An Epic Cheese, Food and Wine Pairing Evening

25 April 2018

This started off as a somewhat ambitious attempt to stage a multi-course cheese and wine pairing, alongside a wine and food pairing for each course. A few friends volunteered to join me on this educational “expedition”.  To ensure that we have a fresh palate to vote on the best cheese and wine pairing, I insisted on tasting the cheese first before the pairing dish for each course. 

The Wine Selection

The Cheese Selection

Course 1
The first course was paired by a champagne:
2002 Pierre Péters Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons: This bottle was much fresher than the last 2 bottles we tried from the same case. This was classy Blanc de Blancs, with the immediate attack of ripe fruit notes (apple compote and pear), overlaid with buttered toast and brioche notes, leading to distinct mineral tones on the mid-palate, with just a hint of field mushroom character. Creamy texture, full-bodied, this was an opulent and classy wine with crystal definition and a persistent finish. 95/100

Cheese pairing:
We paired this with Brie de Melun (Seine et Marne, cow). This soft bloomy rind cow-milk cheese was intensely flavoured, with earthy aromas from the rind. The soft and creamy texture pâte showed marked saltiness and a pronounced and persistent mushroom character.

The chiselled acidity of the champagne was able to cut through the creaminess, cleansing the palate with the fine bubbles. The savoury and mushroom character of the cheese paired quite well with the mature character of the champagne. Given the unexpected freshness of this bottle, next time I would have paired this cheese with a more mature example (a 1995 Krug?).

Food pairing: I paired the champagne with the classic smoked salmon on blinis, with a lemon-flavoured crème fraiche. The fresh acidity from the lemon balanced the richness of the smoked salmon. The toasted and citrus character of the champagne complemented the flavours very well.

Course 2

The next course was paired with a set of wines based on Sauvignon Blanc:
2008 Silex, Didier Dagueneau: 100% Sauvignon Blanc. A rich and powerful wine, layered with overt notes of tropical and green fruit, mango and gooseberry, lifted with refreshing acidity, delivering a remarkable balance and long persistent finish. A Sauvignon Blanc not like others, very distinct. 94/100

2011 Aile d’Argent: A blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 38% Semillon and 2% Muscadelle. The Semillon seemed to have taken over the characters of this wine. The bouquet was floral, peach, pear, with honey and nutty nuances. On the palate, it tasted phenolic, leaving a slightly bitter note at the finish. A rich and opulent wine, balanced but somehow lacking in precision to rank it amongst the finest from Bordeaux. 90/100

Cheese pairing:
I served two goat cheeses: Mothais sur Feuille (Deux Sèvres, goat) and Selles sur Cher (Touraine, goat). Here, we agreed that the pairing was best when we paired the cheese and wine from the same region.

The Selles sur Cher with the firm texture which melted in the mouth, and the interplay of sweet, salty and citrus tangy notes, paired very well with the Silex.

The Mothais sur Feuille with its creamy, oozing texture, and the more pronounced salty and nutty character, found a better match with the Aile d’Argent.

Food pairing:
The vote was unianimous for the Silex when it came to pairing with the dish: Grilled asparagus with Iberico ham, and lemony crème fraiche.

Course 3

The third course was paired first with a pair of Syrah-based wines, followed by a Mediterranean style wine.
2000 Côte Rôtie La Turque, Guigal: This was a blend of Syrah with 7% Viognier, with fruit from the Côte Brune. The structure was initially tight and masculine, displaying ripe fine tannins and lifted with marked acidity. With aeration, it opened up to display a rich bouquet layered with notes of dark chocolate, clove spice, cassis, dates and figs. A flamboyant wine, made with precision. Long persistent finish. Drinking beautifully now, and over next 8–10+ years. 96/100

2000 Côte Rôtie La Mouline, Guigal: This was a blend of Syrah with 12% Viognier, with fruit from the Côte Blonde. This wine was at once more open and evolved than the La Turque. It was sensual aromatically and texturally, diplaying an elegant and fine-chiselled poise. The softer acidity was balanced by refined tannic structure. The bouquet was blackberry, plum, mocha and cardamom spice. An absolute beauty now, drinking so well, and will continue to do so over next 8-10 years. 95/100

