News From The Cheese Caves

With the myriad of aromas and flavors available in cheeses, the question comes to mind: where do they all come from?

Starting at the endpoint, our taste buds and noses where the detection of those flavors and aromas occurs. The amounts and combinations of fat-soluble and water-soluble compounds within cheeses, some of them volatile, trigger those sensations. The overall taste is comprised by multiple components. The cheeses are distinguished by the way that their volatile compounds combine, interact, and balance each other. The more components a cheese has, the more complex its flavor. If a cheese has few components, it lacks complexity. When one of more of those components dominates or drowns out the others, the cheese lacks balance.

The protein, fat, and sugar in the milk are the building blocks of flavor. The volatile compounds, often referred to as “aromatics,” come from two principal sources: first, the plants the animals eat, and the breakdown of the chemical compounds in those plants during the animals’ digestion process: and second, the action of enzymes, secreted by microorganisms, in breaking down those “building blocks” during the cheese-making and ripening processes.

Scientists estimate that some aromatics come from the feed the animals eat (and the water they drink). The rest is determined by cheesemaking and ripening parameters. Cheese making is largely a preserving of the milk through dehydration, thereby increasing the percentage of milk solids. In terms of taste, the aromatics become more concentrated.

The simplest of cheeses are gently acidified with some salt added. The more complex flavors in an aged cheese are yielded when a series of biochemical reactions begins to occur after the addition of a starter culture. The cultures release their enzymes, and rennets (the coagulants) contribute their animal or plant enzymes. Additional molds, yeasts and bacteria introduced during cheesemaking and/or ripening secrete their own enzymes, which in turn act on the fats and proteins to create volatile compounds. Each substance contributes its specific flavors.

The milk of dairy animals grazing on pasture yields more flavor than animals who are consuming hay or TMR (total mixed ration – a supplemental dry formula feed). Native plants and grasses offer unique flavors and aromas. As the animals chew plants, crushing and oxidizing the chemicals within, aromatics are released into their digestive tracts. Those aromatics make their way into the milk to emerge as aroma- and flavor-giving substances in cheeses. Some of the aromatics are merely inhaled – the quickest method of absorption into the bloodstream.

Species and breed of animal are important factors contributing to flavor, as are all steps of cheesemaking and ripening. Good temperature conditions, enough feed, and plentiful clean water keeps the animals happy. The conditions enjoyed (or endured) by the animals affect the chemical composition of their milk and thus the building blocks of cheese flavor.

With all these variables taken into account, it is no wonder that there is such a broad range of aromas and flavors available in cheese. Furthermore, it should be no surprise that artisanal cheeses will taste a little different, one wheel from the next. A food that we might consider to be rather simple is instead a rather complicated “living” food – a good thing. Better that it be alive than barely breathing!

Max McCalman

Michael Lustgarten’s recent article (Methionine Restriction Extends Lifespan: Another Reason to Reduce Meat/protein Intake) states that one way to increase our lifespan is to reduce our consumption of one of the essential amino acids, methionine, and reducing our overall consumption of protein would help restrict our methionine intake. By the way, methionine is provided in many of the foods that vegans choose: cereal grains, plant seeds, and Brazil nuts, among others.

In another recent article (Vegans, Vegetarians, Fish and Meat Eaters: Which Diet is Best for Minimizing Risk of Disease and Death?) Lustgarten claims that eating cheese up to four times per week did not increase mortality risk, but eating cheese five times per week increased mortality risk by 247%.

The operative word here is “risk.” The risk is associated with elevated total cholesterol to HDL ratios, the higher levels showing as a “strong independent predictor for the development of peripheral arterial disease.” The ratios are relatively low for vegans compared to meat eaters. Simply stated, this article implies that eating cheese as often as five times per week will probably kill you, disregarding several components in fine cheeses that can actually improve cholesterol levels. A question that comes to mind is: what kinds of cheeses were used in this study?

It continues to be widely assumed that high amounts of fat (from whatever source) increases the risk of heat disease. It is worth noting here that two of the highest cheese-consuming countries, France and Italy, have very low incidences of cardiovascular disease.

