Adeline Folley of Vermont Butter & Cheese Company and Edward Peterman of Domaine Select Wines Estates hosted a wine & cheese tasting workshop as part of the 2008 Nantucket Wine Festival. Learn more about the wine and cheese pairings and the comparisons of cheese from France and Vermont.
The wine and cheese pairings begin light and move on to the more complex combinations. Wines and cheeses absorb the qualities of the soil where they are produced, so the products from the same or similar regions are often paired. Remeber to taste the wines twice: once to clean the palette and next to taste the real qualities of the wine.
Wine: Alphonse Mellot Sancerre - France
Crottin de Champcol - Pasteurized goats' milk - France
Bonne Bouche - Pasteurized goats' milk - Vermont Butter & Cheese, Websterville
Notes: This classic pairing brings together goat cheese and a savignon blanc. The high acid content of the wine goes well with the young, light and acidic cheese.
Wine: Leth Roter Veltliner - Austria
Reblochon - Pasteurized cows' milk - France
La Fleurie - Pasteurized cows' milk - Willow Hill Farm, Milton
Notes: This combination is a little bit of a curveball because wines are paired with cheeses from completely different regions. Look for the peach and rhubard flavors.
Wine: COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria - Sicily
Comte - Raw cows' milk - France
Grafton Cheddar - Raw cows' milk - Grafton Village Chese, Grafton
Notes: The younger style fruitier wine is matched with comte cheese, which is hard, complex and nutty. Your best bet for pairing cheddar with alcohol is with beer.
Wine: Chateau de Jau Muscat - France
Gore-Dawn-Zola - Raw cows' milk - Green Mountain Blue Cheese, Highgate
Roquefort - Raw Sheeps' milk - France
Notes: There's just enough acid in the wine to cut through some of the fat in the cheese. The dense and sweet wine calms down the palette after the burning aftertaste of these potent cheeses.
Special thanks to Adeline Folley and Edward Peterman for providing the notes for these combinations.
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