A Memorable Experience in Umami: Sake and Cheese Pairing

20 June 2019:

Japanese sake, with its rounded mouthfeel, subtle richness, delicate acidity and most importantly an abundance of umami, the fifth taste, makes it a very versatile alcoholic beverage. Cheese, a protein-rich food, with umami-charged compounds derived from the amino acids, and its creamy, rich texture, is just the perfect match with Japanese sake, and even better with the pure and clean Junmai sake by Katsuyama Shuzo.

 

Sake & Cheese Pairing

Established in 1688 to brew top-quality sake for the feudal lords of the Sendai Domain, founded by Japan’s most famous and respected samurai, Date Masaume, today this venerable brewery, using a combination of state-of-the-art and time-intense ancient techniques, only produces Junmai-shu (1), that highlights clean umami taste and unique profile that pairs with any cuisine. Amongst its range of Junmai-shu, five representative styles were chosen to deliver the anticipated pairing with a selection of French and Italian cheeses (2).

Five sake styles selected for this tasting
From left, Ken, Den, Akatsuki, En, Lei

Ken, Junmai Ginjo (50% seimaibuai (3) and 16% abv), produced by the fukuro-shibori (4) method, represents a whistle-clean, elegant and dry mineral style, with delicate acidity balancing the supple and rounded texture. The sake leaves the palate with a clean and dry minerality. The flavour profile is citrus, apple and a hint of pineapple. With this sake, we paired with Calisson, a raw goat milk cheese with an ashed rind, inspired by the famous diamond-shaped bonbon from Aix-en-Provence, le calisson d’Aix. The aromatic herbal and nutty character was more pronounced in its demi-affiné condition, leaving the palate with a delicate tangy and mineral note. This cheese tasted like a treat with Ken Junmai Ginjo.

 

Calisson

Den (35% seimaibuai and 16% abv), also produced by the fukuro-shibori method, is a quintessential Junmai Daiginjo, with distinct fruity aromas of banana, grapes and apple, along with a well-balanced rich texture without the weight. It harmoniously delivers the umami taste. This sake paired well with a number of the cheeses presented but it made a particularly decent pair with the washed rind cow milk cheese, Langres from the Grand Est region of France. The Langres at our tasting showed the distinct hollow (“fontaine”) at the top, with a wrinkled orange rind, and an ivory silky mousse-like core at the centre. At the rind, there was a pungent bacon character, with more fruity, creamy note in the core. The intense flavours and rich texture were balanced by the sake's acidity. The sake’s richness complemented the rich texture of the cheese and the fruity character of the sake also matched the pungent notes.

 

Langres

An equally remarkable pairing was with the Brie de Melun. This raw cow-milk bloomy rind cheese with its pronounced barnyard, cep-like aromatics, subtle fruit notes, and rich, creamy texture, went remarkably well with Den. A great example of umami flavours at work.

Brie de Melun

A signature sake by Katsuyama Shuzo, Akatsuki, with 35% Seimaibuai and 16% alcohol, is a Junmai Daiginjo in its own class. This off-dry style sake represents the perfect harmony of minerality, flavour intensity, refreshing acidity and concentration, leaving the palate with a lingering umami finish. Produced in very small quantities using the Enshi-shibori (5) method, this sake reminded me of a delicate and elegant Mosel Riesling. The art of the production of this sake was in preserving flavour intensity while retaining the clean delicate texture. Two pairings stood out in particular.


For a more subtle pairing, we tried it with the Satonnay Aux Fleurs, a fresh raw goat milk cheese coated with floral petals (cornflower, rose, badiane, etc), produced in the Bourgogne region. The sweet floral notes of the cheese, with the fresh mineral note of the goat cheese, delivered a delicate pairing with Akatsuki, neither sake nor cheese overpowering the other. Like a stroll in the spring meadows!

 

Satonnay Aux Fleurs

For an absolute hands-down pairing, it had to be the Persillé de Tignes with the Akatsuki. This unique cheese in a cylindrical shape made by single producer, Paulette Marmottan in the French Savoie region, using raw milk from her herd of around 80 goats and 20 cows, stole the show with its complex flavour profile, tangy lactic, fruity and hazelnut at the core, expanding to damp cellar and mushroom at the rind, tingling the palate with its delicate saltiness and refreshing acidity. When paired with Aktasuki, the intensity of the flavours went up one notch. This was umami in symphony! Absolutely amazing.

 

Persille de Tignes

The previous three sake styles were all made with Yamada Nishiki rice, but the last two sake styles were made using a table rice called Hitomebore.


En, Tokubetsu Junmai, has a distinct hint of sweetness and rice-based umami note. It has a balanced earthy note, with a nashi pear crunch at the finish. With this sake, we paired it with an Italian cheese, Pecorino Toscano Oro. This is a sheep milk cheese, handselected by the cheesemakers to be transformed into the Oro Antico style (referring to the golden hue of the paste of the finished cheese). The aromatics were pineapple, dried fruit, lanolin with a distinct buttery note. The flavours were earthy and citrus, with a lingering pineapple note. This cheese showed a good level of salt and acidity. The pairing with En was superb, sake and cheese complementing each other in the earthy and fruity notes, and contrasting the light saltiness of the cheese with the delicate sweetness of the cheese. A pairing that did not tire the palate.

