We say it a lot, but it’s true: Sheep milk is hard to pair. The flavor is delicate yet complex, the texture rich, the cheese often tart. A Pinot Noir rosé with more skin contact has the perfect amount of tannin to stand up to the Sogn’s richness. The Teutonic’s fresh, fruity notes brighten the cheese and provide a perceived sweetness that balances the earthier notes of the cheese. The duo is light and optimistically sunny, with enough heft to be comforting during the grayer Minnesota days.
Alpine style cheeses are rich in their flavor. A mellower style might be rich in flavors of cream, butter, and savory nuttiness. Another, like Gruyere, might have stronger flavors of beef stock and caramelized onions. Some smaller wheels might get funkier, with distinct barnyard notes. Older wheels concentrate in flavor, amplifying their richness. The bottom line is: even milder Alpine cheeses have an intensity which a pairing will have to match. Wines with good acidity, strong aroma and flavor, and good structure should be able to handle a rich Alpine style cheese.
If there’s only one holiday pairing you’re going to explore this year, this is it. It’s savory and perfectly indulgent. Together, the pairing is bright, enticing, and delicious. The wine makes the cheese what we call a “session cheese” as in, you'll want to enjoy an entire bottle of this Chardonnay with a whole piece of the Comté Sagesse. Do it. It's the holidays, after all.
by Sophia Stern
Why we love the cheese
A fan favorite for a reason. Brabander goat gouda is tangy, creamy, savory, and sweet making it the perfect cheese for a crowd. Aged for over 24 months, Brabander Reserve boasts a creamy paste that’s chock full of those desirable crunchy crystals. Fromagerie l’Amuse has done it again, crafting another successful batch of this holiday exclusive.
Why we love the wine
A genre defying Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from a legendary, founding Willamette Valley vineyard. This wine is the epitome of what we love in our Oregon Pinots, bursting with juicy raspberries and warm cinnamon. It drinks fresh and smooth. Try serving it with a 30-minute chill to amplify the flavors.
Why we love the pairing
The Pinot Noir invigorates the Brabander Reserve. This delicious gouda is rich and intense, but the Adelsheim makes the cheese’s texture far less dense. The wine brings playful acidity and draws out the sweetness from the gouda's creamy paste. The tang of cream from the cheese rounds out the earthier notes of the pinot, without covering them at all.
What else you should do with it
If you’re looking for a festive appetizer to serve at a holiday gathering, this pairing would lend itself perfectly to a mushroom toast. Toast some darker bread (like Baker’s Field Table Loaf), cover in sautéed mixed mushrooms seasoned with salt, pepper, and thyme, and grate Brabander Reserve over the top. The earthy, savory, tangy notes of the toast will go perfectly with a bottle of the Adelsheim Pinot Noir.
by Sophia Stern
Why we love the cheese
Showstopping, festive, satisfying and delicious, Rush Creek Reserve is what holiday dreams are made of. A spruce-wrapped, raw milk cheese that’s divinely custardy and fascinatingly savory. We’ve waxed poetically about this cheese so many times. If you don’t believe us, you’re just going to have to try it for yourself.
Why we love the wine
An incredible wine with amazing flavor at a frankly unbelievable price. True, delicious Champagne from a small producer focusing on the big three Champagne grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonay, and Pinot Meunier. Roasty toasty notes of hazelnut, fresh almonds, and just baked pastry jump out of the glass. This sparkler is everything you want out of Champagne and perfect for celebrations and casual indulgences alike.
Why we love the pairing
Texture, texture, texture. The liveliness of the bubble structure in the Champagne is an excellent partner to the dense, rich, enveloping Rush Creek. It offers some relief, but the bubbles also invigorate the cheese, opening the texture up and allowing more nuanced flavors to break through the richness.
What else you should do with it
Rush Creek doesn’t need any twists; just embrace the ritual of enjoying this once-a-year-icon. Share it with your people (maybe at Thanksgiving or Christmas), set the Rush Creek out of the fridge six or more hours before serving so it’s fully room temperature, slice the top off, and dive in. Pour everyone a glass of the Voirin-Jumel and watch the cheese disappear.
by Sophia Stern
Why we love the cheese
This is the first cheese I ever learned how to sell when I was an 18-year-old cheesemonger! Iconic for its creepy ‘cellar dweller’ logo, Chällerhocker has gained international fame and is a true crowd favorite at our cheese counter. Try it and you’ll understand why. A Swiss original by Walter Rass, this creamy, richly nutty cheese from the Swiss Alps honors the traditions of Alpine cheesemaking that we’ve come to know and love. It is decadent and delicious, with depth that makes you crave piece after piece. The fresh wheels are washed in wine and spices and then aged for a minimum of 10 months in Alpine cellars. The resulting flavors are intensely umami, full of heavy cream, garlic, and beef broth
Why we love the wine
Roterfaden makes this white blend from ancient Germany terraces, a feature so significant to the final product, they named the wine after it. This “Terraces” white is bright, refreshing, and citrusy and is made up of Reisling, Weissburgunder, and Kerner. Producers Hannes Hoffmann and Olympia Samara biodynamically farm 4 hectares of grapes on steep, terraced vineyards of pure limestone. All work in the vineyards and cellar is done by hand. Winemaking is minimalist: native yeast fermentation, aging in old barrels, no fining or filtration and small additions of sulfur prior to bottling. Flavors of orchard fruits mixed with Meyer lemon are supported by a minerality that carries this wine to a dry and refreshing finish.
