News From The Cheese Caves

I use to say that I thought that I was weaned on Chardonnay. For a go-to white wine, no other grape has come close. When people simply ask for a white wine, if any other varietal is included in the glass, I will bet that there may be a moment of hesitation, almost as though something might be a little “off.” Even for the A.B.C. (anything besides Chardonnay) crowd, the attractiveness of wines produced solely from this grape makes them hard to dismiss. By “attractiveness” I am referring to the grape’s many flavors and aromas, its supple mouth-feel, and its versatility with many foods. The Chardonnay wines can be so delicious that they can be enjoyed on their own. This is a quality that other varietals may also claim – that they can be enjoyed on their own – yet you can lose that appreciation for them more quickly than you can for the Chardonnays. Their wines seem to offer the complete “meal,” not just the beverage accompaniment quality. Some of those aromas and flavors can be found in other varietals, certainly, yet Chardonnay seems to have more of them.

You could say “No two Chardonnays are the same.” This would suggest a level of connoisseurship beyond the grasp of most individuals, even a bit of snobbery. Yes, they are different, yet they are unmistakably Chardonnay.

The appreciation for Chardonnay extends beyond the ease of its pronunciation. How many ways can you say “Chardonnay?” The name rolls of the tongue and the opportunities for rhyming with it are myriad. The relative ease of pronunciation reminds me of the name “Stilton.” This was the cheese guests requested most frequently during my Fromager tenure at Picholine restaurant. Far easier to pronounce than the French equivalent – Fourme d’Ambert – it may have given some diners a sense of connoisseurship, the recognition of a great cheese name. Interestingly, an old article in the Wine Spectator mentioned the success of pairing Stilton with Chardonnay. This sounded preposterous when I first read it, yet I admit that when I tried the two together, it turned out to be a good match. The success of this pairing was confirmed by participants in a Matchmaking Cheese & Wine class recently; the recognition of the successful pairing was virtually unanimous.

Like my favorite red grape – Cabernet Sauvignon – the Chardonnays appear to prefer cheeses made from cow milk. Some of the many cheeses that can pair well with Chardonnay wines with a couple of goat and sheep milk cheeses thrown in include: Affidelice, Appenzeller, Barely Buzzed, Beermat, Beaufort, Bleu de Laqueuille, Blu del Moncenisio, Brillat Savarin, Cheddar, Comté, Dorset, Fontina Val d’Aosta, Försterkäse (a.k.a. Bergfichte), Fourme d’Ambert, Hoch Ybrig, Humboldt Fog, Langres, Livarot, Mahón, Le Moulis, Le Moulis Chèvre, Roquefort, Roves des Garrigues, Rupert, Sainte-Maure, Sbrinz, Shropshire Blue, Stanser Rotelli, Taleggio, Tarentaise.

Yes, a glass of Chardonnay can be lovely on its own but why not elevate it with a fine cheese?

Max McCalman

A question comes up frequently: how can a cheese smell so strong yet taste so mild? And conversely, some cheeses that have little aroma have a very strong taste. The short answer is that the tongue picks up five flavors only: salt, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami; whereas the nose can detect hundreds of distinct smells. Our nose picks up aromas arising from volatile compounds in the cheese while the actual flavors in the mouth are caused by other chemical attributes. The combination of the aroma and flavor provides the signature “flavor” of the cheese.

One interesting comment I hear refers to the stinky blue cheeses. Many blue cheeses are aromatic but none of them qualify as “stinky.” The “stinky” descriptor applies best to the wash-rind cheeses – those that have the beneficial b. linens bacteria on their rinds. Some of the younger wetter cheeses that have that surface bacteria can be highly aromatic, or “stinky.” A little ammonia can be one of their aromas.

Some people avoid tasting some cheeses because they assume that an intensely aromatic cheese will make for an intensely flavored cheese, one that is over-the-top. For those that risk a nibble of a “stinky” cheese, they are often surprised at how mild-flavored the cheese actually is. The imprints on our cognitive receptors (our noses and tongues) can fool us. They pick up different aspects.