 

Pecorino Toscano Oro

Lei Sapphire, Junmai Ginjo, with its alcohol level of 12% and 55% seimaibuai, is distinctly sweet and fruity. It reminded us of a Spätlese style Riesling. This style was created to suit the palate of those new to sake, but also as a sweet rich style to go with meat sauces with distinct sweetness. My favourite pairing for this sake was with Mimolette Extra Vieille, that never fails to remind me of soya sauce. Hailing from Nord-Pas-de-Calais of France, the Mimolette Extra Vieille with its 24 months of aging, showed pronounced savoury, earthy and yeasty notes, like marmite, overlaid with a caramelised tone, thanks to the hardwork of the microscopic cheesemites. This cheese was the epitome of umami. The texture was dense, hard, almost dry, with bitter finish. When paired with Lei Sapphire, it was like the sake coating each bite of Mimolette, resulting in an explosion of umami flavours in your palate. Heavenly! Still savouring this!

 

Mimolette Extra Vieille

Finally we paired the Lei Sapphire with a subtle blue cheese, Gorgonzola Dolce, the cow milk blue cheese from Piemonte/Lombardia. This was produced by a family-owned farm Caseificio Tosi. Gorgonzola Dolce is a cheese made for gourmands, creamily indulgent like a dessert, with lively acidity, good dose of salt and mild blue notes just enough to tingle the palate, without being aggressive at all.

Gorgonzola Dolce (courtesy: www.buonissimo.hk)

A beautiful end to this umami-filled experience. An experience to be remembered! (And repeated!!!)


I wish to thank Jacky Cheng, the sake expert of Berry Bros & Rudd HK, for guiding us through this special tasting of Katsuyama sake, and to Enrique Romera of Buonissimo (www.buonissimo.hk) for providing the gorgeous Italian cheeses!

 

Thank you to everyone for sharing this experience with me!
Venue: Metropolitan Workshop

Notes:

1 Sake made with rice, water and koji, with no addition of alcohol

2 All the French cheese were sourced from La Cremerie, Wanchai and all the Italian cheeses from Buonissimo (www.buonissimo.hk)

3 Seimaibuai: Rice polishing rate, expressed as the amount of rice grain that remains after polishing

4 Fukuro-shibori: an ancient drip method that separates the clear sake by hanging in filter bags and allowing gravity to separate the clear sake from the sediments

5 Enshi-shibori: pressing using a centrifugal separator

Uncovering the Pairing Possibilities of Cider with Cheese

3 April 2019:

This would go down as one of my most memorable tasting experiences, pairing a range of seven different ciders and perries from England and Wales, with seven different English cheeses. Cheese & Wine HK was so proud to have collaborated with Authentic Cider to make this event happen and to have it featured as the last event of Hong Kong’s first Cider Festival! Pommelier and Founder of Authentic Cider, Jeremy Stunt, captured the attention of our multinational audience with his deep knowledge and passion about these ciders. The suggested pairings were put to the test and…..here are the results in the order we tasted!

 

Tunworth: A bloomy rind cow-milk cheese at optimal ripeness, showing orange and light brown spots through the white bloom. A cream coloured paste, velvety soft and oozing richness. A pronounced vegetal bouquet with intense porcini and Brazil nut notes. The palate seduces with a rich buttery mouth-coating sensation, with balanced salt and acidity. Finishes long.

This beautiful award-winning cheese from Hampshire was paired with Herefordshire’s Once Upon A Tree Chapel Pleck 2013, a sparkling dry perry (7% abv), made in the traditional method. Extended ageing on lees (approx. 3 years) contributed layers of soft pear fruit and toasted autolytic complexity to the mineral dry style. The subtle fruitiness left the palate with just a hint of sweet sensation on the crisp dry finish. The pairing worked particularly well with the faint autolytic character enhancing the vegetal/mushroom note of the cheese, the soft but present acidity offering a good buffer for the creaminess of the cheese, and the fine bubbles cleansing the palate after each mouthful.

Absolute consensus on this pairing!

 

Riseley: A joint collaboration between Ann Wigmore and the Neal’s Yard Dairy maturation team, responsible for transforming the freshly made cheese into a deliciously pungent washed rind cheese. There is a sticky golden orange rind with an ivory-coloured paste (with small openings), creamy and soft under the rind and chalky and firm in the core. Under the familiar pungency of washed rind cheese, there is a sweet lanolin and caramel butter cream nuance to balance the savoury and meaty characters. Slightly gritty on the rind, which contrasts so interestingly with the unctuous creaminess of the paste.

This was a hit with the Ross on Wye Raison d'Etre 2016, a sparkling dry cider from Herefordshire. This was made with Dabinett and Michelin apples grown at Broome Farm. Fermented in oak barrels, using wild yeasts and matured for two years. This was bone dry. The wild funkiness of this cider worked so well with the pungent and savoury Riseley, with the acidity of the cider balancing the creaminess of the cheese. There was no question that this was a very good pair!

 

Appleby’s Cheshire: A great classic handmade since 1952 by the Appleby family, using unpasteurised milk from their herd of Friesian cows. Under the dry natural rind, there was a golden orange firm but slightly granular paste that crumbles. The palate reveals a distinct mineral character, overlaid with fruity, delicately tangy lactic notes and a meat brothy umami nuance that is very appealing. The rich flavours coat the palate, and the tangy and juicy acidity keeps it refreshed. A bittersweet crisp finish. There is a very endearing sense of warmth, which is quite different from the other cheeses.

A bit of an all-rounder with most of the ciders tried, I must admit, but the best pairing was with Little Pomona’s Hazy Ways Part One, 2017 (7.4% abv) from Herefordshire, using 91% Dabinett apples and 9% Ellis Bitter apples. This off-dry lightly petillant cider was made using the cold racking method to retain some of the natural sweetness from the fruit. Fermentation gradually came to a halt by regularly removing the fermenting liquid off the lees, until the natural yeast was exhausted in its job. It was bottled unfiltered. This off-dry cider was juicy, with a hint of apple sweetness, and the remaining lees gave this a rustic yeasty character which paired rather well with the earthy mineral style of Appleby's Cheshire.

