News From The Cheese Caves

The Comté Cheese Association has invited me to come by for a visit. This will be my first visit to this land of cheese royalty so I am particularly excited; this mountainous region is home to heavenly cheese. The name is virtually synonymous with “fromage;” Comté is what many Frenchmen think of when they think of cheese. Were we that lucky!

Edward Behr, publisher of the excellent the Art of Eating called me down for not including Comté in Cheese, a Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best. This was a gross oversight of course. Maybe I took Comté for granted; the flavors may be quite familiar if it is a cheese that has been widely imitated. Yet if you close your eyes and take in all that a morsel of Comté can deliver, those flavors and aromas can resonate distinctly, delicious all the way through to the “finish.” Each wheel is unique, which is part of the beauty of this cheese – it would be difficult to ignore the differences among wheels of Comté, some more subtle than others. These variations make it a little difficult to generalize about what kinds of wines work with Comté; then again it also makes it a little easier to recommend a wine: try any of your favorite wines and see what happens when you pair it with Comté.

I recall experiencing more successes with white wines, more than reds, with Comté. I believe this is due to the many flavor/aroma dimensions of Comté; elevated tannins in the red wines can be a bit fussy with all that complexity. The white wines can be a little more tolerant of those layers of flavor; the tannins do not get in the way.

Comté is used extensively in cooking, able to add a profound accent on many dishes. The cheese can be enjoyed on its own, which is the way I have had Comté most every time. I recall seeing an older woman walking up to a cheese stall in a market in Nice. The fromagère knew exactly what her customer wanted – 100 grams of a young Comté. Today, many cheese lovers have acquired a taste for the more aged versions; the younger cheeses may seem to lack that “wow” factor.

On another occasion I witnessed a couple of Bordeaux wine makers snacking on Comté and fresh baguette. They were not having a glass of their lovely red Bordeaux with the cheese and bread; these two young ladies were having a soft drink instead. I thought it would have been lovely to see how the cheese and wine paired, right there by the vineyard. Then again it was early afternoon.

The A.O.C. rules define Comté rather strictly; the production rules are some of the strictest ones of France. You might think that they would all taste the same. It is precisely those rules that help give wheels of Comté their uncompromised and rather individual signatures.

Max McCalman

Sangiovese is a varietal we often overlook; it could be partly because there were many inferior wines produced from this grape in the past, or because it is often blended with other high-pedigree varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, diluting its own characteristics. It has been blended with other varietals to yield some delicious wines. However part of the appeal of Sangiovese is its easy-drinking character, its graceful acceptance of other varietals in the mix, and its harmony with many foods, cheeses included.

Some Sangiovese successes have been noted recently in Napa yet the grape does not seem to grow quite as successfully much of anywhere else outside Tuscany, so it may also suffer from a lack of recognition on the worldwide stage. We are offering Sangiovese wines in more classes here at the Artisanal Cheese Center, not only the classes focused on Italian cheeses and wines, but in other classes too. This will allow us to pair our cheeses produced outside Italy with several Sangiovese wines. As the weather warms up, Sangiovese is sounding rather appealing, like a nice bottle for a picnic, accompanied by a little cheese and a crusty baguette.

Fortunately, some of the many cheeses that happen to pair well with Sangiovese make good picnic cheeses: goat, sheep, cow and mixed milk cheeses; from the lighter styles all the way up to and including some blues. These are some cheeses we have enjoyed with this varietal recently:

Abbaye de Belloc, Barely Buzzed, Cantalet, Cremont, Garrotxa, Gorgonzola Piccante, 4 y.o. Gouda, Gruyère, Hittisau, Hoja Santa, Ibores, Manchego, Le Moulis, Pecorino Foglie di Noce, Pecorino Sardo, Roncal, Roquefort, Scharfe Maxx, Terraluna, and Vacherin Fribourgeois.

Considering how easy Sangiovese is on the pocket book you may want to add an extra wedge of cheese to your picnic basket. There is a good chance that it will make a nice match.

