You already know how much I enjoy cheese, particularly with my champagne or sparkling wine around champagne hour.  Here is a quick review, just in case you might want to try something different.

Gouda:  This semi-hard cheese originated in the city of Gouda in South Holland, the Netherlands. It’s one of the oldest recorded cheeses in the world, dating back to the 12th century, and its now mass produced all over the world. But there are still three protected Goudas made in the Netherlands, including Gouda Holland, produced in the traditional way with unpasteurized milk. Its mild taste makes the cheese a top choice for melting and sandwiches. Aged, it’s full-flavored with a slight sweetness and a crunch of salt crystals.  (My gouda maker in Amsterdam says gouda need not be refrigerated!)

Brie:  Although various types of Brie cheese are made all over the world, the only two protected ones are from its home region in Northern France – Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun. Made from unpasteurized milk, matured for longer, and with a more intense, pungent, and creamy texture, these are the ones for your cheeseboard. Other Brie-style cheeses tend to be very mild and are suitable for cooking, as they melt so well. Try them in our pie. (One of my favorites, I always keep one in the freezer)

Feta:  Traditional Greek feta has protected status within the European Union, though other countries produce their own versions. It’s made from sheep’s milk, or a combination of sheep and goats’ milk, and the cheese is dry salted, then aged in brine. Further maturation takes place in steel bins or wooden barrels, which imparts a complex flavor and firmer texture. Feta is perfect for salads, and we love this recipe for feta omelet, too.  (I never cared for feta until I spent a few weeks in Athens, it is the best!)

Manchego:  Firm with a buttery texture, Manchego is Spain’s most famous cheese. It is protected and needs to be made in the La Mancha region in central Spain with the milk from Manchega sheep. As a result, it has that citrus tang, common in sheep’s cheese. It must be aged for two months, but can be aged for up to two years, allowing the flavors to become more complex. Traditionally eaten with quince paste, it also works great with chorizo in this cornbread recipe.  (It is an acquired taste, a bit strong, but quite delicious)

Camembert:  This soft cheese, with a soft, edible rind, is made in Normandy, northern France. Only one is protected, Camembert de Normandie, which is made from unpasteurized milk – and when young, it has a chalky texture through the center. To eat it on its own, you can mature it at room temperature overnight, or slowly in the fridge, where it develops a creamier texture and depth of flavor. You can also melt the whole cheese in its wooden box in the oven, great as a dip with toast or bread sticks.  (One of my re-discoveries, and now I prefer it over brie)

Jarlsberg:  A mild, nutty cheese with a yellow wax rind, Jarlsberg comes from Norway, though it has gained in popularity throughout the world. It’s a multipurpose cheese, good for snacking and cooking, and it’s pretty good on a cheeseburger too. You can also find aged Jarlsberg, which has more depth of flavor.  (We enjoy the Jarlsberg with sliced apples for a great car trip snack)

Taleggio:  Taleggio is made from cows’ milk and comes from the valley of the same name in northern Italy. It’s a washed rind cheese, constantly brushed with sea water during the maturing process. It smells more pungent than it tastes, though – buttery, soft and oozy, it’s quite addictive. Allow it an hour at room temperature before eating with bread. It also melts very well.  (Not easy to find, but a nice alternative to Monterey Jack cheese)

Halloumi:  Halloumi originates from Cyprus, and is made from sheep and goats’ milk, or occasionally cows. It’s a brined cheese, semi-hard and quite salty, which is perfect for cooking, as it holds its shape to give a crisp exterior and melting center. You can fry, bake or grill it and serve it with salads and roasted vegetables. It makes the most wonderful fries, too, but watch out, they are very moreish.  (My first taste was barbecued on a skewer, quite good)

Vacherin Mont d’or:  High up on the Swiss French border by the mountainous peak of Mont d’Or, comes this rich, full cream, extraordinary cheese. It’s only made in the winter months from pasteurized milk in Switzerland, and raw milk in France, from traditional breeds of cows. It’s wrapped in spruce bark, the plentiful local wood. The cheese is protected and normally sold at four weeks’ maturity. Simply served with a spoon, it’s so creamy. Or you can bake it in the oven and dip bread or potatoes into it, fondue style.  (Definitely, use a spoon, a small spoon)

Reblochon:  Made in the French Alps region of Haute-Savoie since the 13th century, reblochon is a smooth, creamy cheese with an edible rind and a slightly earthy, nutty taste. The cheese is protected, and there are two varieties – “fermier” (farmer), which has to be made by hand from the milk from one herd, and “laitier” (dairy), which can be made from any approved, always unpasteurized, milk. Eat it on its own, or in tartiflette – a gratin of potatoes, crispy lardons, shallots, and cream, with a whole cheese on top.  Very creamy, and the rind is great!)

