A Wine Lover's Guide to Becoming a Cheese Addict

I’ve decided.

This year, 2015, will be the Year of the Big Cheese. My goal is to learn (almost) as much about cheese as I have about wine. However, wine has a head start of 17 years, thus the qualifier “almost.”

This ambitious goal is not based on a great epiphany or even a Road to Damascus realization. However, I had a “come to cheeses” moment.

Friends in Toronto sent me a gift box of artisanal cheeses from a local gourmet shop here in Ottawa called Jacobson’s for the holidays. I was fascinated with the various cheeses, and their similar range of flavours, methods of production and origins to wine.

I’ve been back to that shop three times in the last week exploring their range of more than 50 cheeses: obsession and passion co-ferment well together.

Follow me on my journey this year as I explore the wonderfully weird and delicious world of cheese.

I’m quoting the tasting note from Jacobson’s, then adding my own, along with wine and cheese pairings below.

Click on the wine names to my get my full tasting notes, scores, other food pairings and which liquors closest to you have the wine in stock right now across the country.

Riopelle, Quebec, Canada
This is a thermalized, cow’s milk cheese very similar to a triple cream. The decadent smooth centre has a hint of mushroom flavour which complements the buttery notes.

Well known Quebec artist, Jean Paul Riopelle, kindly gave his name to this cheese from Iles aux Grues and one of his pastoral paintings is featured on the label.

A donation from the sale of every cheese is made in his name to the local school board to support education on the island. Try this taste treat – top a molten chocolate with a wedge of Riopelle. The combination of the buttery saltiness of the cheese and the dark chocolate is a marriage made in heaven.

Nat’s Note: My favourite non-flavoured creamy cheese, and it’s Canadian: yay! So mouth-coating and rich: this fills every crevice of your senses. Lovely butter and cedar flavour.

Score: 92/100

Best Wine Pairing: Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling 2013

Runner-up: Blue Mountain Chardonnay 2010

• Cow’s Milk
• Canadian Cheese
• Soft
• Thermalized

Side Note: What’s Thermalized Cheese?

I had to look up the definition of thermalized: cheese that is neither raw nor pasteurized. The milk is heated only to 60-65 °C/140-150 °F for 15-30 seconds then chilled, then re-heated at the beginning of cheesemaking. This reduces the number of micro-organisms, but not as much of the flavour as does pasteurization. The U.S. considers thermalized cheeses to still be raw milk cheeses, while the European Union considers it pasteurized.

Pasteurized cheeses heat the milk higher to dramatically reduce the number of viruses, bacteria, molds, yeasts, and protozoa in milk, which tends to be a friendly growth environment micro-organisms with it’s loaded with lactose (milk sugar).

Milk for cheese is pasteurized via high temperature, short time (HTST), heating the milk to 71.7 °C/161 °F for 15-20 seconds. Traditionally, it made milk and cheeses much safer to consume. Today, however, we know that there are many micro-organisms in milk that are beneficial to human health and also contribute to a richer and more complex taste in cheese.

Raw milk cheese is not pasteurized at all, and is the traditional way that cheese had been made for thousands of years until the nineteenth century. Since the 1940s, the U.S. has banned all raw milk cheeses aged fewer than 60 days, since it is believed that micro-organisms living in the cheese will not be alive after that. Canada permits raw milk cheeses, per the selections below.

Domaine de Beaulac Camembert, France
Jacobson’s: This cheese travels from Normandy, France where the best Camembert is produced. The cheese has a bloomy rind and a soft creamy and sticky texture with small openings. Its taste is typical of raw milk cheese, slightly salty and pungent.

Tasting this cheese is an incredible experience; it has a unique and complex flavour with big mushroom notes.

One taste provides an unforgettable experience and may convert a lover of more buttery buttery cheeses such as Brillat Savarin.

Nat’s Note: Rich, creamy cheese that oozes wild woodland flavour. I prefer the Riopelle and Chateau de Bourgogne over this one, and have yet to try Brillat Savarin.

Score: 88/100

Best Wine Pairing: Chapoutier Belleruche Blanc Grenache Blanc 2013

Runner-up: Mountadam Estate Chardonnay 2009

• Cow’s Milk
• French Cheese
• Soft
• Unpasteurized

Chateau de Bourgogne, Burgundy, France
Jacobson’s: Chateau de Bourgogne is a Burgundian cheese that is a not too distant cousin to Brillat Savarin. If there ever was a sophisticated party cheese this is it.

It is so delicate, soft and creamy, it yields a shot of butter and a dash of salt on the tongue before vanishing.

It is perfectly paired with Champagne and sparkling wines. This is a cheese that disappears with nary a nibble left on the tray!

Nat’s Note: So creamy and rich and buttery great. This is like lava flow for the senses.