No two cheeses are the same and most of the cheeses available are unfortunately far removed from the ideal example of preserved milk. Most cheeses today are made with pasteurized milk. The heat treatment involved in pasteurization denatures the proteins in the milk. When proteins are denatured it causes disruption of normal cell function; it can arrest cell development and may actually kill the cell.

Cheese is recognized as a source of conjugated linoleic acid. There are a number of different types of this trans fatty acid (which is not considered a trans fat because of the trans linkages) and the type found in cheese is the one that has been shown to be a weight reducer, it helps lower cholesterol levels, causes a reversal of arteriosclerosis, reduces the risk of diabetes, decreases glucose uptake, and it fights cancer.

Different cheeses have different levels of this important fatty acid. There are higher concentrations of CLA in sheep milk than there is in cow milk, which is higher than that in goat milk. The animals that enjoy a diversity of plant species have a higher concentration than those that have only hay, silage, or limited food options. (Sadly, the romantic image of dairy animals grazing on open pastures is not what we usually find.) Young cheeses have more CLA than older cheeses. Higher fat cheeses have more than lower fat cheeses. Different cheeses have different levels of the various nutrients. This is one good reason to have a variety of cheese types.

Some of the amino acids, vitamins and minerals, that are found in well-balanced and high concentrations in cheese have other life enhancing benefits. One of the marvelous things about cheese is that it is near-complete, nutritionally speaking. Keep in mind that it is derived from our first food – milk – our only food for the first several weeks or months of our lives, yet unlike milk, cheese is virtually lactose free.

Nature magazine published a 2009 study by the University College of London’s Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment. The study found that adding only methionine to the diet of fruit flies under dietary restriction (including restriction of essential amino acids) restored fecundity without reducing life span. The report concluded thusly: “…the benefits of dietary restriction for health and lifespan may be obtained without impaired fecundity and without dietary restriction itself, by a suitable balance of nutrients in the diet.” For those experimenting with dietary restriction to prolong their lives it is good to remember that a little cheese goes a long way.

In other words, eat just a little variety of fine cheese and you will have a remarkably long fecund life.

Max McCalman

We have just a few wheels of the marvelous Vacherin Fribourgeois in our wash-rind cave now. They are “screaming-to-be-eaten.” That does not mean that they cannot wait; they will patiently wait until some lucky person gets to eat them. The Vacherin Fribourgeois becomes progressively stronger as it ages. When people hear the word “vacherin” they often assume it is the more famous cousin being referenced, the seasonal Vacherin Mont d’Or. The Vacherin Fribourgeois is available year-round however (a good thing) and the seasonal fluctuations in flavor may be recognizable though subtle. Our Vacherin Fribourgeois is produced from the milk of the Fribourgeois breed of cow (the local name for Holstein) in southwest Switzerland’s Canton Vaud.

Speaking of Holsteins; this cheese gives the breed’s milk a stamp of quality. I doubt the cheese would be quite the same if it were made with Jersey, Swiss Brown, Dutch Best, or any other cattle breed of milk. There are great cheeses produced from milk of those breeds and others, but I cannot imagine what a cheese maker could do to make a better Vacherin Fribourgeois. The cheese is similar to the great melting cheeses Raclette, Val Bagner (a type of Raclette) and Fontina d’Aosta. It has been called the original “party” cheese, and makes a great fondue. I see no reason to melt it down whatsoever. Bringing it up to room temperature and slicing off a wedge is enough – a party in the making. Fondues and raclettes have their places but this cheese is simply divine on its own, again, at room temperature: no colder, and no warmer.

The Fribourgeois does exude a rather mighty aroma at room temperature; one should be prepared for this. The “attack” is rather profound in the mouth too, yet the finish is absolutely sublime. Why I only gave it a quality rating of 95 in Cheese, a Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best, I do not know. It could be because in the past it was a little inconsistent. One wheel would be a little over-the-top, with a gnarly rind and an almost bitter flavor; the next would be almost perfectly cylindrical with a flatter flavor. We have not seen those problems over the past few years.

