Cheese and Wine 101
Cheese Selection
Triple Creme Goat Brie (Canada)
Made from 100% goat's milk, this snowy white cheese is rich, creamy and tangy like a cow's milk brie with the subtle addition of grassy notes. (Woolwich Dairy)
Four-Year Cheddar (Vermont)
A handcrafted, aged cheese made with cow's milk sourced from small family farms. It has a butteryellow color, robust, tangy flavor and crumbly texture. (Grafton Village Four Star)
Cave Aged Gruyere (Switzerland)
Made from cow's milk and aged for one year in cool, humid sandstone caves, this cheese is pale yellow in color and firm in texture with small salt crystals. The flavor is nutty and mildly tangy. (Gourmino)
Menage Mixed-Milk (Wisconsin)
A handcrafted blend of sheep, goat and cow's milks, this cheese has an earthy, slightly sweet and grassy flavor and a dry yet not crumbly texture. (Carr Valley)
Wine Selection
Pinot Noir is a medium-bodied red wine with mild acidity, soft tannins and flavors of strawberry, raspberry, cherry and plum. For this cheese selection, look for a Pinot Noir that's described as fruity and clean, with an alcohol by volume between 12% and 13%.
Affordable Favorite Pinot Noirs ($7 to $15)
- FlipFlop Pinot Noir, California
- Bella Sera Pinot Noir, Italy
- Red Truck California Pinot Noir
- Concannon Limited Release Pinot Noir, Central Coast California
Chardonnay can be crisp and light with flavors of apple, citrus and peach, or, when aged in oak barrels, flavors of pear, vanilla and toasted oak. For this cheese selection, look for a Chardonnay described as fresh, fruity and lightly oaked.
Affordable Favorite Chardonnays ($7 to $15)
- FlipFlop Chardonnay, California
- Stone Cellars by Beringer Chardonnay, California
- Concannon Vineyard Chardonnay, Central Coast California
- Clos du Bois Chardonnay, North Coast California
Serving Suggestions
- Be sure to let your cheese warm to room temperature - remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving.
- Purchase approximately 2 ounces of cheese per person.
- Use separate knives and/or spreaders for each variety of cheese.
- Serve with seedless grapes and thin wedges of apple and pear. Use several varieties like Granny Smith, Gala, Bosc and Anjou. Cut just before serving and toss with a little freshly squeezed lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Put out condiments like honey for drizzling, fig jam, apricot preserves and chutney for spreading or whole grain mustard for dipping.
- Add thin-sliced, toasted baguette, whole grain crackers, crisp breadsticks and spiced nuts.