Details courtesy of Love Food.

Make sure you tell me if you have a favorite cheese, or one that I need to try.

My only problem with cheese, it dries out if not consumed in a few days.   But head to Trader Joe’s, and grab something new and different.  And make sure you “wash” it down with your favorite bubbly!

Most of you know I have enjoyed port since my golfing trip to Portugal not long after 9-11.  My golf and travel buddy, Mike and I traversed the countryside each day after a round of golf.  Why?  In search of vintage ports, of course.  

Whenever I mention port to my friends, nobody ever seems to get as excited as I do.  But I think if you are willing to give it a try, and keep an open mind, you will find a reasonably priced port to enjoy and share.
So, what exactly is a vintage port?  

Vintage Port is the most renowned style of Port, and it’s also one of the rarest styles, constituting just 3% to 6% of all the Port made in any given year.  Vintage Port is made only in exceptional years when Port shippers “declare” a vintage. All of the grapes in the blend will come only from that vintage, and only from the very top vineyards.

Vintage Ports are first aged just two years in barrel, to round off their powerful edges. Then—and this is the key—they are aged for a long time in the bottle. During bottle aging, the vintage Port matures slowly, becoming progressively more refined and integrated. A decade’s worth of aging is standard, and several decades used to be fairly common. Indeed, Ports from the 1950s are still amazingly lively on the palate (the 1955 Cockburn’s is one of the most hauntingly delicious wines I have ever tasted or felt . . . it was sheer silk).

To maintain the intensity, balance, and richness of vintage Port, it is neither fined nor filtered. This, coupled with the fact that Port grapes have thick skins and a lot of tannin, means that vintage Port throws a great deal of sediment, and always needs to be decanted. Finally, in the years a shipper chooses not to declare a year as vintage quality, the grapes that would have gone into vintage Port are often used to make a single Quinta Port.

But you need not pay big bucks for a vintage port when you are just starting out.  Ask for a recommendation and buy a half bottle.  My “cheap and cheerful” suggestion is a port from nearby Ficklin Vineyards in Madera.  Or email or call me.

For those of you who love chocolate, I have great news.  Port does EXTREMELY well with dark chocolate.

In case you forgot, here is a little port primer for your review:

The sweet fortified wine known as Port, from the Douro region of Portugal, is one of the most complex and ageworthy wines in the world. Of the top five most important styles, aged tawny Port gets my vote for the most sublime style of Port. (So-called young tawny Port, simple and not aged very long, are not often exported). Its flavors—toasted nuts, brown sugar, figs, and vanilla—are like some otherworldly sophisticated version of cookie dough. And the texture of a great tawny is pure silk. The wines used in the blend for an aged tawny are usually wines of the highest quality. Tawny Ports are kept a minimum average of ten years in barrel until they become tawny/auburn in color.

All Ports begin as a sweet wine with about 7 percent residual sugar (70 grams sugar per liter), fortified to about 20 percent alcohol. It is the maturation and aging processes that set the styles of Port apart. Tawny Ports are blends of Ports from different years. Each of those Ports has been kept in barrels for a long period of time. Tawny Ports are labeled as either 10, 20, 30, or 40 years old, and sometimes even more. The age listed on the label is the average age of all the wines used in the blend. And it’s not a rough guess. Port Shippers are required to document the wines in the final blend, and then that final blend is sent to the Port Wine Institute to be taste-tested by an expert panel before the tawny Port can be certified and sold.

A word about sweetness. While Tawny Port is sweet, it does not taste saccharin or candylike. At least the great ones don’t. Indeed, Tawny Port made well should start off tasting sweet but finish tasting dry. That’s because the acidity, alcohol, and tannin in the wine are all carefully calibrated to balance out the sweetness. Tawny Ports are among the best-loved Ports in Portugal, France, and Britain, where they are often drunk (chilled) both as an aperitif, as well as at the close of a meal. Whatever you do, please give port a try.  I think you will enjoy it as much as I have.