What is surprising to me is that this cheese does not have a much bigger following. It could be partly because there are other Vacherins Fribourgeois that simply do not measure up, like many other Swiss cheeses. The cheese lover who has only experienced the lesser versions might write off Switzerland altogether. But for those that have had the superior versions, there is no turning back.

I myself might have neglected the Vacherin Fribourgeois for awhile longer if it were not for a cheese selection I was pairing with Scotch yesterday. The selection included several other fine cheeses, yet there it was: a proud wedge of the noble Vacherin Fribourgeois. By the way, it paired beautifully with a Scotch from the Isle of Islay.

I just received an image of a cheese plate served at an upscale NYC restaurant. The image clearly showed the strongest cheese on the left, the mildest in the middle, and the second strongest (or mildest) on the right. The sender said the waiter informed her the order the cheeses be tasted was unimportant. Alors! If you simply tasted these cheeses from left to right, the strong cheese would leave a much bigger “finish” on the palate than the second one. The subtle nuances in the middle cheese would be missed or overwhelmed. The last cheese might be able to make a final stand, but it would be better appreciated if it had been tasted before the strongest cheese.

Left to right need not be the order one would sample these three, but when the guest suspected something was amiss she asked for the recommended order. To receive the dismissive reply that it did not matter would not fool the true cheese lover. Apparently this server was not in our camp.

We have stressed the importance of progression since the first cheese plate was served at Picholine restaurant nearly twenty years ago. It was obvious that the different cheeses had varying levels of intensity; some had much larger organoleptic profiles than others. The more persistent cheeses made themselves known rather quickly. The blue cheeses lingered longer on the palate than just about every other cheese type. The aged goudas and cheddars had their heft, the aged alpine cheeses had their depth, while most of the pressed sheep milk cheeses seemed to be a little milder, though not as mild as the bloomy rind cheeses. The younger goat milk cheeses had their first impressions but those impressions were overshadowed by the brie-type cow cheeses or the pressed sheep cheeses, or most any other cheese type.

This all may sound a little confusing at first; so many cheeses look the same. Yet it does not take long to recognize larger flavors in different cheese types. As an example in other food types (ones with which that server may be more enamored) you would easily recognize the subtlety of a poached fillet of trout compared to a grilled sirloin of beef. Is that progression not important?

I cannot blame the server for giving the wrong advice, but to be a bit insouciant about it? The first fault lies with the restaurant management for not making sure the servers know appropriate tableside manner. Second: if the restaurant manager or chef does not inform the servers that the order cheeses are tasted does actually matter, this is another concern. The restaurant should not be serving cheese if the management does not know that the order matters.

It may not be a particularly egregious error to eat cheeses out of order but there are logical reasons why you should follow a progression. I recall enumerating my recommended order to Picholine guests who would ignore the advice and dive into the blues anyway. Likely, their palates were obliterated by the dominance of the blues; after tasting one of those, the tastebuds are never quite the same, and are likely unable to distinguish the difference between a Pecorino and a Parmigiano. The idea of tasting cheeses in an order of strength could be one reason why many chefs have espoused the idea of serving the one “perfect” cheese: to avoid confusion or to prevent second-guessing by the guests. Other chefs have a hard time allowing the cheeses to “speak-for-themselves” and resort to stirring multiple ingredients into the cheeses; the original cheese flavors become muddled.

Not to belabor the point, yet I believe that eating cheese in a progression from mild to strong is important. This is especially true if the person tasting the cheeses is not familiar with them. Some of the basic “rules” of progression include the following:

The younger cheeses are generally milder than the older ones, though not always.

The softer cheeses are usually milder than the harder cheeses, though not always.

The blues should be saved for last.

When tasting new cheeses it is helpful to mix up the textures, the animal types, the rinds, or simply the provenances. (This helps you better appreciate the differing aromas and flavors.)

The cheeses made with pasteurized milk are milder that the ones made with raw milk, if the cheeses are otherwise identical.

The saltier cheeses generally follow the less salty ones.

Three otherwise identical cheeses: one made with goat milk, one from sheep milk, and one from cow milk; this would be my recommended order for tasting the three: goat, sheep, and cow.