Score: 90/100

Best Wine Pairing: Taittinger Nocturne Champagne

Runner-up: Freixenet Elyssia Gran Cuvée Brut Cava

• Cow’s Milk
• French Cheese
• Pasteurized Milk
• Soft

Truffo: Truffle-Infused Brie, France
Jacobson’s: Our popular brie now comes paired with Italian summer truffles. Delicate, soft and creamy, with flavours of fresh butter, cream, a touch of almonds and of course earthy truffle.

Decadent! If you have any leftover put a bit on top of a steak.

Nat’s Note: I have rename this “heroin cheese.” It is pure addiction. This creamy cheese is infused with black truffle (the wild, fungi kind, not chocolate). I need my fix … now.

Score: 96/100

Best Wine Pairing: Maison Roche De Bellene Gevrey-Chambertin 2012

Runner-up: Akarua Pinot Noir 2012

• Cow’s Milk
• French Cheese
• Pasteurized Milk
• Soft

Avonlea Cheddar, P.E.I., Canada
Jacobson’s: From Prince Edward Island, this thermalized, bandaged cheddar has been the recipient of numerous awards worldwide over the years.

Produced from milk provided by cows who graze in the salt air and sun of the island, the flavour is nutty and full-bodied with slight fruit overtones and a definite ‘aged’ bite at the end.

Nat’s Note: Salty, briny and filled with the sunshine coastline of Prince Edward Island. Brings back memories of reading Anne of Green Gables.

Score: 89/100

Best Wine Pairing: Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Runner-up: Château Rousseau De Sipian 2010

• Canadian Cheese
• Cow’s Milk
• Hard
• Thermalized

Irish Porter Cheddar, Ireland
Jacobson’s: Infused with the robust flavor of whiskey, Kerrygold’s rich and creamy Aged Cheddar now has unique undertones of the smooth, woody and nutty taste of pure Irish Whiskey.

Entrenched in the history and traditions of Ireland, Cheddar and whiskey are now together in one spirited, Irish grass-fed cow’s milk cheese.

This tasty combination is the perfect compliment to your party’s gourmet cheese platter and is also a unique gift item.

Nat’s Note: I found this cheddar pleasant, but not a stand-out. I was drawn to its unusual visual appeal, and the beery infusion.

Score: 86/100

Best Wine Pairing: Luis Felipe Edwards Gran Reserva Cabernet 2012

Runner-up: Mulderbosch Faithful Hound Cabernet Merlot 2011

• Cow’s Milk
• Irish Cheese
• Pasteurized Milk

Provincial Smoke, Ontario-Quebec, Canada
Jacobson’s: Reminiscent of summer campfires, this cheese is naturally smoked to perfection. A smooth and creamy smoked cheddar which is made in Quebec, it is cold smoked in Ontario.

The smokiness pairs perfectly with the sweet and tangy cheddar. The beautiful burnt-orange rind of the cheese creates a rich background that doesn’t overpower the cheddar’s delicate flavour.

BBQ season here we come – try this on your next burger!

Nat’s Note: I’ve been using Applewood Smoked Cheddar on my grilled paninis for quite a while. There’s a new cheese in town. They started cutting this one in the shop, and the aroma was so seductive, I asked them to cut me a second piece. Definitely my favourite hard cheese.

Score: 92/100

Best Wine Pairing: Lailey Vineyard Syrah 2012

Runner-up: Elderton Ode To Lorraine Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2010

• Canadian Cheese
• Cow’s Milk
• Hard
• Thermalized

Bellavitano Raspberry Ale, Wisconsin, US
Jacobson’s: This American grand champion from Wisconsin is absolutely one of the favourites on our cheese counter.

Soaked with handcrafted Raspberry Tart ale, the bright notes of ruby-red raspberries combine with hazelnut and brown-butter flavors to make a deliciously complex cheese.

Bellavitano features a rich and creamy texture with a great, cravable taste reminiscent of an aged, premium Cheddar balanced by a full flavored Parmesan.

Nat’s Note: Love this cheese! Washed with raspberry ale, it has a slightly sweet flavour only on the rind of fresh raspberry. I also tried the Bellavitano Merlot, but didn’t find it striking in any way. I have yet to try the Bellavitano Espresso. Vroom!

Score: 92/100

Best Wine Pairing: Peller Estates Ice Cuvée Rosé Sparkling

Runner-up: Louis Bouillot Perle D’aurore Crémant De Bourgogne Rosé

• American Cheese
• Cow’s Milk
• Hard
• Pasteurized Milk

Colston Bassett Stilton, Britain
Jacobson’s: Regarded as one of the best traditionally made naturally crusted Stiltons. Mature, with good blueing and rich, deep, herbaceous flavours that linger on the palate. Mellow and creamy.

