The Pleasure of Cheese, Wine and Fiona Beckett
A superb evening exploring the art of cheese and wine pairing, hosted by Fiona Beckett — one of the UK's most trusted voices on matching food and wine.
I attended a delicious tasting hosted by Fiona Beckett. For those unfamiliar with her work, visit matchingfoodandwine.com for all your food and wine matching needs — Fiona has also recently started writing for The Guardian. We had five scrumptious pairings and one mystery pairing.
The Pairings
Loire: St Maure de Touraine & Sancerre
Wine and cheese from the same region working beautifully together — a Paul Cherrier Sancerre with St Maure de Touraine. The acidity complemented the cheese without either overpowering the other. As you'd expect from a regional pairing.
Brie de Meaux & Two Pinots
Domaine de Chevalier Ladoix against New Zealand's Roaring Meg. I felt the Old World worked better with the cheese. Pinot was chosen for its light fruit and red cherry flavours. A tip from Fiona: try cherries on your cheeseboard alongside brie, instead of the usual grapes — a pleasant surprise for your guests.
Keane's Cheddar & Two Reds
A Segla Margaux against a Chilean Gran Reserva. I felt the Bordeaux was lost here, and found the Chilean too overpowering for my taste. The cheese itself was delicious, and so was the Segla.
Époisses & Sauternes
Époisses paired with La Chapelle de Lafaurie Peyraguey Sauternes 2004. My favourite of the evening. The creamy texture of the cheese with the sweetness of the Sauternes worked perfectly.
Colston Bassett Stilton & PX
Colston Bassett Stilton with PX Triana Hidalgo. A close second favourite — the intensity of the Stilton and the richness of the PX were a brilliant combination.
A Word of Advice
Fiona offered a useful piece of wisdom: people often put out a large variety of cheeses, which makes it difficult to match wine to all of them. Her advice — choose one cheese, choose one wine, and make it work well. Simple, and almost certainly right.