Max McCalman

I recall enjoying a Valpolicella at a northern Italian style restaurant several years ago. What is northern Italian style food, you may ask? Whether you are speaking of the cuisine of the Veneto where Valpolicella is produced, or you are speaking of the cuisine of the Piemonte, or the Val d’Aosta; whichever region: you will find a broad mix of locally produced agricultural products, cheeses and wines included.

The “king” of Italian wine varietals is Nebbiolo, the noble grape whose juice goes into the production of Barolos and Barbarescos. This “king” status for Nebbiolo (Barolo in particular) makes these wines a little pricey. For a more “every-day red,” the more affordable Chianti Classico (made from Sangiovese) makes for a familiar style of red wine – nice, though technically not “northern” Italian. Somehow I knew that the Valpolicella would make a more suitable wine for the delicious food we selected; or was that the waiter’s suggestion?

The first sip of Valpolicella may catch you off guard, especially if it is a little aged. The more aged ones such as Ripasso della Valpolicella offer more depth than the “nouveau” styles, though they are not nearly as massive as the Amarones. The lighter Valpolicelli are easy-drinking and are relatively low in alcohol. In the production of Ripasso the wine maker adds the leftover grape skins and seeds for extra maceration. This makes for a “bigger” wine, a type that can hold up to many of the more assertive cheeses.

A large part of the success of Valpolicella must be credited to the winemakers, whose blends of the grapes (Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara) shape the flavors of their wines. The blended wines often succeed as partners for cheeses, more often than the 100% varietal wines. Kind of like the “best-of-both-worlds” in cheese making: cheeses crafted from mixed milks are usually successful with a broader variety of wine types.

We found several lovely matches for a Valpolicella Ripasso recently: Formaggio Capra, Pecorino Sardo D.O.P., Fontina Val d’Aosta, Capra Ubriaco al Traminer, Ubriaco Prosecco, Piave, and Gorgonzola Piccante.

Max McCalman

Picholine restaurant’s guests who were considering a cheese course usually wanted to try a variety of cheese types (with my encouragement) and they usually wanted to try several (ditto); the average number being about five. Some people would have as many as nine or more cheeses, while a few guests wanted only one or two. Once the selection was determined the question arose, which wine to have with their cheese course. I recommended certain cheese types if they had wine in their glasses, or if they indicated a preference for a particular wine type. Usually however the focus was on the cheese selections, with wine as an after-thought. This was how most people approached this course – with the cheese selection preceding that of the wine.

This happens in other situations: the wine “person” counterpart asks me which cheeses I want to use at an event so they can select the wines around my choices. I let them know that the wines should be chosen first, as diplomatically as I can, that the wines should “drive the bus.” Besides, the cheeses tend to show up when they want to, whereas you can secure the wines well in advance.

A few Picholine diners asked for an appropriate “dessert” wine: port, Sauternes, Madeira sweeter Muscat, etc. Most people chose to stick with table wines, and if they did not already have a glass of something else they would usually ask for a red. Whenever this happened (which was very often) I would look over the several cheese types and think: that cheese pairs well with most Pinot Noirs, that one is better with Merlot, that cheese is nice with Cabernet Sauvignon, and that one does not work with any red, except maybe a Zinfandel. Ah yes, a Zinfandel, which would actually hold up well with all of those cheeses!

Zinfandel became the default red wine partner for those mixed groupings of cheeses. As I looked over my catalog of cheese and wine pairings, I found successful matches with a full range of cheese types: fresh cheeses, aged cheeses, goat, sheep, wash-rinds, bloomy rinds, Goudas, and blues. Several pairings were outstanding and only a very few disappointed.

Its twin sister, the Primitivo of southern Italy, has similar successes with cheeses, though not nearly as many as the California Zinfandels. This follows the relative successes for other varietals, those of the New World and those of the Old. The more austere styles of the Old World are just that, a little more austere compared to the more gregarious wines of the New.