It is interesting to see how cheeses and wines complement each other so well most of the time. The flavors usually balance each other out nicely: the savory note in the cheese balances the fruit in the wine; the more sour cheese harmonizes with the more acid wine; the overall size of the wine matches the overall size of the cheese; etc. At least this is how they usually start off. Everything seems to be working well, then in the finish there is a huge clash.

This happens from time to time. Fortunately the clashes do not occur that often, but when they do the cheese and wine may both suffer because of the bad marriage. Sometimes the cheese simply flattens the wine. When these mismatches occur it is largely due to the confluence of the aromas in the cheese and the wine. They simply do not meld so well. The combination of the aromas can elicit some blends that may remind you of something you would rather forget, or just as often, the conjoined aromas may remind you of a lovely romantic interlude.

Whatever happens, it is usually left up to the nose, or at least to the retro-nasal profiles of the cheese and wine. All the opening acts: appearance, flavor, texture, etc. all these may be in sync, yet the finish is what seals the deal between a cheese and wine. When all these elements are aligned, you experience the “marriages-made-in-heaven” and the matchmaking is a success.

The nose knows.

Max McCalman

Our recent Master Series brought together the talents of several members of the Artisanal team, each member offering their expertise on different topics. We used to offer the series over the course of six weeks, one long weeknight per week. This format did not work well for out-of-towners so we consolidated the series into three days. Even that was problematic for some people: getting away from work for three days and paying for an extra hotel night in the city. So we consolidated the series into two longer days: Sunday and Monday. This has worked well for most people, although many students have said they would have enjoyed studying cheese several more days with us.

Actual cheese mastery certainly requires more than twenty hours, but with a little background coming in to our series, one can expect to become more masterful. This reminds me of a conversation I had with my editor: she asked me if I would like to write a book entitled Mastering Cheese. I asked her how long I could take to write the book, and how many words could I have. Neither the 15 months nor the 300,00 words were sufficient. Her patience allowed me an extra 3 months to write 450,000 words, 64,000 of which she let me leave in the final manuscript.

I have always maintained that the best way to learn about cheese is to put it in your mouth. Kind of like a picture says a thousand words. Alas, there is only so much you can learn about cheese reading a book about it. Hands-on experience is invaluable. This is one reason that the Cheese Professionals certification effort endorsed by the American Cheese Society has an eligibility requirement. Work experience and academic training can be combined to meet the requirement to sit for the exam.

The twenty hours that a student spends with us in our Master Series can go a long way to help meet the eligibility requirements, more than the twenty hours alone. The series’ syllabus covers many areas, from the history of cheese, to basic cheese making, to pairing cheese with wine, storage and presentation, the nutritional values and safety concerns, all the way to cheese “business.” The series is geared to the professional, either in the retail or restaurant setting. Some people have a keen interest in cheese; call them cheese “enthusiasts” considering a change in careers. No other professional cohort has followed the cheese trail more than attorneys.

As people are preparing to take the first exam this August, several people have come in for our Master Series. Some people are already in the cheese business in one way or another. They take our Master Series to gain knowledge they can apply in their jobs. The networking opportunities usually lead to long-standing professional relationships.

One of the students in our last series was an established cheese educator and author, Ms. Jody Farnham. We also had Ms. Jane Bauer, the American Cheese Society’s Education and Outreach Manager; and Ms. Nora Weiser, the Society’s Executive Director. Needless to say, these students, combined with all the others from across North America made for a great group. This may sound like we had a large class. Actually, we have always kept the enrollments low, to give greater individual focus and interaction. As always, we also learned more teaching the series.

By the way, as of last year, the American Cheese Society includes the profession of Cheese Educator in the members’ jobs categories.

Max McCalman

These contests give us opportunities to witness other experts go through their different judging processes. Some judges take longer to assess the appearance of the cheese surface, while others spend more time assessing the paste. Some judges take a whiff of the fresh sample, then a second whiff, and then contemplate the aroma for a full minute before proceeding to the taste. For most judges, the taste matters most, and for a full assessment of the taste the judge must wait up to a full minute after the cheese is in the mouth to evaluate the full profile of a cheese. It is that imprint on the cognitive receptors that gives judges their final evaluations of a cheese. For some judges, the texture is almost as important quality as the taste.

