cheese PARTY PAIRINGS
BY LINDA GARSON I PHOTOGRAPHY BY DONG KIM
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oliday evenings for us mean a plate of really good cheese, especially stronger flavoured cheeses, a glass or two of wine, and close friends or family. But which wines? We don’t want to spoil the relaxed ambience with pairings that clash or leave your mouth tasting metallic or chalky, so for this month’s cheeseboard we’ve done the hard work for you and paired six cheeses with different drinks – something for everyone’s taste!
Jack’s Fancy Cheese with Rose Leaves - Jacks Cheese, Woerden The Netherlands
A cheese with rose petals inside. Wow! How gorgeous and elegant is this cheese? Soft and fragrant, it’s sure to impress. A yeasty sparkling wine such as cava or champagne will complete the celebrations and clean your tongue, preparing you for another bite… then another sip… and another bite… Montboissié du haut Livradois Société fromagère du Livradois Fournois, France
This mild cow’s milk cheese from the Jura Mountains, on the France-Swiss border, has a line of wine lees running throughout, and is really buttery, soft, and silky. With high fat cheeses, the bitterness of the hops in an IPA helps cut through the fat, and makes a great pairing. Blue Stilton - Oak Manor, England
Many thanks to Springbank Cheese who provided this beautiful cheeseboard for photography. 14 Culinaire | December 2020
For years, our New Year’s Eve was spent at close friends, with a terrific spread ending in Blue Stilton and port. Good Blue Stilton is creamy and a little salty, so best contrasted with something powerful and sweet – a vintage port is ideal, or any ruby port. Walnuts and digestive biscuits will complete the plate!
Port Salut - Groupe Bel (aka Fromageries Bel), Suresnes (Paris), France
A couple of hundred years ago, Trappist monks in the Loire Valley created this smooth and buttery, semi-soft cheese with an orange rind. Try a little drizzle of balsamic and some asparagus, apple, or pear, and a medium-body wine from the same region, such as Sancerre.
Comté Fort Lucotte Séduction Fromageries Marcel Petite, Granges Narboz, France
Just a few klicks away from the Swiss border, five generations of the Petite family have been caring for this semihard and grainy, cow’s milk cheese. As it’s not a fatty cheese, look for lower tannin red wines, such as a fruity and friendly Côtes du Rhône, and treat yourself to a fondue, a Croque Monsieur, or just nibble and sip…
White Stilton with Cranberries Oak Manor, England
You might think of cranberries as tart, but not in this cheese. This festive White Stilton is very different to its Blue cousin; crumbly and sweet, and a sprinkling would be fantastic on a fruit crumble! A sweet and spiced mulled wine is the way to go here. Cradle it and sip it slowly.