I recall observing a colleague take this progression order a little too far. The first cheese in his grouping was a goat cheese with a generous coating of blue mold on the outside. It was not a blue-veined cheese but that moldy exterior made it a more assertive cheese than all the others on the plate.

If you are unsure about the progression of the cheeses you will be serving you might check the cheeses’ positions on the CheeseClock™. The same way we constructed our first cheese plates at Picholine: the milder cheeses were at the six o’clock position, the cheeses becoming increasingly stronger as you proceeded clockwise around the plate. You may want to taste the cheeses before your event, though it is good to keep in mind that cheeses go through various stages.

Max McCalman

The idea of entertaining with cheese may sound a little funny when you first hear of it: as in spending some December evenings with your favorite cheese, or making cheese the party entertainment itself. There is a way of making either of these ideas work but I know of no easier way to entertain than by serving up a little selection of fine cheeses. No cooking required, minimal mess to clean up, and you can have it delivered directly to your door from one source – www.artisanalcheese.com. It is almost too easy!

I find that people often feel compelled to supplement their party food options with other items: charcuterie, shrimp cocktails, guacamole, etc. Yet the cheeses end up being the “hit” of the party, the food that people remember. The questions arise: if cheese is going to be the main food, how much will I need, how many cheese types, and what accompaniments will work best?

If cheese is the main food you will be serving I recommend that you have at least three varieties, though a larger grouping will make for a more stimulating food affair. Mixing up the milk types: cow, goat, sheep, and mixed milk cheese, is one of the first recommendations I make. Mixing up the textures of the cheeses is helpful (more on that below) because some people prefer softer cheeses while others prefer the harder varieties. Mixing up the rind types opens up wider distinctions among cheeses: bloomy rinds, wash rinds, waxed rinds, etc. Having one blue cheese is recommended (at parties especially) because they can put that little “exclamation point” on the palate, and because the blue cheese lovers are a loyal group. Mixing up the provenances invites more discussion. For example, having one cheese from Spain may send a conversation in one direction, while having another from Vermont will bring up other topics.

For a party intended to last at least three hours I recommend that you have the equivalent of six ounces per person, no less, in total of the various types. If you plan on serving three cheeses then you should have about 2 ounces of each, per person. For the softer cheeses this weight should be increased a little; people tend to eat more of the softer cheeses because they have a higher water content. This is one reason I recommend that you devote more of your cheese purchasing dollars to the firmer cheeses, the harder the cheese is the sooner your guests will be sated. Said another way, a little hard cheese goes a long way. If you end up with scraps of hard cheeses they are much easier to wrap up and save for another occasion than a soft cheese that is oozing out of its rind. Saving those softer runnier cheeses is like putting toothpaste back into its tube.

The harder cheeses are usually more successful pairing partners for beers and wines (and other beverages) than the softer ones. If you are entertaining a large group, you will not want to end up with a lot of cheese waste, nor do you want to end up with flawed marriages between your beverage offerings and your cheeses.

We have noticed that a simple beverage can be “elevated” by fine cheeses. You may want to purchase a festive and relatively inexpensive wine such as a Gamay (as in Beaujolais). With these wines you can find many nice matches with various styles of cheeses. The cheeses can make a decent Beaujolais taste like a Grand Cru Burgundy, or almost. If you choose to open up your cellar and bring out your First Growth Bordeaux there is a good chance that you will “diminish” the expanse of the wine; you may even harm the wine with obstreperous cheeses.

As for the other accompaniments, the crisp baguette is nice but it is not a must. Neutral flavored crackers work well. Some people just cannot resist the urge to spread their cheese on a cracker, or lay a slice of a hard cheese on a piece of bread. My inclination is to serve other foods that deliver some of the few nutrients that cheese does not: vitamin C and fiber. Some high-fiber vitamin C-rich fruit and some fiber-rich nuts (preferably unsalted on my table) make excellent accompaniments. A good honey makes another delicious and nutritious accompaniment to most cheeses.

The default grapes are nice too, though I prefer to have my grape juice fermented into wine.

Bottom line: cheese, bread, and wine, or beer; it is easy to get it right, and surprisingly difficult to get it wrong.

