Which Wine to Choose With Raclette?

We must admit that the wine/raclette association is quite subjective, especially if the flavours are mixed. But whether you eat it plain or seasoned, it is possible to follow a few simple rules to accompany your raclette.

With the texture of the melted cheese, prefer a wine with little tannin. Ideally a dry white wine, as white wines are generally better with cheese than red wine. If you prefer red wine, choose a young wine with primary fruity aromas.

Opt for local appellations such as Roussette de Savoie AOC, Apremont AOC wines or a Chignin Bergeron. Wines made from the characteristic grape varieties of Savoie and Haute-Savoie: Roussette, Jacquère, Roussanne and Mondeuse.

Choosing a white wine would be more judicious. With cheese, they are particularly recommended. A white wine with a slight sweetness to blend with the fat of the melted cheese, its fleshy texture and the marked flavours of the charcuterie.

As we have seen, the choice is vast among Savoie wines: Roussette de Savoie, Chignin-Bergeron. These are light and fairly low alcohol wines which temper well with rich dishes. Their liveliness awakens the taste buds and they have enough aromas not to fade with the cheese.

Alternatives with wines from other regions: In Bordeaux, you can opt for an Entre-Deux-Mers and in Burgundy for a Mâcon-Villages or a Saint-Véran.

Accompanied by cold meats, red wine can be justified. Nevertheless, too firm tannins should be avoided. Prefer supple and juicy wines. Here again, if you prefer food/wine pairings according to their terroir, you can opt for a red Mondeuse among wines from the same terroir. For other regions, favour varietal wines such as Pinot Noir (Burgundy) or Gamay (Beaujolais).

The name "raclette" originates from the traditional gesture of eating cheese (the verb "racler" means to scrape). This gesture dates back to the Middle Ages when shepherds used to use a wood fire to melt the cheese. Half of the cheese wheel was placed on a stone, with the sliced side exposed to the flames. As the roasted cheese melted, they scraped it off on bread, potatoes and dried meat. It was originally a summer dish eaten in the open air, far from the emblematic winter sports dish we know.

Nowadays, this gesture no longer exists, as winter tourism has ‘democratised’ the Savoyard speciality thanks to a technical innovation: the raclette machine. Tefal, a locally-based company, developed the appliance in the 1970s, which features individual Teflon-coated dishes so that the cheese flows easily onto the plate. It was a huge success, helping to give the dish its name by metonymically adopting the action of scraping the surface of the melted cheese.

Of all dishes, the most generous and comforting in winter is the raclette party! Quick, easy and cheap, it's no coincidence that raclette has become France's favourite dish. It requires no preparation apart from cooking the potatoes and cutting up the cheese. Another essential element in the preparation is the raclette machine. If you don't have the traditional raclette machine used by professional chefs, you can use the classic appliance to heat the raclette machine dishes.

In the kitchen,racletteofferscountless combinations of flavours, and everyone is free to indulge their appetite. There are those who remove the rind from the cheese, and the outraged ‘other school’ who, on the contrary, love it; those who like to grill charcuterie, those who like spices, not forgetting those who deliberately leave their dish in the appliance just before the smoke alarm goes off, because, of course... they like ‘when the cheese is well grilled’!