It’s so civilised to linger at the end of a meal with a full cheese board and a wine to match.

Any worthwhile deli has a cheese cabinet full of choices: soft, runny, hard, crumbly, nutty, smelly, creamy, yellow, orange and blue. Classic cheeses come from around the world, and in Australia we produce our own gems – from big brands like King Island, Devondale and Farmers Union, to family enthusiasts such as the delightful Small Cow Farm in Robertson, NSW, where they really do have small Irish Dexter cows.

Sometimes the wine from the main course carries easily on to the cheese – a good red takes you from beef to cheddar. But if you are choosing something specific, here are a few hints. Hard full-flavoured cheeses, like aged cheddar or parmesan, call for a full-bodied shiraz. Pungent washed-rind cheeses, such as Tasmania’s Red Square, suggest something more savoury – a cabernet, sangiovese or merlot.

The edginess of goat’s cheese sits well with a zingy sauvignon blanc. Soft, creamy cheeses, such as brie or camembert, go well with a delicate riesling, chardonnay or sparkling.

A big blue, like gorgonzola, roquefort or stilton, is great with port or, perhaps surprisingly, a sweet white like botrytis riesling or semillon.