INTERVIEW: Katherine Dart MW
The Bite sits down with Master of Wine Katherine Dart to explore what happens when the right cheese meets the right wine. From Wensleydale to Pinot Grigio to Rosé and Stilton, this is a story of curiosity, craftmanship, and community.
Katherine Dart MW
ON WHAT MAKES A PERFECT PAIRING
“It’s when the elements of the cheese complement the wine, and there’s enough contrast between them for the flavours to spark off each other,” Katherine says. “That’s when the magic happens.”
She laughs when I ask if it’s all just “years of delicious research.”
“You *do* have to do the years of delicious research. You can never have too much cheese on the cheese board.”
When we discuss one of her favourite pairings, Wensleydale with Pinot Grigio, she lights up.
“This Pinot Grigio has more breadth and texture than most. Wensleydale has that creaminess, but also a lactic freshness. The wine mirrors that creaminess while adding fruit and contrast, harmony and excitement in one bite.”
ON BECOMING A MASTER OF WINE
The Master of Wine (MW) is one of the toughest qualifications in the world, a grueling combination of theory, tasting, and research. For Katherine, it started quite simply.
“Honestly? I needed a job,” she laughs. “I started at Oddbins, working with a brilliant man named Nick. We put money in a kitty to taste through the whole shop. He’d draw maps on wrapping paper with little mountains and trees, I was hooked.”
She studied Literature and History of Art before turning to wine.
“That background helped. The art side of wine, understanding beauty and balance, connects. And being able to write essays helped with the exams,” she adds. “The science, though, that was a challenge. But when you love something, you find a way.”
Passing the MW exam, she says, brought more relief than celebration:
“I remember just feeling relieved. Then a family friend sent an old vintage of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque, that was the real celebration.”
And the biggest lesson she learned about herself?
“That the things you think you’re not good at, you can make yourself good enough at. I never thought I’d get through the science side, but I did.”
ON STAYING GROUNDED AND HUMBLE
Despite her title, Katherine’s humility stands out.
“The day you get told you’ve passed, you’re no different than the day before,” she reflects. “There are so many brilliant people in wine who don’t have two letters after their name. You learn that you’ll never know it all, and that’s the beauty of it.”
She admits that wine has a way of keeping your ego in check:
“The week you think you’re a tasting god, the next week you’ll mix up a Bordeaux for a Burgundy. It’s humbling.”
ON JOINING THE REAL CHEESE PROJECT
“Thanks to you,” she smiles. “A fortuitous meeting at a market led to something I never thought I’d do, and it’s been brilliant. Listening to cheesemakers, learning their craft, it’s like discovering a new language.”
What excites her most about the project?
“The community. The joy of meeting makers who pour their hearts into what they do. Pairing their cheeses with wines, and sometimes condiments too, can create these little glimmers of joy. That’s what we’re all chasing, isn’t it?”
ON CRAFT CONNECTION AND THE INDEPENDENT SPIRIT
Our conversation deepens into the parallels between small-scale winemaking and artisan cheesemaking, the patience, the care for land and animals, the personal imprint left in every batch.
“Winemakers leave a signature in what they make, not something you can pin down as a flavour, but a feeling,” she says. “You can taste when something’s made with love and respect for the land.”
Katherine’s passionate about independence, authenticity, and the responsibility of the middle ground, from wholesalers to retailers, to honour those who make with integrity.
“Cheese is alive,” she says. “A day in the wrong temperature can change everything. That’s why proper care and understanding matter so much.”
DREAM PAIRINGS AND PHILOSOPHY
If she could stage her dream pairing anywhere?
“Northumberland,” she says without hesitation. “On the beach near Bamburgh, sun shining, sea breeze, maybe some Doddington cheese and a glass of something crisp and mineral. Simple, beautiful.”
Her advice for anyone intimidated by wine?
“Don’t go to a supermarket. Find a small wine shop, talk to the people there. Tell them what you like. They’ll be passionate, and you’ll go on an amazing journey.”
And the one person in history she’d share a glass with?
“Mary Delaney,” she says, the 18th-century artist known for her intricate botanical paper cuts.
“Her work is painstaking, delicate, full of life. I’d pour her a floral wine, maybe a German Riesling or a Viognier. Something as beautiful as her art.”
QUICKFIRE WITH KATHERINE DART MW
Red or white? Red.
Soft or hard cheese? Hard.
Still or sparkling? Still.
Wine first or cheese first? Cheese first.
Chardonnay or Champagne? Champagne.
Go-to comfort cheese? Cheddar.
Wine region that feels like home? The Swartland.
Wine that made you fall in love with the craft? Chablis.
Cheese pairing that shouldn’t work but does? Rosé and Stilton.
Describe your perfect pairing in one word. Sensational.
Find Katherine’s wine at Grape & Nectar and also catch her recommendations each month for The Real Cheese Project’s, Cheese Crowd monthly cheese and wine pairing, part of our fun educational subscription. Join us now for monthly live meet the maker tastings and a whole world of tasty learning! It’s the perfect gift for the cheese and wine lover or just for you!