1999 Château Musar: a blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon, each a third. Fermented in cement tanks with extended maceration, followed by a year ageing in French oak. There was the hallmark bretty gamey note, immediately followed by pronounced sauvage character of wild herbs, almost like the garrigue, and notes of prunes and plum. Good lifting acidity provided great balance to this opulent wine, with sinewy muscles. A very elegant wine. Drinking very well now and over the next 6-8+ years. 93/100

Cheese pairing:
24-month Laguiole (Aveyron, cow): the saltiness of the Laguiole and the spicy tangy and savoury notes from the extra aging worked reasonably well with the Syrahs, but I think these two Syrahs were too powerful for the Laguiole. I would pair this with a Saint Joseph or a Côtes du Rhône next time.

Mimolette Extra Vielle (Nord Pas de Calais, cow): Uncooked, pressed cow-milk cheese. Salty and savoury, with caramelised notes. The savoury character worked well with the Syrahs, and the fruitiness of the La Turque in particular went well to complement the salty character.

Ossau Iraty au Piment (Pays Basque, sheep): this pairing had the most votes. This uncooked pressed semi-hard sheep milk cheese from the Pays Basque had a slightly grainy texture, creamy and buttery in flavour, with herbaceous, nutty, floral and spicy notes. This paired very well with both Syrahs, but possibly even better with the La Mouline.

We experimented with Livarot (Normandy, cow) too. The washed rind was not too disastrous for the Syrahs – in that the wine did not taste bitter with the cheese. (I asked our friends to try both, with or without the rind.) The pungent note from the washed rind possibly worked much better with the characterful Musar.

Food pairing: I paired these wines with a 6-hour lamb shoulder with North African spices, chick peas and tomato, served with steamed ratte potatoes and Savoy cabbage. A very fine food and wine pairing, especially with the Musar.

Course 4

Final course was paired with a dessert wine.
1995 Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles, Hugel: A golden hue. Pronounced acidity balancing the luscious sweetness. Complex notes of apricot, honey, beeswax, nuts and rye, with a slight smokey nuance. Delightfully refreshing and finishes long. 93/100

Cheese pairing:
I paired this with two different blue cheeses, just to demonstrate a bit of diversity amongst the blues.
Fourme d’Ambert (Auvergne, cow): Rich, creamy, with an open texture. Salty, with delicate notes from the blue mould, complementing the buttery and creamy notes. This paired brilliantly with the SGN.

Bleu de Gex (Jura, cow): A drier style of blue cheese, with semi-firm texture, dense and close, lightly salted, spicy and pepper nuances balancing the buttery taste, finishing with a slight bitter note. This actually paired rather well with the Syrahs.

Food pairing:
It had been an epic journey…so we just settled for a sliver of kueh lapis cake, the richness of which was washed down nicely with the acidity from the SGN.

Here's a summary:

Wine	Cheese/Dish
Champagne: Pierre Péters Les Chétillons, Le Mesnil, 2002	Brie de Melun (cow) Smoked salmon blinis
Sauvignon Blanc-based: Silex, Didier Dagueneau, 2008 Aile d’Argent, 2011	Mothais sur Feuille (goat)/Selles sur Cher (goat) Grilled asparagus, Iberico ham, lemon crème fraiche
Syrah-based: Côte Rôtie La Turque, Guigal, 2000 Côte Rôtie La Mouline, Guigal, 2000 Château Musar, 1999	24-month Laguiole (cow)/ Mimolette Extra Vieille, 24 months (cow)/ Ossau Iraty au Piment (sheep) Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with North African spices, chick peas, potato and Savoy cabbage
Sweet Wine: Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles, Hugel, 1995	Fourme d’Ambert (cow)/Bleu de Gex (cow) Kueh lapis cake

A long way from Hamburgers!

