Think light, refreshing and lemony and that'll point you in the right direction for compatible cheeses with this wine style. Look no further, though, than fresh and soft-ripened goat cheeses. These dovetail seamlessly with the bright vibrant characteristics of these wines. Think lean and lemony and you'll be on the right track with both the cheese and the wine.

Look for creamy, lemony, high-acid goat's milk cheeses.

Here are some examples of cheeses that make particularly good companions for this style of wine. If you can't find these cheeses, try and find similar ones based on these descriptions.

Cypress Grove Chèvre "Humboldt Fog" - Even though this cheese has a creamy texture, it's more like light frosting rather than heavy cream. Because of that and because of its keen acidity, this cheese matches beautifully with the light crisp wines that define the style.

Goat Brie - Easily found in most stores, goat brie is exactly what you'd think - a small disk-shaped cheese with a snowy white rind (also known as bloomy-rind). The big difference between this cheese and its cow's milk counterpart and the reason it works with this wine style is because of the lemony goat's milk that's used to make it. Cow's milk is a little too sweet and heavy.

Redwood Hill "California Crottin" - The word crottin simply refers to the small cylindrical shape of this cheese and many others made in the same style. What these cheeses share in common is the fact they're almost always made with goat's milk. That's your cue that they'll probably work with this wine style. Where crottins differ, though, is that they tend to be a little earthier than their soft-ripened (bloomy-rind) counterparts, but they go particularly well with this wine style when they're still young and a little chalky in texture.

Complements
Herb-flecked green and black olives, prawns (shelled and cooked), olive oil-brushed pita toasts

Goat Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Black Olive Spread
Mix fresh goat cheese with coarsely chopped oil-cured (and drained) sun-dried tomatoes, a few spoonfuls of black olive tapenade and finely chopped fresh basil. Serve as a spread with crackers or olive oil-brushed pita toasts.

Laura Werlin is one of the foremost authorities on cheese in the United States. She is the award-winning author of five books on the subject, a sought-after speaker at food and wine events, a spokesperson for consumer and trade organizations, and a frequent television and radio guest.

Each of Laura's books has been honored with domestic and international awards including the James Beard award for her book The All American Cheese and Wine Book, She has just finished her latest book, Grilled Cheese, Please, which will be released in March 2011.

Werlin is known for her approachable yet authoritative teaching style and is frequently asked to speak at prestigious events, most notably the annualFood & Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen, the South Beach Food & Wine Festival, the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, and the Artisan Cheese Festival in Sonoma County in California. She is also a regular instructor at the Cheese School of San Francisco.

Laura's website is laurawerlin.com