One of the judges, Russell Smith who is a veteran cheese expert from Australia, told me that the texture is all-important. I agree; so many cheeses seem to have a nice appearance, a pleasant fresh milk aroma, even a balanced flavor, but the texture disappoints. For many of the categories he was judging, like almost all of my categories, there were several cheeses that had this flaw: a pasty, gummy, or mealy texture. As Russell and I agreed, this rubbery texture may not be considered a flaw by some consumers however the experience of tasting a cheese which has the appropriate texture for its class is an experience that you will not forget. I know of no cheese for which a pasty texture is desirable. I tasted many cheeses that had a well-balanced flavor yet their textures were weak.

Assistant Chief Judge Stan Dietsche, in his introductory remarks explaining the judging process, recommended the judges approach tasting each cheese with a certain reverence. He compared the proper approach to a two-minute love affair. That remark reminded me of one of our core classes – Sexy Cheese. Stan’s advice brought laughter from the judges, but his point was fully understood. This is certainly the approach my judging colleague Roland Barthélemy takes. Roland, who is president of the Guilde des Fromagers, takes in the full view of each new cheese he tastes, his eyes wide in wonderment. You can see his nose twitch slightly in anticipation. Yet he sizes the cheese up very carefully, all around its surfaces, before he focuses on the aroma. The judges take core samples with their cheese triers, hold the core sample up to their noses, and take in the full aroma. Roland has a distinctive flare to this process. He receives the tool used to extract the sample (the trier) as though he is receiving a sacred relic. He holds the sample up to his nose and sniffs the length of the sample. He turns his head to exhale then he goes through the exact same process again.

The usual process followed in cheese competitions involves taking in the cheese appearance, then the aroma, then the flavor, then the texture or mouthfeel, then you wait for the “finish.” That final aromatic profile is what “seals-the-deal” in the evaluation. Everything else may be fine, but the finish sometimes disappoints.

Again, the texture is very important. This contest lists twenty possible texture defects a judge can assign, with a couple of open spaces for any others. I recall going through several wheels of Appenzeller (one of my favorites) and finding good rinds, nice aromas and flavors (though slightly different, one wheel to the next) but when I got down to the texture critiques, I found myself checking off little deductions for the same “flaws.” Nearly all of them had a “pasty” and/or “gummy” texture, nearly all of them, unlike the Appenzeller we proudly offer. One of our sayings around here has been “Taste the Difference.” I would extend that to “Taste and Feel the Difference.” That two-minute love affair should last much longer, and the cheese’s texture helps make that happen.

Max McCalman

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.

Original post at www.BigAppleNosh.com

Reprinted here in its entirety with permission.

Thanks Serena!

I am so excited to share these photos with you! My sister got me a 3-month subscription to Artisanal‘s Cheese of the Month Club for my birthday. My first delivery arrived in July, and I am just giddy with excitement! Cheese is my favorite food in the world (even more than dessert, can you imagine?) – if I could only have one food for the rest of my life, I would choose cheese. I would never tire from the variety of textures, aromas, and flavor profiles; I’ve never met a cheese I didn’t like! As a restaurant devoted entirely to cheese, Artisanal is one of my favorite places to dine in the city. But enough about me, let’s get on with the CHEESE!

Oh, the goodness that was waiting inside this box was tantalizing:

I opened up the package, and packed in an insulated bag were four odoriferous bundles of heaven:

Also included was a “Cheese Clock” which provided “essential wisdom for selecting, presenting and enjoying Artisanal Premium Cheese!” – well, if there’s any type of wisdom I like it’s cheese wisdom:

Finally, Artisanal included a detailed description of each cheese with suggested wine pairings and flavor notes:

While this blog unfortunately doesn’t have taste-o-vision, below are photos of each cheese, as well as the included description in the notes. First off, Robiola Nostrano (Mild):

“The Robiola Nostrano is produced by Stagionatura Guffanti in northwest Italy. The cheese tastes a little like a Brie but it delivers a luscious flavor that you do not find in the bries we have available to us in the US. The soft unctuous texture is especially pleasing. The rind allows for good air exchange that enhances the overall quality of the cheese. This version is made with all cows’ milk, though occasionally they have one available that has other milks added. The Robiola Nostrano is not a cheese that you will have to worry about having any leftovers; they are so delicious that they are invariable finished properly.”