Max McCalman

We often receive requests for the strongest cheese available. At this time that honor goes to a mixed-milk Cabrales. By far and away the most assertive cheese in our caves and a hard act to follow, this raw-milk, naturally-bluing-blue is to Spain, what Stilton is to England, what Roquefort is to France, what Gorgonzola is to Italy. These are all strong flavored cheeses but the latter three cheeses command a far greater market share, largely because they are much more “approachable.”

The Cabrales is the most artisanal in the mix not only because it is has limited production, unlike the others it acquires its blue mold spontaneously, and varies from one season to another. When produced in spring and summer (when the ones now in our caves were crafted) the mix of all three milks is included: cow, goat and sheep. Later in the year when the ewes dry off the mix switches to goat and cow milk only, then in the winter only cow milk is used. The milk that is used for Cabrales production in the winter months is provided by cows with a diet limited to hay and grains; in other words: they are not left out in the cold grazing on limited vegetation. As one would expect, the cheeses produced with all three milks when the vegetation is more lush yields a cheese with a much bigger flavor profile. Not to take anything away from the winter cheeses; they are “nicer.”

Perhaps that should be one’s first Cabrales experience – the “nicer” one, though no wallflower whatsoever.

People often want to believe that there will be a suitable wine partner for any old cheese that is before them. This one has just a few: a viscous, high-quality Pedro Ximenez sherry from the opposite side of Spain (the deep south); a superior aged Madeira; or an aged Sauternes. We also noticed that a fruit-forward new world Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon worked okay. Interestingly, Tawny or vintage ports do not measure up, though they will present a valiant effort. The region where Cabrales is produced is not known for its wine production; this is a very recent agricultural enterprise. The beverage for which Asturias is known is cider. Apples thrive well in the region so the ciders have always been the locals’ favorite Cabrales partner.

I would recommend that you have one of the above beverages close at hand when you try a Cabrales the first time. The battleship gray color and fetid aroma should suggest an outsized gastronomic experience is on the way. A very small nibble is more than sufficient to get the idea across. The flavors ignite every taste bud, though not to an alarming level. Instead the flavor is more persistent than alarming. Water won’t help. After a few minutes the finish is actually rather pleasant, the flavor is still present but much more graceful, even a little sweet.

For those that want the strongest cheese in our caves, the Cabrales is the one. If you are choosing it only to impress others with your bravery you are missing the point. This cheese is one of the last of its kind; it should be respected for its unique qualities, its history, and its pedigree, as well as its above-average nutritional value. Just a little dab will do you though. If it is still too much to enjoy on its own, or accompanied by cider or one of the wines recommended above, you might try incorporating it into a sauce for a steak, or into a dressing for a salad. However you have it I am certain that it will offer a memorable experience.

Max McCalman

As we proceed into the colder season the stresses can mount, aggravated by holiday demands, less sun, more family visits, the end of semesters, the creeping feeling that we did not meet all our goals or resolutions, etc. It is great to know that we have cheese available, which can make it a little easier to handle it all. Cheese has a way of making it all okay: helping us deal with stress and pain, satisfying and/or reducing our appetites, warding off depression, minimizing anxiety and hypertension, reducing fatigue and insomnia, At this time of year there is a broad range of cheese types from which you can choose and I recommend that you mix them up, have several, and don’t worry about over-eating it. It simply does not happen, partly because cheese is particularly satisfying; one will reach satiety long before they need to worry about having too much.

If we have our cheese preferences, so be it. Yet no two cheeses are created equal. To get the best cheese experiences, including the stress-reducing capacities that are found in many of its components, I advise trying different types: not just cow, not just soft cheeses, not only stinky; because all of them have different levels of those important nutrients, as well as their individual aesthetics.

Those points about nutritional values are the focus of our Cheese & Wine 201 class. Cheese offers near-complete nutrition; those nutrients are better assimilated with the consumption of moderate amounts of wine, or beer. The operative word here is “moderate.” The first glass is for digestion, the second is for romance, and the third is on the border between having a good night’s sleep or one that is not so good.