 

Gorwydd Caerphilly: A lovely dual-texture cow-milk cheese now hailing from Somerset, instead of its Welsh origin when Todd Trethowan (former Neal’s Yard Dairy cheesemonger) and his brother Maugan started making this on their Gorwydd farm in South Wales. Made with unpasteurised cow milk, the cheese has a grey/brown natural rind, felt-like and dry to the touch, showing a grey halo under the rind, with an ivory-coloured firm but granular paste that slightly crumbles. Rich lactic and citrus aromas from the paste, moving to pronounced earthy and mushroom notes on the rind. Medium+ acidity and medium salt. As the Appleby Cheshire had a warmth about it, I find that this cheese has a ‘cool character’.

Although this cheese is not from Wales, it did a fabulous job pairing with Hallets Real Cider by Andy Hallett, in Monmouthshire, South Wales. It is a blended cider, made with cider from current year’s fruit and oak-aged vintage cider from the previous year, giving it a unique taste. Almost dry upon entry, this sparkling medium cider (6% abv) then developed a delicate sweetness on the palate, and leaving the palate with a wine-like astringency. This cider showed great craftsmanship and a very classy sophistication, and was the perfect drink with Gorwydd Caerphilly. The semi-dryness and the astringency of the cider complemented so well the rich lactic flavours of the cheese. A marriage made in heaven!

 

Berkswell: A sheep milk cheese hailing from 16th Century Ram Hall in the West Midlands, made by cheesemaker Julie Hay and the Fletcher family. Shaped in the form of a flattened sphere (or a flyer saucer), the natural brown/grey rind of this cheese shows a fascinating display of multiple coloured moulds, ranging from white to yellow to orange and copper red. Rich buttery aromas, complemented with pineapple, macadamia nuts, savoury, cocoa and caramel notes, and finishing with a mild tangy finish. Beautifully complex, flavourful, and lingers on the palate.

This fabulous cheese was paired with Perry’s Somerset Redstreak (6% abv)……a sparkling medium cider (not perry!!!). The Perry family has been making cider for four generations, and all their ciders are made using natural fermentation with apples within 10 miles of their farm in Somerset. A single varietal cider using Redstreak apples. This cider was lightly sparkling, with a rich apple flavour, and the astringency to complement the natural sweetness. There was a particular depth to this cider, and the finish was very long. We loved the way this cider hit it off with the fruity note of the Berkswell, while not overpowering it. The astringency of the cider was balanced by the caramel sweetness of the cheese, making it a very memorable pairing.

Ticklemore: A goat milk cheese shaped like a flying saucer, with a dry natural rind showing brown/orange colouring through the white chalky coloured surface. Dual texture paste. Soft and yielding ivory-coloured surface-ripened paste under the rind showing more evolved protein breakdown, with the texture of marshmallow-mousse. The core is white chalky that crumbles to the touch. Lemon citrus, fresh almonds, grass and vegetal notes adorn the bouquet. Fresh tanginess and a medium+ salt level help refresh the palate. A cheese with great character, thanks to the complexity of the milk sourced from a herd of mixed breed goats, including Anglo-Nubian, Toggenburg and Saanen goats, raised free-range on Button Farm on Dartmoor.

Originally created by Robin Congdon of Ticklemore Dairy, Ticklemore is now made on the Sharpham Estate in Devon.

This was paired with Oliver’s Classic Perry (5.8% abv), a premium sparkling perry made by Tom Oliver in Herefordshire. Underneath the floral and citrus notes, there was a somewhat ‘wild’ character, with just a touch of uplifting and aromatic acetic acid resulting from the slow fermentation with wild yeasts. Tasty and juicy. The acidity of this sparkling perry was a good match with the tanginess of the cheese and the complexity of the cheese was equally complemented by the perry’s own nuances. I loved the way this perry left a mouthwatering sensation on the palate, quite unique.

 

Beenleigh Blue: Originally created to mimic Roquefort, the terroir of Devon has since shaped this sheep milk cheese from Ticklemore Dairy into an awesome blue cheese with its distinct personality. Rindless, blue veins are evenly distributed in the soft ivory-coloured paste. The paste is rich, moist and crumbly with a creamy and opulent texture. Redolent of cocoa butter, caramel, vanilla yoghurt, white chocolate and a hint of pineapple notes, seasoned with spicy blue mould ketones. The cheese melts on the palate and finishes long.

This cheese was simply marvellous with the Blenheim Superb Ice Cider 2015 by Herefordshire’s Once Upon A Tree, made from late harvested Blenheim Orange and Laxton Supeb dessert apples, cryo-concentrated to produce this lusciously sweet cider (7% abv). Balanced by a good dose of acidity, this reminds one of ripe bruised apples, with just a hint of cider funkiness. This was a perfect match.

 

A truly memorable evening and a first for Hong Kong! I believe we may even have awakened the dormant interest in real ciders amongst the audience. I hope so because these are great artisanal beverages, crafted by talented and passionate people, in small to very small quantities! And they just work so well with cheese!

Thank you to Jeremy for his support in making this happen and thank you to the staff at Metropolitan Workshop (Central)! Great venue!

Author's note: All cheeses sourced from Neal's Yard Diary.

