What goes well with award-winning wines? Award-winning cheeses, of course! Enjoy four perfect pairings starring wines and cheeses that won gold and then some at this year’s California State Fair.

Raeburn Russian River Chardonnay, Double Gold Medal Winner + Marin French Petite Breakfast, Gold Medal Winner, Best of California: With intense fruitiness and creamy notes of toasted vanilla, this beautiful California chardonnay goes brilliantly with this decadent cheese. Slightly tangy with a strong backbone of rich cream and butter, it has a luscious, spongy texture that melts in the mouth.

Rosenblum Rockpile Road Zinfandel, Gold Medal Winner + Point Reyes Original Blue, Gold Medal Winner: Earning a well-deserved gold, Point Reyes is a classic blue cheese with bold peppery flavors and a sweet milk backbone. The rich fruitiness and cocoa of this bold zinfandel play nicely with the peppery finish of the cheese.

Castle Rock Pinot Noir, Gold Medal Winner + Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog, Gold Medal Winner, Best of California: Savor notes of cherry, spice and oak with every sip of this pinot noir, then sample Humboldt Fog for buttermilk and fresh cream that give way to floral notes and herbaceous overtones. Enjoy the cheese when the cream line develops and the grey ash just begins to appear through the bloomy rind.

Bogle Sauvignon Blanc, Double Gold Medal Winner + Cypress Grove Purple Haze, Gold Medal Winner, Best of California: The tropical notes of lychee, citrus and lemongrass that feature in this double gold sauvignon blanc are the perfect complement for Cypress Grove Purple Haze. Fresh lavender and wild fennel pollen give incredible complexity to the tangy lemon and buttermilk notes in this cheese.

Find these and many other wonderful wines and cheeses in our adult beverage and specialty cheese departments. Looking for other palate-pleasing pairings? Just ask the wine steward or cheese specialist at your local Nugget Markets!