The texture of this cheese is rich, creamy and luxurious on the tongue. The taste is mild, hence the recommendation to start with this cheese, and what a delightful start it is!

In the Medium category, we have Stella Royale:

“Stella Royale is a traditional style of pressed sheep milk cheese from northwest Spain. The milk for this especially nutritious cheese comes from the Churra breed, a native of the region that is able to thrive throughout the extremes of the seasons. The high quality milk produces a cheese with a full-flavored nutty flavor that lingers luxuriously on the palate.”

The Stella holds its own with a drier, slightly crumbly texture and just the lightest hint of a bite. I especially enjoyed it with the tiniest nibble of fig cake – the sweet and salty juxtaposition was very satisfying!

The Bold selection was Tomme Fermiere d’ Alsace:

“Tomme Fermiere d’Alsace is a firm, washed-rind (smear) cow’s milk cheese made in the Alsace region of France. We receive this cheese into our caves and continue the maturing process for an additional two to four months, washing each wheel several times with a light Alsatian wine. This dramatically accentuates the lactic flavors and develops long, fruity notes with hints of mushrooms, grass and butter.”

Unlike the Robiola, this cheese has a firmer, more robust texture – however, it is just as creamy and buttery. I tasted notes of the wine wash on the Tomme Fermiere d’Alsace, which I especially appreciated. Heavenly!

To round off the plate, we finish with a Strong selection, the Bleu d’Auvergne:

“Bleu d’ Auvergne is a name-protected (Denomination Origine Protected, DOP) cheese from the Auvergne region in south-central France, where it has been made since the middle of the 19th century. Bleu d’Auvergne is made in the traditional manner from cow’s milk and features blue veining throughout. Its moist, sticky rind conceals a soft paste possessing a grassy, herbaceous and (with age) spicy, pungent taste. Here at the Artisanal Premium Center, we allow this cheese to drain until it reaches the creamy consistency we desire. Bleu d’Auvergne pairs well with Alsatian Rieslings and classic dessert wines such as a Sauternes.”

I said I wouldn’t name favorites, but that was before I met Bleu d’Auvergne – if you love blues, you will LOVE this cheese; I sure did! Suuuper creamy, tangy and very “spicy,” this was the perfect specimen of a blue. I dare you to find a better one, I dare you!

And below is a group photo, arranged as suggested by the Cheese Clock guide! Yummmm:

I’m waiting for my sister to enjoy the cheese with me this coming weekend, but as you can tell from my descriptions, I’ve sampled a small portion of each – and they are gooooood. I can’t wait to try a heartier portion of each variety this weekend, but my favorite thus far is the Bleu d’Auvergne (couldn’t you tell? haha) – its juxtaposition of creamy texture and tangy bite is heavenly. I’m a lucky girl! I think this may be my favorite “thing-of-the-month” I’ve ever encountered. Now if only there were lifetime subscriptions…

What is your favorite type of cheese?

Serena
bigapplenosh.com

For more information, contact:
Stephanie Flynn
Black Twig Communications
314-255-2340 x 103

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Cheese Connoisseur Announces Book Signing Tour in St. Louis
Author Max McCalman will be making appearances at five Schnucks locations

NEW YORK (July 20, 2011) – Artisanal Brands, Inc. (OTCQB:AHFP) today announced that Max McCalman, Dean of Curriculum and Maître Fromager at Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, will hold a book signing in St. Louis, Missouri on July 29 and 30 to promote his third book, Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager. McCalman will appear at the following St. Louis locations:

Friday, July 29, 2011:

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Schnucks Arsenal, 5505 Arsenal Road
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Schnucks Richmond Center, 6600 Clayton Road
4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Schnucks Ladue, 8867 Ladue Road

Saturday, July 30, 2011:

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Schnucks Lindbergh, 10275 Clayton Road
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Schnucks Des Peres, 12332 Manchester Road

“Max is one of the cheese world’s most respected authorities on artisan cheeses and he has been a highly visible advocate for artisan cheesemakers around the world,” said Daniel W. Dowe, president and CEO of Artisanal. “Mastering Cheese is the first of Max’s books to include extensive information on the artisan cheese revolution in the United States. We are all very appreciative of the work Max has done for our company and the entire industry.”