@authenticcider

@cheeseandwinehk

@metropolitanworkshop

#hkciderfestival

#authenticcider

#cheeseandwinehk
#nealsyarddairy

English Artisanal Cheeses Delighting Hong Kong Gourmets' Palates

21 February 2019

It did come as a bit of surprise to some in the room that such great cheeses were made in England. At Cheese & Wine HK’s first tasting event, I had prepared a selection of eight different cheeses from different counties in England, served with two lovely sparkling wines from Coates & Seely hailing from Hampshire. While preparing for this, I was captivated by the story behind each cheese, such as the long distance Mary Holbrook would drive weekly to nurture her Old Ford cheeses maturing at Neal’s Yard Dairy, or a cheese (Stichelton) born from the revival of use of raw milk in the making of Stilton; or indeed the elements that made each cheese so authentic, such as the milk from the adorable Anglo Nubian goats in the making of Sinodun Hill, or the meadows feeding the Montbéliarde cows that would give such richness and complexity to Baron Bigod.


Our flight of eight cheeses included:

Sinodun Hill (Oxfordshire)

Though a relatively new cheese, only in production since 2016, Sinodun Hill has already been winning awards. Sinodun Hill is the proper name for the Wittenham Clumps, just above the Earth Trust Farm, where the goats graze.

A raw goat-milk bloomy rind cheese, with a wrinkled cream-coloured rind, that feels dry and downy to the touch. Runny ivory-coloured paste under the rind, velvety and mousse-like in the centre.

Delicate lactic and sweet aromas and flavours dominate, reminding one of fresh hay and spring meadow flowers, very delicate caprine notes blending with citrus, pineapple and honey notes. A well-balanced cheese, with medium+ salt and medium acidity. The paste is almost like thickly whipped cream.

A delicately flavoured cheese that symbolises springtime freshness.


Baron Bigod (Suffolk)

Made to a French recipe, Baron Bigod is the only farmstead Brie-de-Meaux style cheese made with raw milk in the UK. The richness of this cheese owes much to the diverse grasses and herbs that grow on the grazing land of Stow Fen, where the Montbéliarde cows graze.

A raw cow-milk bloomy rind cheese, with brown spots showing through the downy rind, and a lemon-cream coloured soft paste, which flows out at room temperature. High salt, medium+ acidity, with a slightly bitter finish, characteristic of this cheese style. Mushroom, straw and buttery cream complete the aromas and flavours. A rich, unctuous and luxuriant cheese that oozes out and covers your palate. Long finish.

This cheese is the pinnacle of bloomy rinds!


Winslade (Hampshire)

Winslade was developed as a sibling to Tunworth (Camembert-style cheese). It is somewhere between a Camembert style and Vacherin Mont d'or style cheese.

A cow-milk washed rind cheese, with the characteristic tan-orange rind, and an ivory-coloured soft to runny paste, depending on the room temperature. The spruce band gives it a typical pine woody note. It has light mushroom note, with butter and hazelnut nuances. The richness is balanced by a lovely tangy finish.

A cheese that appeals to gourmets.


St Cera (Suffolk)

St Cera is a collaboration between cheesemaker Julie Cheyney and the maturation team at Neal's Yard Dairy. Using milk provided by Jonny Crickmore at Fen Farm, Julie has perfected this small, spoonable washed rind cow's milk cheese.

A raw cow-milk washed rind cheese, with a light golden coloured sticky rind, over a runny cream-coloured paste. It is a richly flavoured cheese, that exudes intense farmyard and fermented aromas, complemented by floral (chamomile) and nutty (hazelnut) notes. A rich and unctuous cheese that is packed with flavours and has a chewy texture to the rind but melting texture underneath.

Small and punchy!


Spenwood (Berkshire)

Cheesemaker Anne Wigmore was inspired by a piece of pecorino while visiting Sardinia. Named after the Berkshire village where it originated, Spencers Wood.

A sheep-milk pressed uncooked cheese, with a light brown/orange rind occasionally with some white spots, and a cream coloured supple paste. Floral, caramel and nutty notes. Almost claggy in the mouth. Medium salt and medium acidity, with a very long finish. Nutty and sweet.


Sparkenhoe Red Leicester (Warwickshire, bordering with Leicestershire)

After a half century absence, David and Jo Clarke brought farmhouse Red Leicester back to England. Handmade since 2005, Sparkenhoe is a farmhouse Red Leicester and the only unpasteurised version presently available.

A raw cow-milk pressed uncooked cheese. The rind is dry, with a grey/brown colour, over an orange supple and slightly crumbly paste. The wet earthy notes remind one of rain-drenched earth. Buttery, butterscotch, fruity aromas and flavours complete the spectrum. The paste is supple and has an elastic/chewy texture. Medium salt level, finishing with a tangy acidity, and a persistent finish.

A marvellously crafted cheese with a strong heritage.


Old Ford (Somerset)

Old Ford is made by Mary Holbrook on Sleight Farm. It is made when the seasonal milk production peaks, usually between May and July.

A raw goat-milk pressed uncooked cheese that has a dry grey rind, over a granular dry crumbly ivory coloured paste. There is a dominant savoury and nutty character, over a caprine flavour, together with a grassy, pineapple and citrus tangy note. Medium acidity, medium salt.

A well-balanced aged goat milk cheese that is so complex and original.


Stichelton (Nottinghamshire)

Raw milk, Stilton-recipe blue cheese had disappeared from the UK for 18 years when Joe Schneider with the help of Randolph Hodgson began making it at Stichelton Dairy in 2006. A PDO Stilton can only be made in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire or Leicestershire – and only to a specific recipe using pasteurised milk. The Stilton Cheesemakers Association refused Joe’s request to allow raw milk Stilton to be produced. Thus was born Stichelton!

