Cheese and wine are food combinations that man has enjoyed for thousands of years, and as grapes are to wine, milk is to cheese, the basic ingredient for a preserved food. Cheese and wine both represent a way to prepare and preserve surplus supplies so they can be consumed throughout the seasons.
Both wine and cheese also go through a specific life cycle and period of maturation. They are referred to as quintessential combinations because each has the ability to make the other taste better.