With the festive season upon us, many wine lovers will be sitting down to meals where cheese, at some point, will be presented. The cheese should be accompanied by the wine that most complements it; a skill which is an art in itself.

To enjoy good cheese and wine is to enjoy variety, contrast and subtlety- Bill Hermitage

The skill of a winemaker, as is the art of the cheesemaker, is one of delicate balance.

Producing a perfect wine or cheese, with the right depth of flavour, the most mouth-watering texture and delicious aroma, depends on many factors.

For the cheesemaker, the milk used – whether it’s cow’s milk, goat’s or ewe’s – and the type of pasture have a bearing on the end result; as do the complexities of making and maturing the cheese.

For the winemaker, the quality and variety of grape used is crucial, together with the climatic conditions and terroir under which it was grown. Then there is, of course, the art of the winemaker who will create and mature the wine in his own unique style.

To enjoy good cheese and wine is to enjoy variety, contrast and subtlety. There’s a cheese and wine for every palate and for every occasion. Cheeses range from the mildest, blandest types, through a whole range of rich, mellow and buttery flavours, to the most pungent, sharp and salty cheeses at the far end of the flavour spectrum.

Then there’s an astonishing choice of colours and textures to enhance eye and palate – from firm, handsome, mature cheddars through to crumbly, flavoursome Parmiggiano; from the soft white curds of ricotta, to the oozing nature of ripe Brie or Camembert.

Veined cheeses, charcoal coated, wrapped in leaves, enriched – the choice is endless.

Equally endless are the styles and flavours of wine, ranging from dry, fruity, crisp refreshing white wines like the Medina Girgentina Chardonnay or delicately aromatic, spicy dry whites like the Medina Vermentino Zibibbo; light-bodied or medium-bodied fruity reds such as Victoria Heights Merlot or Medina Sangiovese or Syrah Carignan Grenache.

Then there’s luscious rich sweet dessert wines like the Grand vin de Hauteville Moscato or Casella Moscato; soft vanilla flavoured oak-aged whites like Victoria Heights Chardonnay or Gran Cavalier Chardonnay; or fine, austere barrel matured reds like Grand Vin de Hauteville Cabernet Sauvignon or Gran Cavalier Syrah.

Most cheeses can make marvellous matches with wines. But to assume that any cheese will go with any wine could not be more wrong.

Some strong blue cheeses resist all attempts at being paired off. Several really flavoursome cheeses clash with or spoil most wines. Yet some of the most full flavoured and pungent cheeses find heaps of good partners. The French consider a meal incomplete unless it has incorporated a cheese course with a glass of red wine, but the best option is often a white wine – and sometimes even a sweet white wine, especially with the blue cheeses. Tannin in red wine often spoils a match, so mature reds are frequently more successful than young ones.

Matching the acidity level of wine and cheese is often important. The trickiest thing is to serve one wine with a platter of different cheeses. You can sometimes find a wine that can match them all – a soft mature oak-aged red would be an excellent choice, as it complements so many cheeses. Otherwise, it might be better to serve just one good cheese, and partner it with a wine that is a perfect match.

Great partnerships include Grand Vin de Hautevillle Moscato and Stilton cheese, a mature gamey goat’s cheese and Gran Cavalier Syrah, Parmiggiano and Medina Sangiovese or a ripe Brie or Camembert with Grand vin de Hauteville Viognier.