Cheese tasting: for a simple, sophisticated party, pair artisan cheeses with wine - Food
Sunset, March, 2003 by Linda Lau Anusasananan
The best new cheeses
So what are the standouts among the new artisan cheeses? In a sampling
session that was fun as well as flavorful, we picked our favorites from
more than 25 and paired them with complementary wines.
CHEESE MAKER
Blue cheese
Original Blue Point Reyes Farmstead
Cheese Co., Point Reyes, CA;
www.pointreyescheese.com or
(800) 591-6878.
Soft-ripened
cow-milk cheeses
La Petite Creme Marin French Cheese Co.,
Petaluma, CA;
www.marinfrenchcheese.com or
(800) 292-6001.
Poudre Puff Bingham Hill Cheese Co.,
Fort Collins, CO;
www.binghamhill.com or
(970) 472-0702.
Red Hawk Cowgirl Creamery,
Point Reyes, CA;
www.cowgirlcreamery.com or
(415) 663-9335.
Semihard to hard aged
cow-milk cheeses
Bandage-Wrapped Cheddar Fiscalini Cheese Co.,
Modesto, CA;
www.fiscalinicheese.com or
(209) 545-5495.
Mezzo Secco Vella Cheese Co. of California,
Sonoma, CA;
www.vellacheese.com or
(800) 848-0505.
Queso de Oro Bravo Farms,
Visalia, CA;
(559) 734-1282.
Fresh goat cheese
Fresh Chevre Port Madison Farm,
Bainbridge Island, WA;
(206) 842-4125.
Soft-ripened to semihard
goat cheeses
Capricious MyTime Ranch,
Eureka, CA;
(707) 442-3209.
Golden Rose White Oak Farmstead,
Battle Ground, WA;
www.white-oak.com or
(360) 576-7688.
Marble Mountain Cypress Grove Chevre,
McKinleyville, CA;
www.cypressgrovechevre.com or
(707) 839-3168.
CHEESE TASTE & CHARACTER
Blue cheese
Original Blue Farmstead blue cheese made
with raw Holstein cow milk,
aged an average of 6 months.
Creamy and full flavored with
a slight sharp tang.
Soft-ripened
cow-milk cheeses
La Petite Creme Small rounds of mild, creamy,
soft-ripened cow-milk cheese,
with a velvety texture similar to
triple-creme brie.
Poudre Puff Small, fuzzy spheres with
melt-in-your-mouth texture and
slight pungent bite. Made from cow
milk and cream.
Red Hawk Buttery, aged triple-cream
cheese with a red-orange rind
produced by brine washing.
Made with organic cow milk.
Semihard to hard aged
cow-milk cheeses
Bandage-Wrapped Cheddar Firm, raw cow-milk cheddar with
plae gold color. Smooth, dry
texture becomes flakier as it
ages. Aged 18 to 24 months; nutty
and tangy to full flavored and
salty.
Mezzo Secco Semidry cow-milk cheese, aged
4 to 6 months, with deep, mellow
flavors and smooth, slightly
crumbly texture. Tastes a bit like
a mild, nutty cheddar.
Queso de Oro Semihard cow-milk farmstead
cheese with buttery texture and
nutty flavor, made in the style of
Edam. Aged 60 to 90 days.
Fresh goat cheese
Fresh Chevre These small rounds of chevre
have a very mild goat flavor; they
are clean, fresh, and light
tasting, with a smooth, creamy
texture.
Soft-ripened to semihard
goat cheeses
Capricious A surprisingly complex semihard,
cave-aged farmstead goat
cheese; nutty and slightly salty
and tangy like Asiago or parmesan,
with very mild goat flavor.
Golden Rose Semihard pressed goat cheese,
similar to Gouda in flavor and
texture. Golden color, slight
tang, and smooth, dry-aged texture.
Marble Mountain This pyramid-shaped, soft-ripened
goat cheese has a
creamy, mild interior strikingly
marbled with vegetable ash,
which adds a slight mineral flavor.
CHEESE SERVING IDEAS
Blue cheese
Original Blue Pair with slightly sweet
whole-wheat crackers and a chunck
of honeycomb or liquid honey
for drizzling.
Soft-ripened
cow-milk cheeses
La Petite Creme Spread onto slices of baguette;
serve with dried cherries or
dates.
Poudre Puff Pair with sweet, juicy grapes,
or top dried apricots with a bit
of cheese and a sprinkling of
chopped roasted pistachios.
Red Hawk Accompany with ripe Comice
pears and toasted hazelnuts.
Semihard to hard aged
cow-milk cheeses
Bandage-Wrapped Cheddar Serve a wedge of this outstanding
cheddar with a mellow,
spicy-sweet fruit chutney
and thin slices of nut or
whole-grain bread.
Mezzo Secco Drizzle shavings with reduced
balsamic; stir 1/2 cup balsamic
vinegar in a pan over high heat
until reduced to 3 tablespoons,
about 3 minutes. Let cool.
Queso de Oro Spread apple butter onto raisin
or nut toast and top with a thin
slice of cheese, or serve on a
crisp, sweet apple slice.
Fresh goat cheese
Fresh Chevre Drizzle with extra-virgin olive
oil, sprinkle lightly with salt
and pepper, and serve with
baguette slices, toasted or plain.
Soft-ripened to semihard
goat cheeses
Capricious Serve thin slices on rye,
topped with pickled red cabbage,
or pair with golden
raisins or sweet apple slices.
Golden Rose Serve cheese on walnut
toast topped with thin apple
slices.
Marble Mountain For a big visual impact,
present this beautiful cheese
on its own, with plain crackers
or baguette slices.
CHEESE BEST-BET WINE
Blue cheese
Original Blue This strongly flavored blue
wiped out even port, though
we loved it with sweet botrytised
or late-harvest whites.
Avoid reds and sparklers.
Soft-ripened
cow-milk cheeses
La Petite Creme Delicious with Riesling, such
as Lake Chalice Falcon Vineyard
2002 (Marlborough, New Zealand;
$17).
Poudre Puff Try with acidic whites, especially
Sauvignon Blanc such
as Lawson's Dry Hills
(Marlborough, New Zealand; $15).
Red Hawk This cheese was best on its
own; its pungent earthiness
made it hard to pair with wine.
Semihard to hard aged
cow-milk cheeses
Bandage-Wrapped Cheddar Pinot Noir, such as
Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch
(Russian River Valley, CA; $35),
with lush, earthy tones that
complement the cheese.
Mezzo Secco Quite flexible; best with earthy
reds, such as those from the
Rhone, or herbal, crisp whites
such as Sauvignon Blanc.
Queso de Oro This cheese was nice with
sparkling wines, but was
otherwise difficult to match.
Fresh goat cheese
Fresh Chevre Choose a mild white such as
a Pinot Grigio. This cheese
was so mild that it was
knocked out by many wines.
Soft-ripened to semihard
goat cheeses
Capricious Light, fruity wines such as
Riesling or Pinot Noir work
well with this salty cheese;
avoid tannic reds such as
Cabernet Sauvignon.
Golden Rose Pair with a moderately oaky,
restrained Chardonnay, such
as Silverado Vineyards 2000
(Napa Valley; $20).
Marble Mountain This cheese was a surprise
crossover hit--it worked either
with sparklers or with big reds
like Merlot or Syrah.
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