This Is The Wine You Should Be Pairing With Halloumi Cheese

Halloumi is a sleeper hit from the Mediterranean living up to its highest potential when grilled or fried. But while this type of cheese is great on its own, adding a glass of wine is even better. To pick the right variety we spoke with the Sommelier and Operations Manager at Moon Rabbit, Andrew Limberg, about his top wine pick to pair with halloumi.

"Rosé is a popular answer here for good reason," Limberg told Tasting Table. "The light red fruit goes well with the grilled flavors of the halloumi." As you can tell, you should try this tangy cheese on the grill the next time you're out in the backyard cooking up some dinner. And what better way to celebrate your outdoor kitchen than with a cold bottle of rosé?

Ultimately, there are a lot of unconventional foods that pair with rosé, but grilled halloumi is one of the best flavor combinations that you won't regret trying. Halloumi is traditionally made from a mixture of goat and sheep's milk (though cow milk is sometimes substituted). The milk is brined, giving this Mediterranean cheese a distinctly tangy, salty flavor profile which makes it the perfect alternative if the flavor of feta overwhelms you. What makes this so great with rosé is the fun interplay of the savory aspects of halloumi with the refreshingly crisp minerality of rosé, but not just any wine variety will do. "I'm a sucker for Cerasuolo from Abruzzo," Limberg said.

Since this type of cheese is so salty, you wouldn't want to go with a big-bodied red wine that's pushing heavy tannins onto your palate. Don't get us wrong, in the right situation we love the mouth-puckering flavors of big, tannic wines. But since halloumi is already providing that briny taste, it's better to opt for something a little more capable of quenching your thirst. This means white wine could be another good option, especially something that's not overly sweet and with a touch of minerality.

But rosé is the best option for halloumi because it's sitting in a nice middle ground between white and red. While we don't want an overly tannic drink, we don't necessarily want something overly sweet either. Finding a middle ground where the wine is refreshing means the salt from the halloumi is going to get balanced out. However, if the alcohol doesn't have a strong character of its own, the unique taste of this type of cheese is going to drown it out and make it appear bland.