McCalman is America’s first restaurant-based Maître Fromager, and Garde et Jure as designated by France’s Guilde des Fromagers. He joined New York City-based restaurant Picholine in 1994 where he created the restaurant’s fabled cheese program with Chef-Proprietor Terrance Brennan. McCalman later established the critically acclaimed cheese programs at Artisanal Brasserie & Fromagerie restaurant, followed by the Artisanal Cheese Center, both in New York City.

In Mastering Cheese, McCalman condenses his vast knowledge into a single, one-of-a-kind volume that is the ultimate master’s class on cheese. The book presents in-depth information on everything from production methods and the laws that govern cheese naming, to choosing what cheese to buy at the grocery store and what wines or beers to pair with it. Organized into twenty-two distinct lessons, each lesson focuses on eight to 15 cheeses and ends with how-to information on creating a tasting plate from the knowledge garnered, bringing the experience to delectable life.

Mastering Cheese won “Best in the World Book on Cheese” for 2011 from the esteemed Gourmand International World Cook Book Awards, and was a finalist in the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Food & Beverage Reference/Technical category for 2011.

Artisanal Premium Cheese recently launched its products in St. Louis area Schnuck Markets along with its four-color cheese selection and wine and beer pairing system called the CheeseClock by Artisanal™. The CheeseClock by Artisanal™ gives consumers the guidance they need to confidently purchase cheeses and pair them with wines and beers in the very same fashion as a professional chef would present them in fine dining from mild to strong. Cheeses available include: (mild) Laurier, Rocky Sage, Brillat Savarin, Geit-in-Stad; (medium) Camembert, Pecorino Sardo, Tarraluna, Stella Royale; (bold) Uplands Pleasant Ridge, Artisanal 2-year Cheddar, Tomme Fermiere D’Alsace; (strong) Gouda Aged 4-years, North Country Blue, La Peral, Artisanal Roquefort.

About Artisanal Premium Cheese
Artisanal Brands, Inc. markets and distributes a line of specialty, artisanal and farmstead cheese products, as well as other related specialty food products under its own brand to food wholesalers and retailers, as well as directly to consumers through its catalogue and Web site, artisanalcheese.com. The company is based in New York, New York. For more information about Artisanal, visit www.artisanalcheese.com.

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This may not sound like much of a concern: how does one taste cheese? However there are some methods that we should mention that can help you better taste cheese. The look of a cheese helps to form our assessment, whether we admit or not. The nose gives an even stronger impression, while the tongue can pick up altogether different sensations, and the texture of a cheese figures as well. As we point out in our Cheese & Wine 101 sessions, what seals the deal in tasting is what you have to wait for – the “finish.” This is when the aromatic esters in the cheese move up the retronasal canal, leaving the final impression and taste of the cheese.

One of the first things to consider is that you not wear strong cologne or other scents. Because cheeses can be very aromatic, to have other aromas competing with those in the cheese can present conflicting assessments. It is also helpful to have a more neutral palate. Avoiding strong foods and beverages before you taste the cheeses is recommended. Cheese judges are advised to avoid drinking coffee before tasting the competition cheeses.

Drinking plenty of water helps to keep your palate more “neutral.” Water is a great universal cleanser. Allowing a little time between tasting cheeses gives your palate a little rest so that it come back to a more neutral state. A little bit of a plain baguette or unflavored cracker can pick up the acids and fats left behind by a cheese.

Another tip we offer that may not be so apparent is to taste the cheese a second time, or just a little later. Remarkable differences can be recognized in the flavor of a cheese if you first “temper” your palate with the first bite, then go back for seconds. This is something that Kevin Zraly suggests you do when tasting wine: you have the first sip then have a second. Whatever residual may have resided in your mouth beforehand is smoothed over by the introductory taste followed by the actual assessing taste.