A raw cow-milk blue cheese, with a dry natural rind that is brown/orange, and an ivory coloured paste with a crumbly texture evenly dispersed with blue veins. Prominent notes of caramel and butter, with harmonious blue flavours, nuts, toast and some umami (like Bovril). There is a faint bitterness at the finish. A creamy texture that coats your palate, but tastes drier towards the rind. High acidity, with a medium+ salt level.

A very harmonious blue cheese experience.



As for the wine pairing, the sparklings did a very versatile job in pairing with most of the cheeses, except perhaps for the blue cheese, when a bottle of 1963 Colheita Port was opened to the rescue!

I loved the space at Metropolitan Workshop

These are all great stories and interesting details that keep our passion for artisanal cheeses alive. When you next taste a piece of cheese, think about how and why it tastes so delicious! You may find yourself rolling in daffodils and buttercups! 

 

Bourgogne's Grape Revolution: The Renaissance of Aligote

Though sharing genetic material with Chardonnay, being offspring from the same parents, Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc, Aligoté has not always enjoyed the same recognition as Chardonnay. Its lineage was already well-recognised as early as the 17th Century. A few synonyms exist including “Plant de Trois” used in Gevrey and Châtillon, with reference to its three bunches per cane. Before phylloxera, Aligoté was considered an equal to Chardonnay, and was found planted in Corton-Charlemagne and Montrachet. Though naturally vigorous as a variety, it gradually lost ground to the easier-to-cultivate Chardonnay that was producing more pleasing and accessible wine. In fact, its hardy ability to withstand the cold and tough environments had it relegated to being planted on less favourable locations, leaving the better vineyard sites in favour of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir after the ravages of phylloxera in Bourgogne. Even though there now still exist parcels of Aligoté in Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Pernand-Vergelesses amongst other villages, its plantings dwindled substantially, making it the second white grape variety of Bourgogne. Difficult to grow well in less favourable locations, Aligoté gained the notoriety of making tart neutral wines. At the end of the Second World War, the mayor of Dijon, Canon Félix Kir, made an effort to promote Aligoté by using the wine as the base of the eponymous cocktail, blended with a dash of Crème de Cassis to make it more palatable. He could not have anticipated that it would take three quarters of a century for Aligoté to make its comeback as a serious grape variety.

 

Perfect cheese pairing with Aligote wines from Bourgogne: Dome de Vezelay and Comte

With an area under vines of 1,800 ha, Bourgogne represents around 5% of the world’s total plantings of this variety. Elsewhere in France, only another 200 ha exist. According to “Wine Grapes” by Jancis Robinson et al, the majority of the world’s plantings are found in Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and parts of Russia), with about 34,000 ha. Here the vines tend to be high yielding, thus producing wine of lesser quality. Some minor plantings can be found in Switzerland, California, Washington, Canada and Australia. To make high quality wine from Aligoté, it is important to control its yield.

Therefore, the recent renaissance of Aligoté in Bourgogne is a very welcomed development. Through the efforts of a group of dedicated growers, Aligoté is gaining traction with a new generation of Bourgogne lovers seeking wines of personality, vigour and a unique mineral expression.

 

An eager audience learning about this enigmatic variety

To celebrate the refreshed focus on Aligoté, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) kicked off the 2019 programme of live training with a special look at this long under-appreciated and misunderstood variety.

Apart from its role as a blending grape in Crémant de Bourgogne and Coteaux Bourguignons, Aligoté has its special place as the only permitted grape variety at two appellation levels in the Bourgogne hierarchy. The regional appellation of Bourgogne Aligoté was created in 1947, after a succession of laws recognising the place that this grape held in Bourgogne, a grape variety that faithfully translates the terroirs in which it is grown. Growers in the village of Bouzeron in Côte Chalonnaise understood that the terroirs in their village enabled Aligoté to be interpreted in a very unique manner and led by Aubert de Villaine, lobbied hard for this recognition by INAO. In 1979, the village name of Bouzeron was permitted to appear alongside the Bourgogne Aligoté appellation. Eventually, Bouzeron was formally awarded a village appellation in 1997 for wines made uniquely with Aligoté. At the height of its expression, Aligoté is the key varietal for a premier cru vineyard, Clos des Monts Luisants, in Morey-Saint-Denis, Côte de Nuits.

An expert from each of these three expressions of Aligoté was invited to speak about their experience with Aligoté in this edition of BIVB live training.

Sylvain Pataille explained how he started with just Gamay and Aligoté vines in 1999. He did not wish to make fruity wines, rather he wanted to make wines that spoke of terroir. He regarded Aligoté as a serious variety, that could be grown in limestone, marl or granite, in different regions. Besides the Bourgogne-Aligoté, Pataille makes 4 different cuvées of Aligoté from single vineyards. They are: the pure and saline Champ Forey, the powerful and precise Clos du Roy, the balanced and textural Auvonnes du Pépé and La Charme aux Prêtres, the ultimate expression with an intensity, complexity and minerality that is not like the others. Pataille believes in the ageing ability of Aligoté wines, and how it can develop into complex vines with 30-40 years of cellaring. When asked to compare Aligoté to an animal, he suggested “alligator”, not only for the phonetic similarity but also for the survival instincts in both grape and animal!

Pierre de Benoist of Domaine de Villaine, also admired the “wild” and “untameable” character of Aligoté by likening it to the wild horse from the Camargue, with unrestrained freedom to gallop in the wild. Bouzeron became the only village in Bourgogne to honour this variety by making it the lynchpin of its village appellation. Aligoté in Bouzeron does not taste like any other Aligoté because of the microclimates and slopes of this village and the special clone Aligoté doré.