14 Aug 2012: A friend's wedding in Denmark put Hamburg on the map for us - so we decided to visit this northern German city, en route to Kusaa, Denmark. Despite the large-scale devastation in the Second World War, the city has very handsomely rebuilt itself, while retaining a little of the old worldly charm - the promenades, the galleries, the harbour, lakes and canal.

View of the Binnenalster from our hotel

We stayed at the Fairmont (or better known by the locals as the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten or the Four Seasons Hotel). It was very well-situated, facing the Binnenalster (or Inner Alster) and right in the middle of the chic shopping area, with a good spread of charming Italian ice-cream parlours/cafes and Starbucks to offer well-deserved respite to weary tourists and shoppers. We arrived on a gorgeous day, with balmy weather, brilliant sun and a light breeze that kept refreshing the ripples off the shimmering surface of the Binnenalster. Find yourself a nice table at one of the cafes along the Binnenalster, order a beer or ice cream sundae, and you will be wanting for nothing more (at least for a couple of hours), against the backdrop of the cawing of seagulls and the chatting of merry holiday-makers. For a bit of culture, we highly recommend the Hamburger Kunsthalle which boasts a comprehensive collection of paintings and sculptures from Old Masters to impressionists and modern art, plus the occasional special exhibition (Alice in Wonderland at the moment).


The food scene was most gratifying. We had some great meals there and we highly recommend Landhaus Scherrer and Restaurant Seven Seas, the gourmet restaurant at the Süllberg Hotel (www.suellberg-hamburg.de). We thought we didn't do too badly on the wine front, given how little we both knew about German wines - Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book came to the rescue (yes, we carried it around!)

At Landhaus Scherrer, we were very well-looked after by the female maitre-d'. She very patiently explained to us the different dishes which interested us and very happily changed our bottle of wine when it didn't taste quite right. The amuse bouche was a composition of tomato dishes: from an intensely flavoured tomato consomme topped with some tomato-flavoured foam to tomato-flavoured sorbet and a tomato-flavoured cream. For starter, I had a delicately-flavoured bouillabaisse with a clear broth and very fresh fish and mussels, aromatically lifted with the addition of fresh basil leaves. Richard had a lobster salad which he said was the best he'd had for a long time! For main courses, we both had fish. Richard had a turbot dish with broad beans and I had a steamed trout-like fish, with a bean stew and mire-poix, the sauce lightly scented with rosemary. It was so delicious - the fish was very tender and moist and the beans added complexity to the texture. Truly excellent.



Gorgeously delicately flavoured bouillabaisse



Trout dish at the Landhaus Scherrer



Steamed trout with bean stew

As for the wine, we ordered a bottle of 2010 Westhofen Morstein Riesling Trocken GG, Weingut Wittmann. Wittmann is based in Rheinhessen, practising biodynamic viticulture since 2004 (www.weingutwittmann.de). Morstein is one of 4 top vineyard sites in Westhofen where the Wittmanns have land under vines. It is situated on the south-facing slope that stretches from Gundersheim to Westhofen. The subsoil consists of massive limestone rocks. Pale gold, quite an open nose, with good intensity of peach, grapefruit and lime blossom, with some honey notes. Very lively acidity and a certain austerity giving away its young age, revealing much complexity on the palate, with a chewy texture. A complete wine with a lovely long firm and minerally finish. Drink now and over next 10+ years. 17/20

We asked if they had a half bottle of Rudolf Fürst (www.weingut-rudolf-fuerst.de) to offer, as we learnt from our 'bible' that Fürst (based in Franken) was arguably the best producer of Spatburgunder, in an almost Burgundian style. (I thought this would keep Richard happy!) They didn't have but the maitre-d' very kindly opened a bottle of 2009 Parzival, Furst and offered a glass to Richard. A very generous gesture! Parzival is a red wine blend of Pinot Noir and Domina (a crossing between Portugieser and Pinot Noir). It was indeed a tasty drop, well-balanced with a medium body and notes of red fruit, underbrush, game and savoury minerality, and became our benchmark red! I can't wait to try other signature wines by Paul Fürst: the Weissburgunder, labelled as the most Burgundian white in Germany; the Frühburgunder (a mutation of Pinot called Pinot Madeleine) which has its own following and his top drop, the Spätburgunder Spätlese R (from Bürgstadter Centgrafenberg with its south-facing moderate to steep sites of cool sandstone and loam content). Paul had to leave his viticultural studies at Geisenheim at the age of 21 when his father Rudolf suddenly passed away. He has since established a name for himself as the winemaker who turned the world's attention to Spätburgunder from Germany - his 1990 served blind at a wine tasting was mistaken for a Burgundy wine from Beaune. Fermentation on skins and maturation in French oak count amongst his vinification techniques.