Some recent successes we have enjoyed with our Zinfandels include Manchego, Idiazábal, Appenzeller, Gorgonzola Piccante, Gruyère, Mahón, Le Moulis, La Peral, Parmigiano Reggiano, Piave, Prattigauer, Quicke’s Cheddar, Stanser Rotelli, Taleggio. The Gamay grape is another red varietal that marries well with many cheeses, though most people seem to prefer reds with a little more backbone, like a Zinfandel.

Max McCalman

Champagnes and sparkling wines have advantages over still wines in pairing with cheeses – their effervescence. The juice of hundreds of different varietals can go into crafting sparkling wines but true Champagnes are limited to three: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Each of these is planted in roughly the same amounts in the Champagne region. For sparkling wines produced outside that area just about every other grape known to man has had a go at sparkling wine production. I enjoy a good Cava every now and then, a chilled glass of Prosecco can be spectacular, but the sparkling wines that are made with Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir (maybe with a little Pinot Meunier mixed in) are my favorites. There are some spectacular sparkling wines made with these varietals that rival some of the better known Champagnes, and they are usually available at a much lower price.

Champagnes (and their facsimiles) are noted by their acidity, which helps carry the sweetness across the palate. The effervescence, the acidity and the fruity qualities of these wines makes them especially refreshing. If it were left up to those qualities alone, the ideal cheese partners would be easier to predict – cheeses that had a balancing level of salt, a harmonious level of acidity, and textures that can meld with these sparklers. As with any wine, the aromatics ultimately come into play. For example, the Chardonnay-dominant Champagnes fare better with cheeses that pair best with still wines made from that varietal. This may sound like a given yet there are some people that will forego a glass of Chardonnay but will gladly accept a Blanc de Blanc made solely from this grape. The other major player in Champagne is Pinot Noir – a varietal everyone seems to enjoy. The Champagnes and sparkling wines made primarily with this varietal will be a little different than those made primarily or solely with Chardonnay. The most recognizable difference is in the aroma.

The Champagnes and sparkling wines that are 100% Chardonnay favor cheeses such as the especially pungent Beermat (a.k.a. Aarauer Bierdeckel) and Försterkäse (a.k.a. Bergfichte), the more modest Langres (from Champagne country itself) and Pont l’Evêque. The ones that are mostly Pinot Noir pair better with some related but more aged cheeses such as Beaufort, Gruyère, Hoch Ybrig, Val Bagner and Sbrinz. The bubblies that are blended with both varietals successfully pair with more cheese types, most of the above as well as Tomme de Savoie, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Terraluna and Brazos Cheddar. The less-Brut styles, the ones with a little extra residual sugar, will pair very well with the broadest range of cheese types.

You might try pouring a little Blanc de Blanc into the crater on top of a Langres and allow the Champagne to seep into the interior of the cheese. This is more than mere theatrics; it softens the texture of the paste making the cheese that much more delectable. Keep in mind that it is the Chardonnay-dominant Champagnes that work best with Langres .

Max McCalman

Syrah wines have seen gains in popularity over the past several years, partly because they exhibit pairing potential with many food types. And so it is with cheeses too, but only up to a point. They have all the aromas and flavors which makes them a delicious alternative to the more tannic Cabernet Sauvignons; they’re a little easier on the palate, and easier on the pocket book compared to the Pinot Noirs. (We can thank Sideways for those pricey Pinots.)

The Syrahs may not have the structure of a well-made Cabernet Sauvignon, yet they can be “big” nonetheless. They typically have deep flavors and often the elevated alcohol levels to match. With all that “size” you may ask how they can blend so well with other varietals. The lower tannin levels help with this yet some other grapes that do have the extra tannins can make for challenging blending partners. Cabernet Sauvignon is one of those varietals often blended with Syrah. Personally, I lose some of the gracefulness of Syrah in that match-up, as though the Cabernet muzzles the Syrah. The idea of blending Syrah with Pinot Noir seems to be a big no-no. Fortunately this rarely happens.