Matured for at least eight weeks and made according to traditional methods. Stilton was first recognised as a type of cheese at the beginning of the eighteenth century and named after the town of Stilton.

Stilton can only be made in the three adjacent counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. lston Bassett & District Dairy Limited was built in 1913, set up as a cooperative and funded by a group of local people. The milk is largely produced from the same pastures.

Nat’s Note: Jacobson’s stocks only one tradition Stilton because, as they put it, you only need one good one. (They have many other blue cheeses though.)

Score: 90/100

Best Wine Pairing: Quinta Nova Late Bottled Vintage Port 2009

Runner-up: Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2008

• British Cheese
• Cow’s Milk
• Pasteurized Milk
• Semi-Soft

Dragons Breath Blue Cheese, Nova Scotia, Canada
Jacobson’s: This blue cheese named for its pungent aroma is just one of the amazing cheeses made by Willem and Maja van den Hoek, proprietors of That Dutchman’s Farm in Colchester County but it is one that has built a remarkable following.

A winner in the 2014 Canadian cheese awards, for the first time this prize is now available outside of Nova Scotia.

Slice off the black wax top and dive in – slightly pungent, not too salty, not too blue – this cheese is true perfection!

Nat’s Note: A lighter style of blue cheese that’s not even “blue” though technically in that taste and flavour category. It’s injected with a white mould, not blue. Great taste.

Score: 90/100

Best Wine Pairing: Reif Estate Winery Grand Cabernet Franc Icewine 2012

Runner-up: Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2009

• Canadian Cheese
• Cow’s Milk
• Pasteurized Milk
• Soft

St. Agur Blue Cheese, Auvergne, France
Jacobson’s: A blue cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk from the village of Beauzac in the Monts du Velay, part of the mountainous Auvergne region of central France. Enriched with cream, and containing 60% butterfat qualifies St. Agur as a double-cream cheese.

Aged for 60 days in cellars, the cheese becomes stronger and spicier as it ages. The moist, rich, white cheese has characteristic olive green mold veins throughout and a smooth, creamy texture with a subtle mild spicy taste resembling a softer, and finer Roquefort in presentation and taste.

It is not as salty as more traditional blue cheeses and its tangy and creamy nature are balanced so not to overpower. If you are not by nature a lover of blues this truly is the ‘smooth and easy’ place to start!

Nat’s Note: My favourite blue! So creamy, such an opulent contrast to the sharp pungency and salty call of the blue. I didn’t like blue cheeses for most of my life being cursed as a super taster, sensitive to such strong tastes. But the creamy here makes it so palatable.

Score: 93/100

Best Wine Pairing: Cockburn’s Quinta Dos Canais Vintage Port 2000

Runner-up: Offley Late Bottled Vintage Port 2009

• Cow’s Milk
• French Cheese
• Pasteurized Milk
• Soft

Bleu D’Elizabeth, Quebec, Canada
Jacobson’s: This semi-soft, blue-veined farm cheese is made with thermalized milk drawn from the Holstein and Jersey cows on the family farm.

Its natural rind, speckled with ochre spots, shows off lovely bluish, sometimes greenish veins due to the presence of Penicillium roqueforti. It has a balanced salty taste with just a hint of hazelnut.

Nat’s Note: Blue that’s not as sharp or pungent as the Stilton or St. Agure, but lovely. Also has an almost sweet, toasted nut flavour to balance the blue.

Score: 90/100

Best Wine Pairing: Quinta Do Portal Vintage Port 2009

Runner-up: Château Raymond-Lafon 2010

• Canadian Cheese
• Cow’s Milk
• Hard
• Thermalized

Champagne Cheese Boards

I also couldn’t resist getting two of these gorgeous cheese boards made by a husband-and-wife team in Essex, England whose company is called Burrwood Boards.

They also make these boards for the British department store Harrods, but fortunately, Jacobson’s sells them.

Each board is a different shape made from a range of natural woods, including British Oak, Sweet Chestnut, Ash, Yew and Sycamore, that have been sealed and oiled to protect it.

I adore the detail of not just the wood grain and knots, but also that they’re embedded champagne capsules into the wood and flecks of the foil.

It gives the boards a lustrous, burnished finish that glints in candlelight, not to mention a theme that ties together all of my obsessions.

And of course, I also had to get the tools of the trade: various cutting, shaving and slicing cutlery for cheese below.

I know realize these may look like the belong in a medieval torture chamber (or a Quentin Tarratino movie), but I can assure you that they help serving various types of cheeses.

Jacobson’s also sells a wide range of charcuterie, pastries and other gourmet foods and cooking utensils, plus gift baskets that can be delivered in Ottawa. Nope, I’m not on commission for them … just an enthusiastic (obsessive) fan ;)