This week’s pairing brought to you by Raymond Hook, a nationally-recognized cheese consultant living in New York City.
Recommended cheese pairings with any other fruit-forward, peppery Malbec with tame tannins. See list of Malbecs.
Grayson from Meadow Creek Dairy in Galax, Virginia. A handcrafted, soft, Jersey cow’s milk cheese styled after Italian Taleggio. The slightly strong aromas arising from the rind mixed with the fudgy-textured interior are perfect for Malbec. The rind adds just enough robustness to stand up to the higher alcohol in this wine, while the cheese’s grassy notes and slight sweetness of the milk pairs perfectly with the fruit components and lushness.
And another one (we couldn’t choose):
Tomme de Savoie Made from cow’s milk in the French Alps. Has a firm, but not too hard texture and a gray, molted rind. Tomme de Savoie (“TDS” in industry parlance) offers a restrained, nuttiness with pasture flavors slipped in and these nuances compliment the sweet, dark berry of Malbec. The cheese, once in the mouth, transforms into a creamy, rich fiesta, which, when you add the wine’s 13.8% alcohol, awakens your pallet to the possibilities of this combo.
