Wine and Cheese Day

Wine and cheese. Christiane / Pixabay.com / 2017 / CC0 1.0

The 25th of July is Wine and Cheese Day.

It can be a day to enjoy old favourite combinations of wines and cheeses, or perhaps a day on which to experiment with finding a few new favourite pairings.

You could try pairing by region, for instance California wines with California cheeses, or German wines with German cheeses.

In the Northern Hemisphere where it’s summer now, this is a good opportunity to pair chilled summer wines with summer cheeses. Add some locally grown summer fruits that are in season. In the Southern Hemisphere, where it’s winter, you may wish something heartier: what about red wine with a grilled cheddar cheese sandwich, or a Riesling with a grilled cheese made with Swiss Emmenthal?

One pairing tip from cheese-writer Laura Werlin is to avoid red wine with soft cheeses:

“Red wine typically has more tannins and low acidity which can cause soft cheeses to taste chalky. Instead, reach for an equally full-bodied, flavorful cheese such as an aged cheddar if you must drink a red wine…In general, white wines pair best with lighter, milder cheeses. This allows the fresh, often fruity notes of the white wine to enhance the sweet creaminess of the cheese. ” ^[1]It’s National Wine and Cheese Day on Saturday! How to celebrate? Fort Worth, Texas: Fort Worth Business Press. 24 July 2020. Accessed June 2021 at https://fortworthbusiness.com/culture/its-national-wine-and-cheese-day-on-saturday-how-to-celebrate/

Another unexpected tip is blue cheese with a sparkling wine:

“Want another unique idea? Grab some bubbly and pair it with a blue cheese for an unexpected dessert pairing after dinner. The crisp carbonation of the sparkling wine will cut the creaminess of the bold, blue cheese.” ^[2]It’s National Wine and Cheese Day on Saturday! How to celebrate? Fort Worth, Texas: Fort Worth Business Press. 24 July 2020. Accessed June 2021 at https://fortworthbusiness.com/culture/its-national-wine-and-cheese-day-on-saturday-how-to-celebrate/

#WineAndCheeseDay #NationalWineAndCheeseDay

See also: Cheese, Wine, Cheese Day, Drink Wine Day, Red Wine Day, Sangria Day, Wine Day, Beaujolais Nouveau Day, World Malbec Day, Vinalia Urbana, Vinalia Rustica, Meditrinalia

Activities for today

• Look for recipes that incorporate both wine and cheese;
• have friends over to help you sample your pairings or creations;
• post photos of your cheese platters or dishes on social media;
• look for promotions and offers at restaurants and wine bars;
• go out to a restaurant and order a cheese board;
• have a wine and cheese picnic.

History

Jace Shoemaker-Galloway claims to have created National Wine and Cheese Day. She is a website writer, who has created a website, holidays.com, which tracks special days. On her page for the day, she writes:

“July 25 celebrates a delightful combination of food and drink. It’s National Wine and Cheese Day in the U.S.A., an annual holiday created by freelance writer and wine-lover, Jace Shoemaker-Galloway.” ^[3]Shoemaker-Galloway, Jace. National Wine and Cheese Day. 24 July 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.holidailys.com/single-post/2016/07/24/National-Wine-and-Cheese-Day

Many web sources say that she initiated the day in 2014, but CooksInfo has been unable to find any authoritative backing for that assertion.

In 2014, Shoemaker-Galloway posted two comment on a CNN Eatocracy “National Cheese Day” page promoting her day, though she referred to it in a way which invited readers to infer that it was an “established” thing, rather than something she was newly inventing out of the blue that year. ^[4]Accessed June 2021 at https://eatocracy.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/04/national-cheese-day/ . The link she gave in her comments has since gone bad.

Jace Shoemaker-Galloway comments on CNN in 2014

The first print mention CooksInfo is aware of dates from 2017 in Florida:

“National Wine and Cheese Day… Reservations required. $45. 5 pm. Tuesday [Ed: which would have been 25 July 2017].” — Anders, Peggy. Wine, beer and spirits. St Petersburg, Florida: Tampa Bay Times. Wednesday, 19 July 2017. Page 5E, col. 2.

Sources

Chilsen, Holly. Creating the perfect pairing for National Wine and Cheese Day. Wausau, WI: WSAW-TV. 23 July 2020. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.wsaw.com/2020/07/23/creating-the-perfect-pairing-for-national-wine-and-cheese-day/

Heiskell, Elizabeth. Try these easy hacks and grown-up grilled cheese for National Wine & Cheese Day. Today Show. 24 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.today.com/food/how-keep-champagne-bubbly-more-hacks-national-wine-cheese-day-t134077

Mulligan, Greg. National Wine and Cheese Day 2020: Dates, History and How to celebrate this day? Pune, MH, India: Broadcast Cover. 25 July 2020. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.broadcastcover.com/national-wine-and-cheese-day-2020-dates-history-and-how-to-celebrate-this-day/

Sherman, Skye. Celebrate National Wine And Cheese Day At These 6 Restaurants In The Palm Beaches. Palm Beach, Florida: Palm Beacher Magazine. 10 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.palmbeachermagazine.com/national-wine-and-cheese-day

Today is National Hire a Veteran Day, National Wine and Cheese Day! Santa Maria, California: 957 The Beat FM. 25 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at http://www.957thebeatfm.com/2018/07/25/today-is-national-hire-a-veteran-day-national-wine-and-cheese-day-and-its-also/

Walansky, Aly. Celebrate National Wine And Cheese Day With A Summer-Friendly Cheese Plate. Forbes Magazine. 25 July 2020. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.forbes.com/sites/alywalansky/2020/07/25/celebrate-national-wine-and-cheese-day-with-a-summer-friendly-cheese-plate/?sh=4f48e3af3fd5