Deny it though we might, humans love rotten stuff.
We enthusiastically buy grain that's been boiled, eaten and spat out by yeasts (beer), milk so infected with germs that it's too thick to drink (yogurt), and steaks hung from hooks until they're hard, brown and crusty (Peter Luger's).
But connoisseurship knows no limits. Unsatisfied to let spoiled food or spoiled drinks be enjoyed in fetid isolation, gastronomes (like us) insist on forcing them together in unholy alliances. Like any good Hollywood gossip, we revel in a rotten marriage. And the marriage that earns top ink from obsessive little freaks like us is that between wine and cheese.

Wine is what happens when you crush grapes and expose their sugars to voracious yeasts who devour them and expel alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Cheese is what happens when you warm up some milk, add bacteria and enzymes, curdle it, condense it, and wait for the funk.
Together, these two cultured creations work together in delicious and mysterious ways, creating new flavors in the mouth and alchemical reactions of taste, texture and aromatic complexity.

The downside is, you can screw things up pretty easily.
A huge, high alcohol red with spicy pepper jack, for instance, will burn your tongue with unpleasant heat.
A high acid white with double-cream Brie will turn powdery and granulated in the mouth.
So the question we at Nancy's get asked a lot is: how can I pair the right wine with all these weird cheeses in my grocery bag?

We've got some pointers and specific wine/cheese combos that work for most palates. By all means, experiment with others (and come in to tell us about your discoveries!) Then, you too can be a connoisseur of rot.

Traditional Pairings

Sauvignon Blanc with Goat Cheese
Goat's milk cheeses have a tart, grassy character and frequently come dusted with herbs. Crisp, herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc is a no-brainer. For French chevre like Montrachet or Brindamour, we recommend Francois Cazin Cheverny 2002 from the Loire ($10.99). For American or aged goats, try a more intense wine from New Zealand, like Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc 2002 ($12.99).

Spanish Wine with Spanish Cheese
The waxy, spicy, rustic flavors and textures of Spanish cheese excel with the indigenous reds. Serve our amazing Puelles Rioja Reserva 1996 ($14.99) with Roncal or Manchego; or for a bargain, tryLas Renas Monastrell 2000 at only $5.99! Smoky, blue-veined Cabrales or Idiazabal is wild with Olivares Monastrell Dulce 2000 ($25.99); and Barbadillo Oloroso Sherry ($7.99) graces aged, nutty Mahon.

Chardonnay with Brie
Jeez, we knew Chardonnay had to be good for something. It's that round, fat, low-acidity mouthfeel that marries so comfortably with creamy cow's milk cheeses like Brie, Camembert, and Port Salut. Ideally, you should drink something French, like Francois d'Allaines Montagny 1er Cru 'Les Vignes Derriere' ($19.99). The California equivalent is Heitz Chardonnay 2001 ($17.99).

Vintage Champagne with Parmigiano Reggiano
Surprised? The bready, complex palate of vintage Champagne pairs beautifully with Parmigiano's nutty intensity while its juiciness refreshes you from the salt and the bubbles cleanse your palate. The house favorite is Jacquart Brut Blanc de Blancs 1996 ($43.99).



Weirder Pairings

Taleggio and Aglianico
Taleggio is one of Italy's most insidious cheeses. It looks harmless enough-a pasty, semisoft, Brie-like looking thing. But bring it home, unwrap it, let it come to room temp and WHOOSH! That's rank! So teach it some manners with a bold, mature Aglianico from Campania (the toe of the Italian boot). The rusticity and depth of the wine handles Taleggio's power, while the wine's spicy, brickish aromas enhance the cheese's complexity. The one to try is Di Meo Aglianico 2000 ($16.99).

Feta and Riesling Trocken (dry)
Greek or Bulgarian Feta is salty, briny, and light. So why not pair it with a salty, briny, light white wine? Certain dry Rieslings from Germany possess those qualities, namely the Franzen Riesling Dry 2002 ($15.99) which grows in the steepest vineyard in the Mosel, or the lacy, racy Balthasar Riesling Dry 2002 ($8.99).

Tawny Port or Madeira with Blue Cheese
An old favorite. One-to-two-year-old Stilton, Shropshire Blue, or Fourme d'Ambert are all nice choices-it helps if the cheese is aged and a little nutty. Pair these strange, veiny lumps of putrescent fat (sorry) with the Barros 8-year-old Tawny Port ($19.99). For a deluxe alternative, switch from Port to Madeira and spend a long, fruitful evening with the Blandy's 15 year-old Malmsey ($44.99), one of the most complicated taste experiences available to humans.