Wine & Words

It's hard to be a "locavore" in downeast North Carolina. Our agricultural production runs more toward commodities like cotton, corn and soybeans than to small, sustainable, well-integrated family farming operations. That's not so, however, in the North Carolina Piedmont, just over 100 miles west of us. That's where we find the Chapel Hill Creamery.
 
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This blue from southeastern France is creamier than Roquefort, owing to the fact that it is made from cow's milk rather than sheep's. The terrain near Auvergne is craggy and desolate, and thus, better suited to raising sheep than cows. Even so, the region manages to produce enough cow's milk to eke out its small annual production of Bleu d'Auvergne. Bleu d'Auvergne is great crumbled on a tossed salad. You should also try a small piece on a slice of apple for a beautiful, healthy midday snack.

* Made from unpasteurized cow's milk.

This extra special delicacy from the Gruyere district of Switzerland is well known as the basic ingredient in fondue. But with its delightfully nutty, spicy, full flavor, it is delicious as a table cheese as well. Upon eating Gruyere, one immediately recognizes the taste of whole milk that is used exclusively in making this grand cheese. We say it is grand because a whole wheel of Gruyere weighs about 80 pounds. In fact, it takes over 100 gallons of milk to make a single wheel of Gruyere!
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Historically, in the world of cheese, the use of black wax was reserved for premium products. For example, in the 1970s, black waxed Gouda was the top of the line. Nowadays, a rainbow of wax colors is used across the quality spectrum. Some of the more traditional producers have maintained the tradition of coding quality by wax color, one of which is England's Tuxford & Tebbutt.
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The world's most famous melting cheese, Raclette is made in the Alps on both sides of the French-Swiss border. The French version is perhaps a bit softer than Swiss Raclette, but the two taste very similar. Raclette has a semi-soft interior dotted with small holes and a rosy inedible rind. Eaten as a table cheese, Raclette has a smooth, creamy taste that is neither too salty nor sharp. However, our French Raclette tends to have a strong, pungent aroma that is not for the timid.
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Long known as "The King of Cheeses", Blue Stilton is one of a handful of British cheeses granted the status of a "protected designation origin" (PDO) by the European Commission. Only cheese produced in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire and made according to a strict code may be called Stilton. There are just six dairies licensed to make Stilton, each being subject to regular audit by an independent inspection agency accredited to European Standard EN 45011.

To be called Stilton, a cheese must:
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In 1979, BelGioioso Cheese Company President Errico Auricchio moved his family from Italy to America to start a cheese company like the one his grandfather had founded in Italy over a century ago. The result -- the complete line is made with the freshest milk and from authentic Italian recipes.
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Cambozola, which is made by Kasseri Champignon in Bavaria, is a rich and creamy Camembert-type cheese with a bloomy white rind. Beneath its crust, one finds streaks of tangy blue. Hence its name: the marriage of Camembert and Gorgonzola gives us Cambozola. Very popular all over the world, Cambozola is the perfect addition to the after-dinner cheese course and pairs well with fruit and nuts.

* Made from pasteurized cow's milk.