Cheese has traditionally been a staple in the world of wine tasting.

Why is that?

The science behind the pairing boils down to positive sensory interactions experienced when consuming the two together. A recent research study dived into the associations experienced when pairing red and white wines with different cheese.

Study participants tasted four different wines of which two were reds, one was a sweet white, and one was a dry white. The four cheeses were Epoisses, Comté, Roquefort, and Crottin de Chavignol.

While snacking and sipping, the participants chose from a list of sensation responses that applied to the pairings.

Overall, none of the four cheeses elicited a negative response from the pairings, and in most cases, participants said it improved their preference for the wines.

The conclusions of the research that was completed at the Center for Taste and Feeding Behaviour in Dijon, France, explained that cheese consumption improved the aroma of the red fruits in the two red wines and modified the aroma of the dry white.

Additionally, cheese reduced the duration of astringency, which is the term used to describe the feeling of dryness in the mouth that is caused by tannins in the wine.

This ability to mediate flavors and improve the eating experience is likely one of the biggest contributors to growth of cheese consumption in the United States and across the globe in recent decades.

Take cheese’s use in Latino foods as another example. And even more examples exist in cheese’s use on pizzas that carry a wide variety of toppings and cheese’s paring with many types of Italian fare.