Which wines should accompany Grana padano?

Cheese and wine  are key elements in the history of food, and are often the product of the peculiar cultural experience built up over the years in a given geographical area and of a language of individual of taste which is difficult to sanction into precise and universally accepted rules.
But while subjective sensibility leads to an understandable degree of anarchy in taste, there are nevertheless some rules that enable us to sanction certain basic principles. These sometimes lead the taster to approve of traditional accompaniments and other times to revolutionise them, creating new and stimulating combinations that become universally shared. The relationship between cheese and wine is one of the most versatile matches, and combining the two produces exciting results.
Combining wines with food is inextricably linked with knowledge of their chemical and organoleptic properties, which can distinctly influence the taste sensations we perceive when we eat the food. It is no coincidence that local dishes and local wines have always gone hand in hand, integrating with each another in a homogeneous blend of sensations and flavours. The same is true of cheeses, which, based on their different characteristics, should ideally be combined with typical local wines.  When carefully and individually selected, these wines will almost always produce the most successful combinations if we know how to distinguish between the various types of cheeses. Those shown here are some of the ideas adopted by the Italian Sommelier Association.

This magical product, with its intense aromas of butter and hay, its balanced pungency and generous seasoning, once consumed leaves a rich after-taste that gradualy fades away.  So, if we wish to enhance these sensations, the most appropriate wine will be a generous, bold and full-bodied nectar that ages well and has a long finish. If, instead, you enjoy contrasting aromas and flavours, then you can choose to combine the cheese with passito dessert wines, which tone down the somewhat assertive streak of Grana Padano Reserve, and restore harmony and balance to the palate. We are now ready to set out on a journey through the various regions of Italy, taking us through the kaleidoscopic world of local wines whose multifaceted and diverse characteristics make for excellent accompaniements to this extraordinary and versatile protagonist in Italy's gastronomical basket.