Wine? Cheese? Cheese!

Being French, one would think I like wine, but, hmm, not so much. That was confirmed when we went to a wine and cheese pairing last Thursday at the Paris’ Secret Wine Door. The small shop had a wall full of a variety of bottles. Surely I would find a go-to.

We were escorted to our table which was set up with two white wine glasses, two red wine glasses, a water glass, a clip board with the day’s wine and cheese selections, a slate of cheeses, a knife, and plenty of bread. Along with those was a laminated sheet with pictures of fragrant bits and pieces found in nature that we could use to help identify the aromas and the flavors inherent in scent of the wines,

The owner, Erwan, is a charismatic host and freely shared his knowledge and passion with the group. He expanded our knowledge of French wines and opened the door to French cheeses, in a setting that felt like an evening with friends. He explained how to properly chill wine and for how long to chill it, if it needed to aerate and how to do so, and how to choose wine and cheese pairings. Using a map, he pointed out the regions and towns of the wines and cheeses we tasted. French people, he told us, order their wine by region and town while Americans tend to order theirs by grape. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir are grapes. Burgundy, Chablis, and Saint Emilion are regions and towns. For instance, “I’ll have a Queens, Forest Hills pinot noir, s’il vous plait.”

The first pairing was a Chardonnay from the Burgundy region and the town of Chablis, Domaine Chevallier 2021. We checked the color, transparency, scent, and taste. It was light, crisp, with the scent of apples, citrus, and vanilla. It wasn't bad. I mean I didn't love it but I drank it. Since this wine was light, the buttery brie de Meaux was a perfect combination. I love brie to start with, but this one was a ranking up from the Kraft's brand I tend to buy.

The second pairing a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley and Sainte Maure de Tourraine, a goat cheese. Noticeably, the wine was darker in color than the first with a little more fullness. I didn't hate the wine, but surprisingly, I still disliked it and passed it over to Michael. I moved on to the cheese. Now, I have tried a lot of goat cheese. Haven’t enjoyed any of them. But I was ready to try again. Erwan explained that this one was the lightest of all the goat cheeses and if I didn’t care for this one, I just don’t like goat cheese. NEXT!

On to the red wines. I am much more partial to them. This one was a Burgundy from Domaine Demangeot. Upon checking the “nose” (giving it a good swirl and inhaling the aroma), the sugary, tart smell could not be mistaken for anything but berries. I LOVE BERRIES! This will be better. I don't know how they ruined berries, but they did. I gave Michael the glass to finish.

But the cheese……now that’s a different story.

It was a Reblochon Fermier AOP from Savoie. Reblochon, in a local dialect means “milk again”. Way back when, a farmer was taxed by the amount of milk his cow produced. When the tax collector came around, the farmer would not milk his cow to the fullest and would wait until the inspector had left to continue milking. Fermier is the term for farmer. This labeling means that this particular cheese is made from the farmer’s own cows and is not mass produced. AOP is a designation afforded to food that protects its uniqueness as a food of a particular area in Europe. In other words, if produced in another area, it cannot be called Reblochon. Much in the same way champagne needs to be labeled as sparkling wine if it is not produced in the Champagne region of France. That is a lot of information in the cheese’s name. It is a soft cheese but quite a bit firmer than brie. It is mild, has a nutty taste, and it is delicious. It is the cheese used for a dish called tartiflette. It’s a potato, cheese, bacon, and onion dish that I am now on the lookout for.

A Syrah from the Rhone Valley was paired with a Saint-Felicien. I kid you not when I say the wine smelled like mushrooms and pine. Michael, who was now on his seventh glass of wine, had glazed over eyes and a crooked smile as I passed him yet another glass. The cheese, however, I kept for myself. It was a Saint-Felicien AOP, a delectable melt-in-your-mouth cheese...rich, nutty, and very creamy. In fact, it is so creamy that it is often sold in terracotta pots so it holds its shape.

The last pairing was a a Bordeaux from the Saint Emillion region and a Comte, aged 18 months. I breathed in the wine's scent, swirled the glass, absorbed its flavors. I couldn't pinpoint the smell but it was very familiar. Not fruity. It was bolder than that. Olives? No, earthier. Then Erwan said it...mud. Yes, that was it! Mud! I propped up Michael and gave him his eighth glass. He gulped it down, grapes, mud, and all. The Comte was firm, sharp, and salty. It reminded me of a cross between gruyere and cheddar. It was the group's favorite.

I didn't get any go-to wines but did well in the cheese discovery category. Today I went to my local fromagerie (cheese market) and picked up three of our new findings. I bought the Reblochon, the Saint-Felicien, and the Comte. And, of course, a baguette.

Now, what pairs best with these cheeses? Iced tea or diet Coke?