Aligoté doré is a mutation of the Aligoté grape and has thinner skin than the original variety to allow better ripening and better balance between alcohol and acidity. Only wines made from Aligoté can be bottled as village appellation wine. When Pierre de Benoist became President of the village appellation 12 years ago, he encouraged the other growers to work with him to create a nursery to preserve the genetic material of Aligoté doré. The work based on massale sélection has allowed them to identify 11 selections of Aligoté doré that adapt best to the terroirs of Bouzeron for future plantings.

Map of Bouzeron (www.bourgogne-wines.com)

The village of Bouzeron is nestled in a dry valley, flanked on both sides by Montagne de La Folie on the east, and Montagne de L’Ermitage on the west. Vineyards adorn both hillsides of Oxfordian marl, at heights between 250 and 350 metres, thus benefiting from different exposures and the abundance of poor soils to limit the yield. To appreciate the differences, one has to taste the wines from the climats. Jean-Pierre Renard, the Official Educator of L’Ecole des Vins of BIVB, explained that climats such as La Tournelle, Les Pertuzots and Les Corcelles have a north-west exposure and vines take longer to ripen, translating into sinewy wines of greater freshness and distinct herbal complexity. On the opposite side, the climats of La Fortune, Les Clous and La Digoine for example benefit from a southeastern exposure and the morning sun, and tend to show more generosity and fuller body. Not only are the exposures different, the soil compositions vary as well. For example, Les Clous is more stoney, with more limestone, whereas Les Corcelles is more marl. While Aligoté enjoys prime hillside locations, the lower slopes are planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, contrary to other villages, and wine made from these two varieties could only be bottled as Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise.


Finally, Rose-Marie Ponsot of Domaine Ponsot spoke about these special vines planted by “Uncle William” in the east-facing monopole climat of Clos des Monts Luisants, as far back as 1911. From the 2005 vintage, this premier cru has been made 100% with Aligoté grapes from vine stocks dating to 1911, despite Chardonnay and Pinot Gouges being included in this vineyard at earlier times. With cellaring, Aligoté takes on layers of complexity, almost like curry spice with iodic character, not unlike an aged Vin Jaune. Rose-Marie Ponsot shared her experience of tasting the domaine’s 1985 bottling of Clos des Monts Luisants and how it was extraordinary.



This BIVB live training finished with a tasting of 6 different expressions of Aligoté:

Bourgogne Aligoté, 2017, Domaine Catherine et Claude MARECHAL

Bourgogne Aligoté, 2016, Caves BAILLY-LAPIERRE

Bourgogne Aligoté, 2016, Domaine Manuel OLIVIER

Bourgogne Aligoté, 2015, Domaine Pierre-Louis et Jean-François BERSAN

Bouzeron, 2015, Maison Louis JADOT

Bouzeron Les Corcelles, 2016, Domaine Les Champs de Thémis

The characteristic floral, herbal and citrus scented notes were present in all six wines, with some showing more of the flinty mineral note than others. Cellar-ageing helped develop a slightly honeyed note. The two Bouzeron wines showed a rounded mouthfeel, balanced by vivacious freshness, but could both be described as youthful with much development potential. The Bouzeron Les Corcelles by Xavier Moissenet and the Domaine Bersan’s Bourgogne Aligoté received the most votes from the participants in Hong Kong, but not exclusively, with Domaine Marechal’s Bourgogne Aligoté finishing a close third.


To compensate for not being able to participate in the Q&A with Jean-Pierre (HK missed the original live session as it took place during the Chinese New Year holidays), I decided to prepare a little something extra and special to share with my guest participants. As if inspired by Rose-Marie’s comment, I brought to this tasting a bottle of 2001 Bourgogne Aligoté from the home collection to pair with a piece of Comté 18 months. The pairing was exceptional, as a beautiful Vin Jaune with some maturity would have delivered a similar effect with the nutty savoury cheese still with a fruity edge! The younger Bourgogne Aligoté was perfect with the demi-affiné Dôme de Vezelay. 

I wish to thank Berry Bros & Rudd Hong Kong for letting me host this session in their lovely tasting room.

Comte 18 months

Talking Cheese with Ivy: Who is Yanzi Wang?

Interview with Yanzi Wang, Operations Manager of Mongolian Artisan Cheesemakers Union (MACU), February 2019

Map of Mongolia (Source: geology.com)

During my training with Academie MONS, I discovered the network of MONS alumni reached as far as Mongolia, a landlocked country bordered by two giant states, China to the south and Russia to the north. With a population of around 3 million and a surface area of 1.5 million sq km, Mongolia is the most sparsely populated sovereign state in the world. About 45% of its population lives in Ulaanbaatar, one of the coldest capitals in the world. The country’s landscape is mountainous in the north and west, and dry and arid conditions from the Gobi Desert dominate the south. It is therefore not surprising that there exists very little arable land. A nation deriving from Genghis Khan’s early 13th Century Mongol Empire, today about 30% of its population is nomadic or semi-nomadic. Market economy came late to Mongolia, which only obtained its independence from China in 1921, but fell under control by the Soviet Union in subsequent years. Mongolia eventually underwent its own democratic revolutionary process in 1990, leading to a multi-party government and transition to market economy.

Yanzi Wang and her daughter Mao Mao

My curiosity about this alumnus hailing from Mongolia steered me to contact her via Sue Sturman, Academie MONS’s Anglophone Director. What I then learnt from Yanzi Wang and her husband Mike Morrow was a very inspiring story of vision, passion, survival and persistence.

