As you might guess from the diverse list of cheeses, sparkling wines pair nicely with a wide variety of cheeses. Generally speaking, though, they go best with one of three styles: creamy, salty, or lean and lemony. Strange that these distinctly different styles of cheese would pair with sparkling wine, but the bubbles in the wine, the wine's acidity, and even the wine's touch of sweetness greatly expand its pairing possibilities.

Look for cheeses that are either creamy, salty (or both) or conversely, lean and lemony.

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.

Goat Brie - Goat cheese's lemony characteristics and a goat brie's creaminess go well with a Brut style of wine because of the wine's shared characteristics with the cheese - creamy with refreshing leanness.

Seal Bay Triple Cream - A luscious cow's milk triple-crème couldn't be more different from its goat's milk counterpart, but the cheese brings out depth in the wine yet doesn't diminish its richness. Also, the bubbles have a beautiful interplay with the creamy texture of the cheese while the cheese enhances the toasty quality in the wine. This is particularly good with the Argyle Extended Tirage Brut.

Roaring Forties Blue - This cheese has it all when it comes to matching well with sparkling wine: creaminess, saltiness, and richness. Although this seductive cheese has plenty of personality, it works surprisingly delicately with the sparkling wine. It brings the fruit out in the wine while the wine refreshes the richness of the cheese. The cheese then comes back around to provide a contrasting salty flavor to the fruit in the wine.

Complements
Toasted walnuts, thin crackers, smoked salmon

Smoked Salmon and Cheese Canapes
Place a small slice of any one of the three cheeses listed here (or similar ones) on thin olive oil or plain crackers (don't use flavored). Lay a small piece of smoked salmon over the cheese and follow with a few capers. Sprinkle with a pinch of finely chopped dill and, if you're feeling extravagant, a little caviar. Repeat with more crackers and the other two remaining cheeses. Serve right away.

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