For the wines that are either 100% Syrah or are dominated by that grape, there are some excellent matches with cheeses – the default species being sheep. I am reminded of peanut butter and jelly. For most styles of sheep milk cheeses: fresh, bloomy rind, pressed, wash-rind; the Syrah wines fit perfectly. Few red wines meld into cheeses as gracefully as Syrah. The mixed milk cheeses can pair well (as they usually do), the cheddar styles of cow cheeses marry well, cow milk blue cheeses make good mates, even the Alpine cooked pressed cow milk cheeses are compatible with Syrah wines. The sheep milk cheeses are the stars however – the ones that remind me of that classic food match, peanut butter and jelly.

The Syrah wines are lovely any time of the year, especially when they are brought down to cellar temperature. As they warm up to room temperature they retain their charm; the aromas of violets are more recognizable. As always, make sure that your cheeses are no cooler. Some of the best cheese partners for these wines right now include: Lillé, Pecorino Sardo DOP, Windsordale Truckle, Stilton, Nettle Meadow Kunik, Royale, Helen, Mousseron Jurassienn, Berkshire Blue, Idiazábal, Seven Sisters, Ossau Iraty, Le Moulis, Bleu d’Auvergne, Beaufort, Brazos Cheddar, Comté, Dorset, Fontina Val d’Aosta, 4 yr. old Gouda, Gruyère, Hoch Ybrig, Uplands Pleasant Ridge, Sbrinz, and Vacherin Fribourgeois.

All these cheeses marry well with Syrah (or Shiraz) but look to the sheep milk cheeses among them for the stellar “marriages-made-in-heaven.” There will be many more Syrah-friendly cheeses coming into good form soon!

Max McCalman

I clearly recall my first favorite red wine – a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I still reach out for them; they are my default wines. My first favorite food was cheese and to this day, no other food comes close to satisfying nearly so well. Unconvinced by the pairings I found in print, I took my own detailed notes on how cheeses and wines complemented each other. I thought Cabernet Sauvignon was not recommended often enough; there appeared to be too few cheese partners, and when I found suggestions the pairings relied heavily on the terroir factor, as though the ideal cheese and wine partners would be limited to cheeses and wines produced close to one another.

It is important to note that an acre well-suited for a wine making is usually used for that: producing grapes. Sometimes there is a dairy nearby so parts of that terroir factor may be supported, yet there is so much that goes into wine making, and arguably, there is at least as much that goes into dairying. To say that because they are produced side by side is just a little too easy. The cheeses and wines crafted close to one another can actually clash. As an example of one of those clashes I think of some of the Loire Valley chèvres of western France. There are three white wine varietals grown nearby that marry well with this family of cheeses: Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and to an extent, the Melon de Bourgogne. You also find one of Cabernet Sauvignon’s parents produced in the area – Cabernet Franc. The Chinon made from this grape is cited as a good partner for those cheeses, yet most people seem to find this pairing to be very disappointing.

When I began experimenting with cheese and wine pairings I wanted to find as many matches as possible for my beloved Cabernet Sauvignon. I branched out to far-flung regions to find suitable cheese partners. From what I found it appears that the Cabernet Sauvignons prefer cow cheeses, which is a good thing since more than 90% of the world’s cheeses are produced from cow milk. The sheep milk cheeses can pair well with Cabernet Sauvignon, as they do with most varietals, and then there are the occasional goat cheese successes.

Some of the standout cheese partners for this most noble red wine include: Andeerer Schmuggler, Appenzeller, Fladä, Gruyère, Prattigauer, Sbrinz and Vacherin Fribourgeois, all from Switzerland; Barely Buzzed from Utah, Tarentaise from Vermont; Thomasville Tomme from Georgia; four-year-old Gouda and Roomano from Holland; Bra and Blu del Moncenisio from Italy; Cantalet and Le Moulis from France; and La Peral from Spain. None of these cheeses come from Napa but each of them makes great partners for these lovely California Cabernet Sauvignons.