Tumurkhuyag Urtnasan

It all started in 2014 when Mike was introduced to Tumurkhuyag Urtnasan, the doyen of Mongolia’s artisan cheesemaking industry and the maker of Mongolia’s most famous cheese Khustai Gouda. Tumurkhuyag has been making cheese in a remote atelier since 1995, working alone most of the year on a mountain steppe about 80 kilometres southwest of Ulaanbaatar. One important lesson in Mongolian artisan cheesemaking that Mike learnt from the cheese guru is that it needs to be practised where the animals pasture during the 100 days of summer when the mother animals are in full lactation and their young are strong enough not to require all the milk produced, thus creating a milk surplus.

Khustai Gouda

The American-Chinese couple began their year-long research into the socio-economic aspects of herding communities with the objective of identifying a feasible business model. Herder families principally derive their income from selling cashmere combed from goats in spring and selling meat and hides in the fall. During the hundred days of summer, herder incomes are low and labour is in surplus. If they could sell surplus milk for money, this would provide useful summer income and money for children’s education. By selling excess milk, the productivity of animals would be increased and herders would be encouraged to avoid overstocking and to better manage pasture conditions to improve quality and quantity of milk. This would not only improve animal husbandry practice but also help sustain the environment.

Mongolian ladies milking goats

Mongol Alatau Nomadic Pastoral Cheese Cow

Thus, Mongolian Artisanal Cheesemakers Union (MACU) was conceived in 2016, based on a networked socio-ecological entrepreneurship model. Yanzi and Mike soon realised that self-funding the business could take a long time to realise their goals and they could accelerate it by inviting a third party for capital contribution and sound business advice. Arvintsogt Ragchaa, one of the founders of Newcom Group, one of Mongolia’s most reputable business conglomerates, joined MACU as a Director in August 2017.






MACU currently has three subsidiaries, including its White Mountain Cheesemaking Plant built to international standards, and a cheese ripening facility. MACU plays multiple roles. It primarily sources investors and herders who are interested to become shareholders of cheesemaking plants. The estimated capital outlay for each cheesemaking facility is around USD 100,000-150,000, depending on location and capacity. Given the geographic spread of “sums” (districts) in Mongolia, each cheesemaking plant has different shareholders. Each MACU cheesemaking facility is committed to purchasing the milk from around 50 herders in each community at Mongolian Tugrik MNT 500 per litre (approx. USD 0.18 per litre), on the assumption that each family supplies 40 litres of milk on a daily basis during the hundred days. The price paid for milk will depend on quality of milk and animal breed. (In Mongolia, cheese can be made from the milk of cows, yaks, khainag (hybrid between cow and yak), goats, sheep and camels.) MACU’s management and technical personnel is committed to providing installation consultation, technical support and staff training to enable the cheesemaking plant to be suitably equipped and staffed to produce cheese to international standards and develop and create its own range of cheese products. MACU is committed to purchasing the freshly made cheeses, ripening them, marketing and selling them during the first five years of operation, at an agreed price. The cheeses will be sold either under the MACU brand or an independent brand. Where requested, MACU can also undertake to be the turnkey project manager and act as the initial plant manager for an arm’s length fee.

White Mountain Cheesemaking Plant

MACU’s vision is to build a network of 100 plants by 2024, with total production capacity of 1,000 tons of cheese per year (roughly 1 million kg per year). When fully operational, the plants are envisaged to employ about 500-750 people and provide summer income of USD 800 per family to about 5,000 families.



With this new source of summer income, children will have the opportunity to be educated when previously this potential income did not exist. Locals will be trained to become skilled workers and cheesemakers at each plant. MACU hopes that the prestige associated with the production of high quality products that generate meaningful income will serve to partially reverse the urban migration trend and help continue the nomadic pastoralism traditions. By-products from the cheese production can provide additional income, such as whey processing into animal feed, candy, baked goods and nutraceutical products. Herders can develop ancillary businesses to complement cheesemaking, such as honey production and production of winter fodder. In time, each “sum” will develop greater economic strength, stronger advancement opportunities for its people and a skilled and empowered workforce.



Aside from sourcing investors and building the network of cheesemaking plants, one of MACU’s most imminent tasks is developing the export markets, primarily to China and Russia, but also with Japan, Korea and Hong Kong in sight. The company is currently actively seeking distributors in these three markets. To develop export markets, MACU needs to build the brand, its credibility and consistency in quality.



Yanzi and Mike have embarked on a long and challenging journey to give socio-economic and ecological sustainability to nomadic communities and to developing Mongolia into a world-recognised producer of cheese when currently more than 95% of Mongolia’s own cheese consumption is met with imports. The journey has been fraught with challenges but also filled with rewards, rewards of being recognised by the privileged few who have had the opportunity to taste their products. The success of MACU will be Yanzi and Mike’s legacy to this landlocked country.



Yanzi is MACU’s Operations Manager and cheesemaker. She originally comes from Ying Xian 应县in Shanxi 山西 province, China. Her village is famous for the “Muta” 木塔, the tallest and oldest fully wooden pagoda in China, built in 1056 by the Khitan people, ancestors of the Mongols, when they led the Liao Dynasty. Fate had her sent to Mongolia from Beijing, where she was working in a different industry. In 2014, her husband Mike decided that cheesemaking would become the family business after his encounter with Tumurkhuyag Urtnasan. Mike had the vision but not the ‘touch’. So Yanzi took up the profession and enrolled into a number of training programmes to get up to speed in the shortest time possible. She completed most of her training in France and the UK. Her expertise is fresh, soft, bloomy rind and semi-hard cheeses. She created cheeses such as “Tsaagankhar”, “Piko” and “Larch” for the White Mountain Cheesemaking Plant’s major hotel clients, such as Ulaanbaatar’s Shangri-La and Kempinski Hotels.



