White wine has been making the news for its cardio-boosting effects from two antioxidants: tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol. The news couldn't come at a better time, since those antioxidants might come in handy when we're talking about white wine's best friend: cheese.

In 1991, red wine made a splash with the French Paradox study, explaining why the French, who consume so much cheese and butter, had lower rates of coronary heart disease. While the results of the study were highly debated, the demand for red wine in this country increased dramatically, which is perhaps why in this country we so frequently see red wine served with cheese. In fact, white wine is almost always a better pairing with cheese, as it doesn't overpower more delicate cheeses and provides a crisp counterpoint to rich and salty flavors.

On a recent trip to the Languedoc wine region of southern France, an area famed for Roquefort and Tommes, I ate a lot of cheese. And while the region is better known for its red wines, when the inevitable cheese course was served it was always with white such as a slightly sweet Muscat or a crisp and fruity Chenin Blanc. Likewise in Burgundy, where the local specialty is a pungent cow's milk cheese called Epoisse. It's sublime with an aged Montrachet, the best examples of which are spicy and elegant whites made from Chardonnay.

Last month in San Francisco, A16's wine director Shelley Lindgren suggested white wines for several courses involving cheese, including pizza. For a wood-grilled pizza with smoked mozzarella and artichokes -- notoriously difficult to pair -- she poured a 2008 Casa d'Ambra Frassitelli from Campagnia. Made from the Biancolella grape, the wine showed mineral and vegetal notes that complemented the artichokes while contrasting with the smoky flavors of the mozzarella.

"I do think that white wines are overall better for cheeses than reds," says Lindgren. "I would lean for noble Italian whites that often can attain enough ripeness and equally have verve and body to pair like Verdicchio, Ribolla Gialla, Gewürztraminer, Pallagrello and Malvasia del Lazio."

Lindgren, who just returned from a research trip in Italy, says she did not have a single meal without cheese. And her favorite pairings were often with whites. "I had a potato ravioli with fresh ricotta and herbs inside, it was tender and amazing with Gewürztraminer. I had ricotta salata with Friulano in Friuli and fresh ricotta in Lazio too. Ricotta is often used in desserts and one of my favorite flavors to match. I immediately reach for the Donnafugata Ben Rye Passito di Pantelleria from Sicily that tastes like fresh apricots. The passitos [sweet wines made from dried grapes] from many different regions of Italy match like a hand in glove. It's like the honey and fruit accompaniments all in one and also cleans the palette for the next cheese or finishing a meal."

At the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, which stocks more than 500 cheeses from around the world, owner Norbert Wabnig favors the Austrian white Gruner Veltliner as his go-to wine with cheese. "Berger puts out a great liter bottle [of Gruner Veltliner]," Wabnig says. "It is a fresh, young wine with a fair amount of alcohol, and it's especially delicious in the summertime. It's perfect with Amadeus, wonderful with Manchego and Basque sheep milk cheeses, and it's even good with a runny Brie.”

So slice into summer with your favorite cheese, and create your own paradox by reaching for a bottle of crisp white wine.

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