Wine or beer can serve as a “platform” for tasting cheese. Nuances in the cheese may be highlighted with one of these beverages underneath. This may not be considered fair, since the flavors and aromas may be altered by the commingling characteristics in the beverage. Yet they can also help bring out those subtleties that might otherwise be missed. Any alcoholic beverage should be consumed in moderation, otherwise your assessing skills may suffer.

Max McCalman

Queso Garrotxa has been one of my favorites for years. The rustic appearance of the rind belies the mild creamy flavor of the paste. At one time this cheese was near extinction. To think that we might be without this lovely cheese today!

Goat milk cheeses can be a little difficult to pair with red wines. This past weekend I had the opportunity to taste the Garrotxa with a white and a red Rioja. The white was 100% Viura, the red was mostly Tempranillo with a little Garnacha and Graciano added.

The white wine made an excellent match; I gave it my highest score for a pairing – a +2 – from the scoring system I employ in Cheese & Wine 101, as well as most of our other classes.

Viura resembles a Sauvignon Blanc in its flavor/aroma profile, not quite as acid, a little more floral than citrus. Delighted with this pairing I had my doubts about what the red wine would deliver. It happened to be equally pleasing, from start to finish, another +2. The red Rioja had medium tannins and the berry flavor came through. And because the Garrotxa is made with pasteurized goat milk, this makes the marriage with different wines a bit more manageable. The “marriages-made-in-heaven” are less frequently noted with the pasteurized cheeses however.

A good Garrotxa can be a wonderful thing, and this time of year they should be in excellent form. This Garrotxa was in outstanding shape, firm but moist, creamy with just a little tang in the middle. I recall experiencing another “marriage-made-in-heaven” with another wine many years ago – a white Meursault. This is one reason why Garrotxa made the back cover of my first book – The Cheese Plate – and the front cover of my second one – Cheese, a Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best. The Garrotxa was one of the first cheeses that dispelled the notion that cheeses and wines should come from the same terroir to be good matches.

Of course Rioja is not all that far away from where the Garrotxas are produced. There is so much that goes into cheese making, as well as what goes into wine making, that to say that they should come from the same place is a little too easy. It is a good place to start however. Throw a dart on a map and see which cheeses and wines are produced closest to where the dart lands; they may work well together. In more cases than not, fine cheeses do pair well with wines, no matter where they are made.

Our aged four-year-old Gouda is one of the stronger non-blue cheeses in our caves now. It fits in at the strongest quadrant of the CheeseClockâ„¢ – the 3-12 quadrant. That being said, this Gouda pairs best with the strongest of beverages. Not that this cheese cannot marry well with the lighter wines; it is that it can overwhelm those wines, essentially reducing them down to little more than a rinse.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to taste our aged Gouda with a couple of different Cognacs. The lighter Cognac was a V.S.O.P. that had been aged in French oak barrels, A Cognac that was designed for those that prefer the smoother, less harsh, styles of Cognacs. The second one was an unblended, “bolder” and more familiar style of Cognac.

The first Cognac was very approachable – that is “easy on the palate,” while the second one was a type with a little more “burn” in the finish. This tasting bore out the proof that not all Cognacs are the same, especially with regard to how they paired with different cheeses.

As is most often apparent, the bigger cheeses married more successfully with the bigger Cognac. The four-year-old Gouda, with its hard crystalline texture coupled with its forward salt, generally works well with a wide range of cheese, some better than others. This awesome cheese rarely disappoints.

While perfectly fine with the milder Cognac, this cheese was a much better partner with the bigger one. The “burn” in the Gouda was mellowed with the bolder Cognac, while it was merely “tolerated” with the lighter one. We were able to taste the Gouda and the bigger Cognac all the way through to the finish. The caramel flavor in the cheese matched that in the Cognac while the dense texture of the cheese melted like butter when it was paired with the Cognac.

This exercise gave evidence to a fundamental principle of the CheeseClock™ pairing tool – big cheese works more successfully with bigger beverages.