I caught up with Yanzi on her return from China after the Chinese New Year holidays, while Mike had been battling with a broken septic tank, a crashed phone and an urgent need to recruit a new cheesemaker. Yanzi was very kind to share with us her background, experience and thoughts on cheesemaking for Asians.



IN: How and when did you decide to become a cheesemaker? Was there a particular incident or personality that triggered your interest in taking up this career?


YZW: I began to get interested in 2014. In 2016 we set up an experimental atelier in an abandoned student cafeteria near the Mongolian Agriculture University. We tried to train others but they did not stay. [During this experimental phase], I discovered I had a feel for the milk and my cheeses weren't so bad.



IN: Do you remember how you felt when you tasted the first cheese you made?

YZW: Being Chinese from the countryside, it was all new to me. At first, I didn't like any cheese. It was more the challenge of making cheeses that people liked that got me to begin paying attention to smell, taste and texture - especially that of Mozzarella and Brie. I discovered that I’m pretty good at it. I have a sensitive nose and acute taste buds and I can ‘feel’ the curd!



IN: Which is your favourite cheese amongst the cheeses that you make? Please tell us what it tastes like. And why it is your favourite?

YZW: I am happy with my Mozzarella and bloomy rind cheeses. But I kind of invented a semi-hard cow-milk cheese we call “Larch”. I'm still developing it. It's buttery and a little acidic when young, but gets progressively more nutty and fungal. I like to let the rind harden rough and brown like a Pecorino. It’s my favorite because I worked it up myself and I like tasting it myself, and because others like it too.

A selection of MACU cheeses

IN: Is making cheese in Mongolia very different from making cheese in Europe or US, using France, UK and USA as examples? What are the principal challenges and advantages?

YZW: I studied in France with Mons for less than a month, made Cheddar for a couple of days in England, and spent a few days visiting small cheesemakers in the US. I don't know much. We are beginners. Everything here is difficult, but also everything is open. We also have good quality whole milk directly from the animals. We have yaks, goats, sheep and camels as well as cows. Mongolia is one big grassland with various micro environments and wild grass of various kinds everywhere. It's paradise for creative cheesemakers if you can put up with all the problems and the climate, which is sunny but harsh.



IN: Historically in Europe, cheesemaking was a woman's job at the farm and the technique was passed from mother to daughter. Would you recommend cheesemaking to other women in Mongolia as a profession? Why or why not?

YZW: It is the same here. Unlike Chinese, Mongolian women have a long, rich association with milk animals, milking and making things from milk. Cheese in the European sense didn't develop because of the nomadic lifestyle and very cold and dry climate, but cheesemaking comes easily to Mongolian country women. We don't have to recommend cheesemaking to women here. Some are already making European cheeses. We are training more. More will follow naturally as artisan cheesemaking gets better established here.

Mongolian ladies milking sheep

Milking yaks and khainag

IN: As the MACU logo suggests, cheesemakers in Mongolia work with milk from different animals – goats, sheep, cows, yaks and camels. You learnt cheesemaking in France and the UK. Could you share with us how you have had to adapt certain techniques to work with different milk origins?


YZW: I personally only work with cow's milk. But even that is different. As a result of the wild, hardy grasses and the dry conditions, the cows may give only 4 liters of milk instead of the normal 40 litres, and the dry climate makes cheesemaking very different here. The milk smells stronger and earthier here. I also feel it when I run my hands through the milk. Perhaps it is because we only use whole milk to make cheese here.

Other of our [MACU] cheesemakers are making cheese with whole yak milk. It's got up to 8% butterfat. These are great cooking cheeses. Mike is busy developing cheeses from other animals with other cheesemakers, but so far I only eat them!

I make cheese at our own White Mountain cheese plant on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar. To get yak and goat and sheep milk one has to go to other parts of Mongolia. We're working with local partners in such places. They come to White Mountain for training. Maybe this summer I will get a chance to go to them and make cheeses from other milks.

I like Pecorino so I am most interested in trying my hand at sheep milk cheeses.



IN: Which cheese do you admire the most from Europe? Why do you admire it?

YZW: I like Pecorino. It’s so many cheeses in one, changing from one to the other depending on how you age it. It also seems to change noticeably from one locale or cheesemaker to another. Also, most people seem to like it.

I make an imitation peppered Pecorino from cow's milk. We call it “Tsagaankhar” (White-Black). It is a great buffet cheese. The serving dish empties quickly. But if I teach someone else to make it, it won’t be the same cheese.

A selection of Pecorino cheeses on display at BRA

Mike Morrow

IN: What motivates you? What drives you?

YZW: Survival. My husband is crazy.



IN: Who is your hero? Is there a personality who has inspired you the most in your life? Or a cheesemaker you would like to create a cheese with?


YZW: Susan Sturman is not a cheesemaker exactly, but she arranged my training in France and helped me when I had difficulty because of the language barrier. She is an example to me of how cheesemaking can be more than a business, how it can be an activity that builds understanding and friendship from one part of the world to another.

Sue Sturman

IN: What is your vision/ambition for Mongolian cheeses?

YZW: We have worked very hard to establish Mongolian cheeses. Our goal is to develop a network of 100 cheese plants and at least 200 good cheeses.



IN: What will be your advice to fellow Mongolians or Asians who wish to enter into the cheese profession, either as a cheesemaker or cheesemonger?

YZW: Don't do it if you aren't prepared for a lot of difficulties and frustrations. Don't forget it is a business. But also make it more than a business. Focus on being as good as you can be. Quality precedes quantity in artisan cheesemaking.


IN: If you were a cheese, which one it would be? And why?

YZW: I already answered that -- a Pecorino. It's a cheese for all seasons, an interesting cheese that most people like.