food-and-wine-pairing-a-sensory-experience-robert-harrington

Table 12.2 Semisoft Cheese Examples
Type
Bel Paese
(Italy)
Milk Used
and Color
Cow’s
Light yellow
Brick (U.S.) Cow’s
Light yellow
Doux de
Montagne
(France)
Edam
(Netherlands)
Fontina
(Italy)
Havarti
(Denmark)
Livarot
(France)
Muenster
(Germany)
Port du Salut
(France)
Taleggio
(Italy)
Cow’s
Pale yellow
interior with
brown wax
Cow’s
Pale orange /
yellow
Cow’s or
sheep’s
Medium
yellow
Cow’s
Medium
yellow
Cow’s
Orange rind
with golden
yellow center
Cow’s
Yellow-tan
surface and
cream-white
interior
Cow’s
Creamy yellow
with an
orange rind
Cow’s
Light yellow
Components, Texture,
and Flavor Wine Suggestions
Mild and semisoft. A light, milky
aroma, ranges from bland to buttery
and young to earthy depending on the
age.
Mild to moderately sharp depending
on the age. Semifirm in texture,
elastic.
Semisoft texture. Mellow, slightly
sweet, buttery and nutty flavor. May
be studded with green peppercorns.
Semisoft to firm with a smooth
texture. Mellow and nutlike in flavor.
Firm, elastic and smooth. A nutty
flavor and strong aroma. May have a
slightly grassy flavor.
Mild, creamy, and mellow. May be
flavored with garlic and herb, dill,
jalapeño, caraway, or chives.
Semisoft, pungent, intense flavor and
slightly piquant.
Mild to mellow, semisoft texture. May
become more pungent with age.
Ranges from mellow to robust and is
semisoft, buttery and smooth.
Creamy, semisoft texture that turns
runny as it ages.
Cheese Categories 275
As an appetizer, it works well with Chardonnay
and fruity whites. It is also served as a dessert
and goes with dried-grape and late-harvest
dessert wines
New World Chardonnay.
As shown in Table 12.2, most of these cheeses can be served with many whites, reds, and
dessert wines.
Soft Ripened Cheeses This category of cheese is ripened from the outside in.
This cheese type can be very firm when young and turn soft and runny when mature or
ripe. Double- and triple-cream versions can be described as ‘‘gooey.’’ The thin skins and
creamy centers make these cheeses some of the most popular. The fat content ranges from
50 to 75 percent as a rule, but double-cream cheese has at least 60 percent fat content and
Ales, light sparkling wines, dry rosé, Sancerre.
Riesling, dry sparkling wine, Pinot Noir.
Sangiovese, light fruity Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio,
Nebbiolo, Barolo, or Barbaresco.
Sauvignon Blanc, fruit-forward New World
Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, red Bordeaux,
Rioja.
Tokaji, Pinot Gris from Alsace, Pinot Grigio,
Riesling, young Bordeaux from the Pomerol
district, New World Merlot.
Gewürztraminer, a variety of full-bodied reds,
Beaujolais, Zinfandel, beer.
Rosé sparkling wine or Cabernet Franc–based
wines such as Bourgueil and Chinon from the
Loire Valley in France.
Vin Santo (Tuscany), young Merlot, dessert
wines such as late-harvest Riesling or
Sauternes.