Cheese & Wine. The perfect pair.
On Wednesday 24th February, we were joined by our Wine and Cheese experts, Iain Dunstan from Harvey & Brockless and Karen Taylor of Liberty Wines. With Iain getting stuck in the joyous motorway traffic en route, Karen poured us our
first glass of wine and we settled into a couple of Deli Boards to kick start the night.
Once Iain arrived, arms full of cheese, we got started. Opening the night with the mildest of cheeses, we began with Waterloo, a buttery Berkshire cheese, paired with a light and delicate Garganega white. We then moved on to taste a Normandy Gillot Camembert, with slightly more flavour, this went well with a fuller white, still from Italy, but this time it was a Vermentino.
Iain, knowledgeable in his field, then moved on to tell us about the Carre De Sologne; a French Goats’ Cheese, produced with high quality milk from a small producer in the Loire Valley. Wrapped in salt ash, this Goats’ Cheese develops an almost lemony flavour, whilst still keeping a mousse-like texture, truly divine! Back on the British coast, a Driftwood Goats’ followed, with a chalkier texture in comparison to the French. Both cheeses were paired with our Shaw & Smith Sauvignon from the Adelaide Hills, a creamy Sauvignon somewhere in between a Sancerre and Marlborough. Another 10/10 from us!
Next we moved onto the reds, Sangiovese up first. Medium-bodied with hints of cherries from the Abruzzo, 
rather than its usual home of Tuscany, coupled with Golden Cenarth – a cider washed-rind cheese with a powerful flavour, which stood up perfectly to the the Italian red. This was followed by the Thomas Hoe Red Leicester and Wookey Hole Cheddar. The Thomas Hoe – dry with a sweet nuttiness, and the strong punchy flavour of the Wookey Hole paired wonderfully to the Peter Lehmann Shiraz from Australia. A full bodied red with notes of blackberries and spice.
Finally, a blue, paired not with a port, but instead a Monbazillac dessert wine. Blue Monday, one of the Alex James cheeses, is a mild, yet tangy North Yorkshire cheese with some similarities to a Gorgonzola and the saltiness of the cheese against the sweetness of the Monbazillac, made for the perfect match. Who would have thought?
So there we have it, a night of wine and cheese. Or cheese and wine. If you missed out, then fear not, our new Spring Cheese Board launched this week. And whilst you may not get to try any of the beauties above, we have a selection of other tasty cheese for you to enjoy. Book a table in the bar and enjoy with a bottle of wine, or join us for dinner, as cheese is most definitely the perfect end to a meal.ild, yet tangy North Yorkshire cheese with some similarities to a Gorgonzola and the saltiness of the cheese against the sweetness of the Monbazillac, made for the perfect match. Who would have thought?
