We are always looking for inexpensive entertainment for our users to have fun, interact with friends and family, and to embrace life.  Cheese tasting certainly falls into this category.

Since there are thousands of cheeses and each artisan cheesemaker or large manufacturer makes a slightly different-tasting cheese of a specific kind of cheese, you have many different choices to create your own cheese-tasting event.

You could compare:

• Fresh cheeses
• Bloomy cheeses
• Aromatic cheeses
• Lightly pressed cheeses
• Pressed cheeses
• Blue cheeses
• French cheeses
• Italian cheeses
• Swiss cheeses
• California cheeses
• Wisconsin cheeses
• Different brands of the same kinds of cheese

You could add different:

• Wines
• Teas
• Chocolate
• Fresh French or sourdough breads
• Variety of whole grain crackers
• Fruits and vegetables
• Olive oils

Use your imagination.  Know that at least 50% of your event’s success will be based on presentation.  Your guests need to be “wowed” as soon as they arrive.

Cheese can be presented:

• On platters
• Individual cheeses stacked high on each plate
• Wheels – quarter, half, or whole
• Side-by-side with fruits and veggies
• Surrounded by colorful flowers (keep only one flower color palette)
• In front of a display of wines
• By freshly baked breads – butter and pools of olive oil nearby
• With various spices – garlic, pepper, etc.

Once your guests arrive, hand them the following Cheese Terminology.  What you want them to do is get invested along with a few glasses of wine.  What’s so much fun about cheese-tasting is that everyone’s opinion counts, because there are no wrong answers.  Everyone’s taste is different, and a lot depends on what you have recently eaten.

Cheese Terminology

There are a many ways to refer to cheese:

• Fresh
• Whey
• Semi-soft
• Hard
• Double cream
• Triple cream
• Soft-ripened
• Goat or sheep
• Strong-smelling
• Processed
• Soy
• Nut
• Non-dairy

For our Cheese Terminology, we broke down cheese into five categories:

• Fresh
• Bloomy
• Aromatic
• Light-pressed cheese
• Pressed cheese

We spent no time describing non-dairy or vegan cheeses, because this kind of cheese, does not lend itself to the types of comparisons you can make with traditional cheeses.  Also, for most people, non-dairy cheese is an acquired taste.

Fresh cheeses – think mozzarella, ricotta, or chevre
		Textures	Flavors or Aromas
		Airy	Citrus
		Creamy	Grassy
		Curdy	Lemony
		Delicate	Mild
		Firm	Milky
		Moist	Sweet
		Soft	Tangy

Bloomy cheeses – think Brie, Camembert
		Textures	Flavors or Aromas
		Custardy	Buttery
		Fluffy	Earthy
		Pasty	Grassy
		Rich & decadent	Mushroomy
		Soft	Yummy
		Mouth-coating

Aromatic cheeses – think Epoisses, Livarot, Munster
		Textures	Flavors or Aromas
		Chewy	Assertive
		Fatty	Barnyard or straw
		Melty	Beefy
		Moist	Dominant
		Sticky	Eucalyptus
		Supple	Fruity
			Gamy
			Sweaty

Light-pressed cheeses – think cheddar, Cantal
		Textures	Flavors or Aromas
		Melty	Earthy
		Pliable	Fruity
		Smooth	Straw/hay
		Supple	Pungent
		Firm	Strong

Pressed Cheeses – think Swiss, Beaufort
		Textures	Flavors or Aromas
		Bold	Caramelly
		Dense	Nutty
		Dry	Latte
		Firm	Sharp
		Grainy	Salty
		Hard	Smoky
		Sandy	Sweet
		Sturdy	Toasty

Don’t forget to make up your own terms.  With thousands of cheeses to judge, you have many choices – peppery, garlicky, herby, etc. – to add to our list.  Let us know.

Cheese and Wine Pairing

Wine and cheese go well together.  You can’t really go wrong when selecting wine and cheese for your pairings.  If it tastes good, then it is the right pairing.  Everyone’s palate and sense of flavor is different, so explore and have an adventure.  Here are some suggestions to begin:

• Purchase wedge cheese for the best presentation
• Cheeses should be at room temperature for tasting
• White wines should be chilled; reds at room temperature
• Start with basic cheeses and wines first, then move on to more adventurous choices and combinations
• Uncork your red wines and let sit for at least 20 minutes
• Use standard wine glasses
• Pour the wine into your glass, no more than an ounce at a time
• Take a bite of cheese and, just about the time you have finished it, taste your wine and swish it around in your mouth
• Describe what you are tasting, feeling, etc.
• In between your tastings, take a bite of freshly baked sourdough or grain bread to clean the palate

Even though cheese and wine pairings come down to personal choice, there are some basic truths that have been discovered by both wine and cheese enthusiasts:

• White wines pair best with soft or stronger cheeses
• Red wines pair best with hard cheeses and mild flavors
• Fruity, sweet and dessert wines pair with a wide range of cheeses and flavors
• Sweeter wines fare well with pungent cheeses
• Whites usually outperform reds, because most cheeses leave a layer of fat on your palate, which interferes with the red wine flavor
• Sweeter wines seem to break through the cheese fat the best

Tell us how your pairings went.  What are your favorite combinations?