When we were in the process of assigning a CheeseClock™ position to the Mountaintop Bleu we anticipated a stronger placement, the Mountaintop Bleu being a “bleu” cheese. Yet we could not deny that this lovely cheese was actually just fine fitting in the milder quadrant, a first, a blue cheese in the Mild category! This Maryland cheese has a gentle balanced flavor with just a touch of salt, not too acid, with a thin rind, a soft clay texture, and gentle bluing.

Part of the success of this cheese as a goat milk blue, and one that can fit into the Mild quadrant, is that it is made with pasteurized goat milk. We can only dream of what it might taste like if it were crafted from raw milk! That heat treatment might minimize some of the challenging characteristics in raw goat milk, for which there are few internal molded blues, raw or pasteurized. Another factor is that the cheese is fairly young; the flavors have not had a chance to intensify. Instead of a pierced blue cheese, the Mountaintop Bleu has the mold added to the curd so that within a few days the blue mold starts to develop in the paste. If the cheese were aerated by piercing the mold would develop faster. Because the rind has a light dusting of ash and a little beneficial bloomy mold the cheese has less air entering it to promote the bluing.

This cheese is not particularly salty for a blue. Most blues require a little extra salt to thwart competing enzymes. Because the Mountaintop Bleu has less salt you might expect that it would become bluer quickly. Again, it is a fairly young cheese, and the other surface molds, as well as the fact that the cheese is not pierced, helps to keep the blue mold in check so that it does not overwhelm the flavor of the fresh goat milk.

We are especially pleased to have another marvelous cheese such as the Mountaintop Bleu in our caves now, and out first blue in the Mild section!

An article written by a cheese guy would uncover more facets of the mysteries of affinage than one written by someone outside the industry. The recent article in the NY Times made for interesting reading: the pitting of the affinage naysayers and those who are strong proponents of the practice(s). The article concluded with evidence the cheeses that were given extra care were superior to those that had not; one of the cheeses in the latter group was inedible. Whether it was admitted or not there are plenty of things that happen to cheese once it is formed; some of those things are beneficial while many others can be seriously detrimental. Simple aging involves a number of processes that occur on their own, yet careful monitoring of these processes is critical.

An immature cheese has less character than a mature cheese. To bring that young cheese to where it reaches its optimal level of ripeness includes several skill sets, several beyond what the cheese maker generally provides.

While some established cheese mongers claim their cheese-handling task is simple: to avoid screwing up a good cheese, this alone involves far more than temperature and humidity-controlled storage. It is no wonder that many people don’t like cheese. Lazy and imprecise cheese handling (or simple neglect) can yield a lame gustatory experience.

When I call the Artisanal Cheese Center a “day school” for cheese it barely scratches the surface of what we aim to accomplish in nurturing our cheeses. The critical first few hours and days of a cheese are almost always left to the cheese maker. After that the “finishing” is left up to the retailer who then sells it to the end-consumer. Perhaps a better analogy is to call our enterprise a “finishing school.”

To “elevate” a cheese is not rocket science. Some people who handle cheeses seem to have the knack. Under the tutelage of one of those experts a cheese can reach its optimal peak. Without those skills and talent a cheese can easily succumb to the catacombs.

Whether we care to admit it or not, affinage is practiced by a growing number of Americans. Along with the growing appreciation for cheese here, there is a greater need for this expertise. This is one reason the American Cheese Society has endorsed a certification effort for cheese handlers. By this time next year we expect there will be several individuals who have attained this certification. A big part of this will include knowledge of good cheese-handling practices.

Cheese is a living food, a near-perfect food, but it is also a perishable food. The affineur must include safe handling in their cheese studies. Fortunately cheese has some built-in qualities which make it a safe food, safer than most other foods.

For the person who said Portugal and Ireland were newcomers in the cheese world, they should be advised that cheese has been a food staple in both those regions for almost as long as it has been in Italy and Spain, since well before any of those countries were known by those names. What is now called France is as much a newcomer as is Portugal.

What is happening with affinage here in the US is encouraging. With these developments I expect artisan cheeses to taste better and better. Good affinage speaks for itself.