View of the Elbe from the terrace at Deck 7, Sullberg Hotel

Our next dinner was at the gourmet restaurant at the Süllberg Hotel called Seven Seas. Richard found this place from the Michelin Guide but it wasn't very clear that it was part of a hotel in the suburbs, miles out of Hamburg City Centre. In fact, if you wanted the perfect view of the River Elbe, you should dine at Deck 7 instead because the tables are on the exposed terrace and offer an excellent view of the river. At the gourmet restaurant, the tables were a bit more tucked inside but we did nevertheless get a glimpse of the River Elbe (without straining too much the neck muscles).



Sole with field mushrooms, pea puree and smokey potato



Turbot dish at Restaurant Seven Seas

We were very well looked again by a knowledgeable sommelier and friendly waiting staff. Our only complaint was that we were given far too many amuse-bouches! There were 3 platters/dishes that came before our proper starter! The first was a platter of a few bits and bobs, including a tube of crustacean broth which was really tasty, and a tiny baked potato with braised pork. Then came a monkfish carpaccio which neither of us ate. Then we were given another dish which we felt that we'd better eat before we would be served the food we actually ordered. For starter, Richard had a langoustine dish which again was pretty near perfect, and I had a lovely green salad. For main course, I had the sole with field mushrooms, spinach and a rich truffle sauce. Richard had the turbot. Both dishes were excellent and prepared with the freshest ingredients. We really were very impressed by the quality of the food.

For wine, we chose a 2010 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle, Riesling Trocken GG, Weingut Hermann Dönnhoff (Nahe). It was more austere and vibrant than the previous night's Wittmann. Citrus, honey and ripe peach notes on the nose. A lovely savoury minerality on the well-textured palate, with plenty of acidity, leading to a nice long refreshing finish. Nicely weighty, with great balance. A harmonious wine with class and elegance. Drink now and over next 10+ years. 17.5/20

We did return to Hamburg on our back from the wedding in Denmark, and we stayed another night at the Fairmont. We arrived in time for a late lunch at Le Plat du Jour, in the Old Town. Of course, we took ages to find it....as it's tucked inside a little street within what looked like the Financial District. Richard had the seabass of the day and I ordered the traditional chicken liver salad - it was yummy if a little too smothered in rich sauce (I needed the restorative effect and the umame flavours of chicken liver after indulging on too much of the lipsmacking 2008 Tignanello at the wedding banquet the previous night!). Good hearty French bistro fare in the middle of Hamburg! For dinner, we ate at the Grill at the hotel, but food was nowhere near as good as at the other restaurants we tried. My pike perch was overcooked and Richard's steak was rather tough. The side dishes were tasty though - the bean cassoulet and the pan-fried chanterelles were both delicious. We would have tried the gourmet restaurant (Restaurant Haerlin) if it weren't closed for holiday. Our white wine choice was a half bottle of 2011 Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling Trocken, Weingut Robert Weil. Green apple and citrus. It could do with a bit more age. This was followed by a half bottle of 2009 Parzival.

Hamburg gave us a really pleasant surprise and if you could call it disappointment, it was that we didn't have a single hamburger!

As a side note, do check out this hotel in Denmark, just across the border from Germany, Fakkelgaarden (www.fakkelgaarden.dk) in Kollund, Kusaa. It was a really charming hotel, with only 26 suites all facing the Flensburg Fjord, a gourmet restaurant and a very well-stocked cellar. It also offers cooking classes. I took this picture just before 6 in the morning - the warm glow of dawn in Nordic serenity.