Max McCalman

“Pleasure” is one of the first words that come to mind when we think of these two: cheese and wine, or “enjoyment.” The partnerships of cheese and wine have been around for centuries, most of them pleasurable relationships. So when we have cheese and wine (or cheese with any beverage) we are usually not thinking about how or why they mate. We are simply enjoying the wine and cheese: we have a sip of wine then we have a nibble of cheese, then wine, then cheese, etc., without fully contemplating the matching: the balancing and complementary relationships between the cheese and wine. Not to overanalyze it, but sometimes the residue leaves an “off” impression – it seems that some sort of conflict may have occurred. We enjoy a wine type and we enjoy a style of cheese, they may even be produced in the same region, yet they are not getting along, so to speak. I am afraid that most people blame the cheese when those mismatches occur.

Cheese has been so badly maligned for so long; cheese has suffered enough!

It is like a great guy and a great gal; the two may not be meant for each other.

“Pairing” seems to be all the rage these days. More and more restaurants have flights of cheese and wine (or craft beer, or Scotch, etc.) and when people are entertaining guests they often obsess about finding the ideal matches. This is probably one reason why my second book – Cheese, a Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best – won a James Beard award, its wine pairings included with each cheese.

There are fundamental principles of pairing foods and beverages that can be applied to pairing cheese and wine. When those principles are considered to their fullest, those pairings often yield some “marriages-made-in-heaven,” or perfect pairings. There is a little science to it. One bit of science may be that when the cheese and wine (or other beverage) pair well aesthetically there may be other neurological benefits derived from careful matchmaking, so there may be some nutritional benefits too.

These pairing principles are applied when we taste cheeses and wines in our Matchmaking class. The class is a little academic but it makes for a thoroughly enjoyable experience; call it “infotainment.”

Max McCalman

We have hosted two high school groups over the past few weeks, teenagers interested in learning more about cheese. This is encouraging to witness; they appear to be especially curious about this beloved food: why do they enjoy it, what makes it taste so good, and is it as bad as some people make it out to be?

We began those sessions with a little bit about the basics: cheese history, how different cheese types are made (while they tasted several different cheeses), what differentiates them one from another (both aesthetically and technically), and how to describe them. The questions they asked included: how does one store it, what fruits work best with cheese, what to do about mold on cheese, etc. Instead of writing off this fermented food, they want to know more about what may be reviving it.

I believe cheese should be part of every person’s diet, from the early years to the later ones. And for those teenagers it provides a generous helping of calcium to help build strong bones.

Cheese is something I missed out on from age 5 to nearly 12, growing up in Brazil. My parents were advised to skip them, or to parboil the milk, not that there were many cheeses available anyway. I would probably be a little taller today had I enjoyed cheese during those formative years.

I have been trying to catch up on cheese ever since we moved back to the States. We may be able to increase our per capita consumption (possibly enough to someday surpass the French) if young people are beginning to appreciate cheese.

I believe that goal is within reach.

When I was in Paris last year I saw a group of young people enjoying charcuterie, not a single piece of cheese in sight. Sad youths, whereas the high school students leaving here were all smiling, all of them except for one guy who didn’t touch his cheeses.

Max McCalman

Our Cheese & Wine 101 event on Wednesday, March 28th will feature four recent releases from Washington’s Mercer Estate wines: a 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, a 2010 Chardonnay and a 2008 Merlot, all from Columbia Valley; and a 2010 Riesling from Yakima Valley. I will be joined by wine expert Gerard Nastasi who will speak about the winery, winemaking in Washington state, as well as the four wines themselves. This session will be especially interesting: tasting four different wines from the same wine maker, three of which are produced from grapes grown in the same valley. To better distinguish each of these wines we will select seven different perfectly ripened cheeses to compare with them. As you taste the different cheeses you will hear how those differences arise from different milk types, different methods of production, and different aging.

The differences in each of these wines will be illuminated by the mix of cheeses. In all, we will taste all 28 combinations to see how each of the matches rate. Some will be better than others; some will be exceptional. This interactive “exercise” will give you a greater appreciation for each of these varietals and how they express themselves differently when you taste them with different cheeses. You can expect to experience some cheese and wine “marriages-made-in-heaven.”

With these great cheeses and wines, there will likely be few clashes.

Max McCalman