Max McCalman

For more information on Max or the Art of Affinage, please visit us at artisanalcheese.com

Everywhere you turn now people seem to be talking about pairing foods and beverages, especially the cheese and beverage pairings. This could be partly because we started digging into this study almost twenty years ago and now it seems like everyone’s doing it. Our pairings began with the focus on cheese and wine. The beer lovers hopped on the pairing bandwagon, then spirits aficionados, sakes cognoscenti, tea drinkers, coffee lovers, etc.

Cheese has been enjoyed with beers and wines for many centuries, the other ones are more recent studies. Yet Americans seem to have a near-obsession with the pairings, whatever the food and beverage, as though if we get it wrong we have made an egregious error. The pairing principles are good tools to use to master pairings but the variables are limitless, and we have to admit that it is a little subjective.

Our preferences for certain cheeses or wines (or other beverages) likely has a big say in our pairing assessments. For example, if we are particularly fond of Pinot Noir we might find more successful pairings with that grape than with a wine we avoid. The same goes for the cheeses. In our Cheese & Wine 101 class we dissect the pairings of several cheese types with a range of wines.

This “laboratory” is probably not the way most people experience cheeses and wines–by mixing them in the mouth and noting what happens as the mixture crosses the palate. It is normally a less formal or academic exercise, one that is more leisurely. We have a sip of wine then we have a nibble of cheese a little later. Most people do not consciously force the two together simultaneously. Even though the “forced” pairing is not taking place in these casual situations the results can be very much the same. If the cheese and wine were not good mates to begin with, they probably eventually leave a disappointing finish.

More often than not, cheeses and wines (or beers) do work well together. Again, we all have our personal preferences and sometimes the confluence of flavors and aromas between the cheeses and beverages can bring out new flavors and aromas which some of us may enjoy while others do not. Those aromatics are what “seals-the-deal” in pairings not just with cheese but with all foods.

The balancing relationships between cheeses and wines have several parallels: the “fruit” in the wine (or beer or other beverage) balances the salty or savory characteristics in the cheese. The saltier cheeses pair better with the fruitier wines, generally even better with the so-called “dessert” wines. Those wines with higher levels of residual sugar should be called “cheese” wines. When you already have sweet in your dessert why would you want to top it off with a little more sugar in the wine? One of the classic matches between a cheese and wine is the one between a salty Roquefort and a sweet Sauternes.

Another balancing act between cheeses and beverages is how they relate to overall “size” of flavor. The bigger flavored cheeses can annihilate a milder wine. It is usually better to have the cheese and wine find a matching fullness of flavor otherwise the cheese can change the wine into water, so to speak. The gentle wine may wash the big cheese down nicely but the subtleties in the wine may be lost.

We have found that the more acid cheeses generally work better with the more acid wines. All wines are more acid than all cheeses. If the cheeses had those low pH levels they would be intolerable. This is more a relationship of harmony than an actual see-saw balance. This is perhaps one reason why beers and cheeses can mate so well, the pH levels in beers are rarely as acid as those in wines.

Speaking of beers, the texture of each partner plays a not insignificant role. The effervescence in beers helps to lift up the butter fats and acids in cheeses so that they swirl around in the mouth like Balanchine. Wines have their textures too; it is not just “advantageous” sparkling wines and still wines. The mouth feel of still wines can be notably different. One varietal such as a Chardonnay has a round texture compared to a Sauvignon Blanc. This overall mouth feel is drawn from a number of qualities: acid, astringent (as those presented in tannic wines), trace minerals, barrel influence, and any effervescence.

Cheeses obviously have their own textures. Some are liquid like water while others are nearly as hard as granite. This is a relationship between cheeses and beverages that may be a little less important than others yet we have found that the firmer the cheese the better the mating with the beverage. This could be partly because the flavors in the cheese become more focused as they harden and age; the salts become more pronounced – those salts which play off the liquid partner so well, especially a liquid partner on the sweeter side. The softer cheeses often work best with the more effervescent beverages. The flavors in a younger softer cheese can be a bit scattered and unfocused compared to the harder cheeses. The bubbles provide a little texture to the duet.

Again, in more cases than not, cheeses and wines or other beverages do work well together. There are the occasional bad marriages but they are much less frequent than the successes. It should be noted that the hungrier and thirstier you are the more likely they pairings will be pleasing.