Say Cheese!

Yarra Valley Cheese Shop Visitors to our Yarra Valley Cellar Door are very fortunate. As one of the few wineries to have our own cheese maturation room and cheese shop, customers can enjoy a wide range of wines and taste some superbly aged cheese. Click here to visit the Cheese Shop on our website

A few years ago, we invited well-known cheese maker, Richard Thomas, to design a maturation room and to become our very own in-house affineur (a specialist who ripens and matures cheese). He designed a room that is as close to cave-like as possible; it provides the perfect constant temperature (11 degrees) and humidity (95%) needed to mature cheese perfectly. No moving parts and no forced air.

Click here for the video on the Cheese shop

Richard purchases Australian and international cheese which are kept in the maturation room until deemed ready for tasting and sale. Our staff also encourage visitors to Cellar Door to taste different wine/cheese combinations and it is a joy to see their expressions when they see what works exceptionally well.

Traditionally the assumption was that cheese is paired with red wine toward the end of the evening. In our tastings, it is often not the red wine that complements a particular cheese, but rather a sparkling wine, or even a dessert wine. Next time you’re planning a wine and cheese selection, why not experiment a little. There are many websites that give suggestions of which wines to have with which cheese. Just google wine and cheese matching and have a little fun with your friends.

Some of our favourite wine and Cheese matches?

From Australia – Meredith marinated goats cheese and De Bortoli Estate Grown Sauvignon or Sparkling Rococo.

From France – Fresh goats cheese from the Loire Valley. Len Evans once said ‘my idea of hell would be marooned on a desert island, with goat cheese and sauvignon blanc’. That was, of course, before our Yarra Valley Sauvignon!

Blue cheese like Rocquefort or Stilton match beautifully with a sweet botrytis dessert wine like our Noble One. Mmmm, truly a match made in heaven.

Valdeon, another blue cheese from Northern Spain. Often a mix of cow, sheep and goats milk, naturally blued in the limestone caves. Try with Black Noble, our glorious fortified version of Noble One.

Heidi Raclette. Made in Tasmania, this Swiss-style washed rind is traditionally melted over steamed potatoes. When ripened with care, Heidi Raclette is an Australian triumph in cooking or as a table cheese. It fits nicely with either a soft Pinot Noir or Beajolais style, or an unwooded white or late-picked styles.

Grana Padano, a hard cheese from partially skimmed unpasteurised Cows milk. An ancient cheese from North Italy. The sweet / salt tang makes it a great wine match, from sweet whites to dry reds. Try it with our Yarra Valley Shiraz Viognier or for something different,

Cheddar Cloth-matured. Traditionally wrapped in calico to preserve the rind this cheese adopts a ‘wet bag’ flavour with an open flaky texture unlike modern vacuum packed cheddars. Softer reds and aged fortified muscats are most suited to this cheese.

Cheers Leanne

Follow Leanne on Twitter@DeBortoliWines and visit us at www.debortoli.com.au