Why we love the pairing
Challerhocker is very rich and very flavorful, so the crisp acidity in the wine is much needed. The Roterfaden has enough acid to cut through the decadence of the Chällerhocker, while still letting both cheese and wine shine. The green notes in the wine also highlight some of the allium notes in the cheese, drawing out roasted garlic and caramelized onions from the Chällerhocker. The sweetness in the cheese is balanced with the minerality from the wine, offering a delightful and crushable combo.
What else you should do with it
Make a loaded baked potato! Use the Chällerhocker as your grated cheese topping. Roast some Russet potatoes in the oven and load them up with whatever you like, like sour cream, chives, crispy bacon, but most importantly grated Chällerhocker. The wine will both complement all the savory notes in your dinner and cut through the richness with its acidity.
by Sophia Stern
Why we love the cheese
Sunny Ridge is a newer customer favorite and a lovely addition to our cheese case. From the folks at Blakesville Creamery, this beer-washed cheese is well-balanced, fudgey, and tangy. Like all Blakeville goat milk cheeses, it’s made entirely from their own herd of Saanen and Alpine goats. This cheese melts in your mouth like butter and is complexly savory and deliciously bright.
Why we love the wine
Organic wine makers Terre dei Buth have created another stunner with their Frizzante Rosé. This light and bright sparkler is full of flavor and a delight to drink. Aromas of strawberry and raspberry jump out of the glass, followed by notes of redcurrant and gooseberry on the palate. This wine is predominantly made from the Glera grape with a touch of Raboso, a local red grape. This unfussy, straightforward wine is easy to love and enjoy.
Why we love the pairing
Despite the edge of funk from the goat milk and the beer wash, Sunny Ridge has a rather delicate flavor. The Terre dei Buth’s lightness keeps the cheese in the spotlight and there’s enough fruit in the wine to offer a relief from the savory notes of the Sunny Ridge. The wine’s bright fizz cuts through the goat cheese richness, matching acidity and offering a super refreshing mouthfeel with flavors of juicy watermelon.
What else you should do with it
Inspired by the classic Cuban pastry, introducing Guava and Sunny Ridge Pastelitos! Essentially, hand pies. Guava and goat cheese make a delicious sweet and creamy pastry, with just a little tang to keep it interesting. Sunny Ridge will offer an extra gooey, rich characteristic to the traditional pasty. You can find guava paste at many larger grocery stores or Mexican markets around the Cities. Acquiring some high-quality, store-bought puff pastry will make this even easier. You can follow this recipe from the New York Times, but substitute cream cheese for room-temperature Sunny Ridge, making sure you have 170 grams without the rind. Half a pound of Sunny Ridge should cover it.
by Sophia Stern
Why we love the cheese
You’ll smell grass, earth, and rich cream right away. Montgomery’s Cheddar, a 60-pound, clothbound cheddar made by hand by Jamie Montgomery, is the gold standard for traditional English cheddar making. The Montgomery’s cows graze on 1,200 acres of gorgeous countryside in Sommerset, England. Their milk is only used to make this standout cheddar, which is made seven days a week. Neal’s Yard Dairy hand selects each wheel they sell, picking wheels that are particularly beefy, savory, and bold.
Why we love the cider
Restoration Cider Co makes elegant, complex ciders inspired by the dry cider traditions in Northwest Spain. Hailing from the Driftless, Restoration champions local by using local apples and dedicating 5% of their profits to restoring streams in Southwest Wisconsin. This semi-dry cider, ‘Driftless’, is light and crystalline with a refreshing, crisp finish. It’s not too sweet and easy to drink.
Why we love the pairing
This is autumn in a pairing. Montgomery’s Cheddar needs a little sweetness to round out all the savory, earthy notes in the cheese. This semi-dry cider does the trick. The Driftless tastes just how you want: like fresh, crisp apples with lingering sweetness. The light fizz in the cider balances against the richness of the cheddar, making it easier to keep going back and forth between the two.
What else you should do with it
This is an ideal pairing to take on a fall picnic. Montgomery’s Cheddar makes an amazing sandwich cheese. Make two sandwiches: one with fresh sliced apples, Montgomery’s Cheddar, and honey. The other with mustard, caramelized onions, Montgomery’s Cheddar and roast beef on some beautiful rye bread. Bring the cider along and enjoy it all with that basket of apples you picked when you visited the apple orchard.
