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 This
was a first for our society, having a wine and cheese tasting,
and we were not disappointed. Our reception wine was a flavourful
2002 Cono Sur Viognier from Chile.
We
began the tasting with our cellar master, Lance, talking about
the 6 wines we were going to be tasting with the 15 different
cheeses that evening. The 6 wines are representative of different
wine archetypes - showcasing very different types of classic whites
and classic reds. The whites include an aromatic, spicy, floral
white represented by the Torrontes; a bone dry, acidic, unwooded
white represented by the Sauvignon Blanc; and an oaked, fruity
white represented by the Chardonnay. For the reds, we compared
a lighter, fragrant red represented by the Pinot Noir; a savoury,
gamey, spicy red represented by the Shiraz; and an elegant, oak-matured,
complex, tannic red represented by the Cabernet Sauvignon.
We
had two platters of cheese for the tasting. The first platter
was for the white wines and the second platter was for the red
wines. There were cheeses from sheep, goat and cow's milk. Some
of the cheeses were made from raw milk (unpasteurized).
The cheeses we tasted with the white wines are:
-
Young Manchego (sheep)
- Brebiou (sheep)
- Chevre Frais (goat)
- Cabriflore (goat)
- Comte Juraflore (cow)
- Explorateur (cow)
- Mapledale 5yr Cheddar (cow)
- Munster Gerome (cow)
The
cheeses we tasted with the red wines are:
-
Tomme de Montagnou (cow)
- Fougerus (cow)
- Cantal (cow)
- Gourmelin (cow)
- Brillat Savarin (cow)
- Cave Aged Gruyere (cow)
- Saint Felicien (cow)
An interesting observation from the cheese and wine pairings,
although not mentioned during the tasting, that cheese from cow's
milk was only used for the reds, while the white wines had half
sheep and goat's milk cheese.
 A
few notes on some of the cheeses that I noted during our tasting.
The Comte Juraflore is an all-round cheese. It has a nutty flavour
and is a hard cheese. The Explorateur is the "ice cream"
of cheese. It is very fatty and soft (the round white slice in
the picture). it is a young cheese and should go well with pork
dishes. The Fougerus is like a brie. It had a fern on it and was
creamy. The Cantal cheese is like cheddar, but is milder. Gourmelin
is an "industrial cheese", but is very creamy and tasty.
It is very good for fondue. The Saint Felicien is the favourite
of our speaker, Alice. She recommended it for breakfast on top
of a toasted baguette.
The
selection of a cheese with a wine we were told by Alice is very
subjective, so not to worry if we like a pairing that another
person does not find appealing. We did not vote on any favourite
wine and cheese pairings. At our table we did discuss about what
we did like and dislike. Some of the pairings we liked are:
-
the Young Mancheo with the Torrontes
- the Chevre Frais with the Sauvignon Blanc
- the Comte Juraflore with the Sauvignon Blanc
- the Fougerus with the Shiraz and the Cabernet Sauvignon
- the Cantal with the Cabernet Sauvignon
- the Gourmelin with the Shiraz
This
does not mean that there were not other good pairings. Alice's
cheese shop several hundred cheeses. If you are interested in
pairing up a cheese with a wine, drop by to les amis du Fromage,
and pick up a few different types with Alice's expert help.
 Tasting
Selection
This tasting was different from our other tastings as we did not
vote for a favourite red and white wine. Each wine was picked
for it's
unique style so each wine is a winner.
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