Sake x Cheese

We all know that wine and cheese work as a foolproof flavour combination; for the rest of history, people will continue to drink wine and eat cheese.

But why not try something a bit different? Sake and cheese are a lesser-known but complementary food and drink pairing, as they are both anchored by the same flavour compounds and lactic acid. You could argue that it’s a more sophisticated pairing for this reason; it’s harmonious as opposed to taking away from the flavour of the cheese.

If we’re to get technical, this combination works as both cheese and sake are fermented products, and the chemicals that are produced during the making of the respective products are more similar than the chemicals given off when wine and cheese are being made respectively. Koji is fundamental in the process of making sake; it’s a magical mould that, amongst other things, breaks down proteins in the rice into amino acids and peptides. The same thing happens in cheese during the fermentation process.

A few combinations that work particularly well and beat a wine pairing; tangy fresh goat cheese, paired with this fresh and fruity sake. Likewise, something like an oily, hard savoury cheese could pair well with a robust, rich and savoury sake. Wine can have a tendency to wash away the flavours of cheese, but sake helps retain these flavours on the palate.

If you’d like to test out the combination for yourself, you can purchase this hamper that we curated with La Fromagerie. For a deeper dive into the harmony of sake and cheese, check out our recap of our sake x cheese tasting event, here.