Billy and I went to the Australian Association of Specialty Cheesemaker's annual cheese and wine tasting extravaganza today. Best Sunday of recent months... We thought we'd pass on some of the knowledge we gained today in the 'wine and cheese pairing class'...
All the cheese we tasted in the class was from Milawa Cheese Company (from Victoria)... and all the wine was from Mount Langi Ghiran Winery's "Cliff Edge" series (also Victorian).
Cheese - Wine
Bocconcini - Riesling or Pinot Gris
Brie - Riesling or Pinot Gris
Cheddar (hard, 3yr) - Sangiovese*
Blue - Shiraz* (but also good with whites and Sangiovese)
Washed Rind cheese (strong!) - Pasito Riesling (sweet dessert style)
* The winemaker who was there told us that usually he prefers to have white wines with all cheeses, but he wanted to show that red wines are also quite good. They were beautifully paired as it happened.
Also, did you know that when making brie, they dump in the white mold which then hardens on the outside to form the skin? When first made the brie is actually hard, and then the enzymes in the white mold break down the cheese and soften it as it ages. Cool, huh? Also, brie is nearly exactly the same as camembert - the size of the wheel is really the only difference!! (except if you're super critical, there is a slighly different maturation rate because of the different surface area to volume ratio.)
And did you know Rennet is traditionally made from the stomachs of baby cows? Sad... but if we're going to be sad about that, we should probably re-examine our view of the entire dairy industry! To start producing milk, the cows have to get pregnant and give birth to a baby cow... the farmer then has the option to let the baby drink the sow's milk, or let us drink it... Well, I'll let you consider your own position on that.
Anyway, we must have tried 40 types of cheese today, and they were nearly all delicious!
All the cheese we tasted in the class was from Milawa Cheese Company (from Victoria)... and all the wine was from Mount Langi Ghiran Winery's "Cliff Edge" series (also Victorian).
Cheese - Wine
Bocconcini - Riesling or Pinot Gris
Brie - Riesling or Pinot Gris
Cheddar (hard, 3yr) - Sangiovese*
Blue - Shiraz* (but also good with whites and Sangiovese)
Washed Rind cheese (strong!) - Pasito Riesling (sweet dessert style)
* The winemaker who was there told us that usually he prefers to have white wines with all cheeses, but he wanted to show that red wines are also quite good. They were beautifully paired as it happened.
Also, did you know that when making brie, they dump in the white mold which then hardens on the outside to form the skin? When first made the brie is actually hard, and then the enzymes in the white mold break down the cheese and soften it as it ages. Cool, huh? Also, brie is nearly exactly the same as camembert - the size of the wheel is really the only difference!! (except if you're super critical, there is a slighly different maturation rate because of the different surface area to volume ratio.)
And did you know Rennet is traditionally made from the stomachs of baby cows? Sad... but if we're going to be sad about that, we should probably re-examine our view of the entire dairy industry! To start producing milk, the cows have to get pregnant and give birth to a baby cow... the farmer then has the option to let the baby drink the sow's milk, or let us drink it... Well, I'll let you consider your own position on that.
Anyway, we must have tried 40 types of cheese today, and they were nearly all delicious!
Alaina and Lindsay (Lindsay had just arrived from a visit to Pennsylvania!)
Here's Billy - still standing as we exited onto Southbank!
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