spanish-style snacking cheeses, eliciting visions of hot summer sunsets and a little bit of sweat on the brow. Try it with a sexy, jammy Spanish red, like the 2015 Tempranillo from Lewis Wines out of Johnson City.

Get it at Houston Dairymaids.

Añoranza from Dos Lunas Cheese, Austin

Sourced from Jersey cow milk at Schulenburg’s Stryk Jersey Farm and handmade by second-generation cheesemaker Joaquin Avellan, this tart, buttery, snackable cheese sports a tinge of funk from its natural rind and six months of cave aging. Inspired by his father’s cheesemaking back in Venezuela, Avellan only works with raw cow’s milk. Pair his Añoranza with a glass of The Good Guy—a lush, chocolate-y red table wine with notes of spice and berries—from Spicewood Vineyards in Spicewood.

Get it at Dos Lunas Cheese.

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While the artisan cheese industry is still young in the Lone Star State, we have a burgeoning crew of small-scale creameries who are delving into mastering numerous styles of cheeses. Goat’s-milk cheeses are particularly popular here, given the climate, but quality cow’s-milk cheeses are on the rise, too. From Lubbock to Driftwood, Blanco to Grapevine, both Texas cheeses and wines have been garnering awards and cult followings. Which brings us to an important fact: Now is the time to enjoy the two together. Above, our nine favorite pairings, all made in Texas.

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Wine, Wine Pairings, Texas Wine, Cheese
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