Champagne, Sparkling Wine And Cheese Appreciation Course - The Smelly Cheese Shop

Learning to appreciate champagne - or any wine for that matter - goes beyond what is in the glass. My enjoyment is increased exponentially when I know where it comes from, its history, its production processes and any interesting or quirky stories that go with it.

 
But this is just the beginning of the appreciation journey. When it comes to champagne, our love and appreciation of it can be taken to a whole other level when paired with complementing or contrasting food.

Champagne and wine with cheese are perhaps two of the best bedfellows you can find because they often share the same terrior - the climate, soil and typography of a given geographical space.
 
Last night I went along to a champagne, sparkling wine and cheese appreciation course by The Smelly Cheese Shop from Adelaide's Central Markets. The Smelly Cheese Shop is Adelaide's best known and highly regarded suppliers and connoisseurs of cheese from the international market. Fresh cheeses are air-freighted direct from the producers in France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom weekly, arriving in Adelaide after only a few short days of transport. And it shows. I find their cheeses to be the absolute freshest in town.

Hosted by Valerie Henbest, owner of The Smelly Cheese Shop, we were transported on a sensory journey of the palate. Valerie has a way about her of making you feel like you're the only person in the room. She's animated (in that classic French way) and delightfully funny, warm and engaging.

Also in attendance was Natalie Fryar - winemaker for Jansz, producers of some of Australia's best sparkling wines.

We kicked off the evening with a tour of their cheese maturing room. With a very high level of humidity and constant temperature, hard cheeses sourced from around the world are carefully looked after, being washed and turned regularly as they mature. This maturing room is the only one in Adelaide and is quite an experience with its overwhelming smell of ammonia and cheese. Wonderful stuff!
 


Now for the fun! We took our seats and perused the five courses of cheese before us. First glass of bubbles in hand, it was time to get started. But before I take you through it, I just want to preface it by saying that whilst four of the five courses featured Australian sparkling wine (and not champagne), champagne lovers can take these tasting principles and apply them to champagnes with similar profiles. This is the very reason I decided to go along to the class and I feel all the more confident that I can now pair my champagnes with a variety of cheeses.

Within each of the notes below, I discover the basic principles that make for a good match. Enjoy!
 
Jansz Premium Non-Vintage Rosé paired with Brillat Savarin

This cheese is a real crowd-pleaser. Made of cow's milk with a slightly bitter mould, it has a 'butter melting in your mouth' texture. Tasting more of cream than cheese, it was a perfect match for our sparkling rosé from Jansz.

Led by delicate notes of strawberry and rose water, Jansz's rosé combines beautifully with the cheese. As described very well by another person in the class, "the cream goes everywhere in your mouth and the rosé arrests it, bringing it together into a harmonious yet contrasting combination." Perfection.

Jansz non-vintage paired with Besace Chevre Affiné

I fell head-over-heels in love with this goat's milk cheese. Aged for only four weeks and rolled in vegetable ash, it was deliciously fresh with a creamy and chalky texture. If you're not normally a goat's cheese fan, I would suggest giving this a go. It doesn't 'pack a punch' like some others can, it's much more mild and has a soft tangy flavour.

As soon as a tasted it, I had visions of pairing it with a blanc de blancs champagne from Le Mesnil sur Oger - a village in the Côte des Blancs known for producing exceptional chardonnay grapes with a chalky 'gritty' minerality.

But on the night, it was paired with the Jansz non-vintage cuvée. I've been a long-time fan of this cuvée - in fact we served it at our wedding. Led by refreshing citrus with some creaminess and a little nuttiness, it makes for a refreshing and easy-to-drink sparkling wine with a lovely touch of finesse.

The pairing seemed to work quite well. When compared to the previous tasting, this one was complementary as opposed to contrasting. The tangy, chalky and youthful nature of the goat's cheese worked hand-in-glove with the citrus-driven acidity in the sparkling and the chalkiness worked well with the creaminess of the cuvée's Chardonnay.

Being the champagne lover that I am, I would still have to say that a good, creamy blanc de blancs with decent amounts of chalky minerality would work better again with this cheese.

Jansz 2007 paired with Luigi Guffanti Parmiagiano Reggiano DOP

If you're looking for a classic example of a good parmiagiano, this is it. Made of cow's milk, it's hard, very dry and aged for two years. On the palate, there are gorgeous notes of mature,  almost stewed pineapple, making for big rich flavours.

It was paired with Jansz's 2007 vintage, characterised by complex autolytic notes that come from four years of ageing on lees, toasted nuts, some honeysuckle, cooked stonefruits and light lemon acidity. 50 percent of the cuvee was also barrel fermented, making for some developed oak flavours and texture.

Together, they make for a truly wonderful marriage. The heavy pineapple notes in the parmiagiano were instantly lifted into more youthful pineapple flavours. Working the other way, the cuvée's developed fruit flavours enhanced as did its creaminess.  Delicious.

Pol Roger Brut Non-Vintage paired with Langres AOC

The Langres AOC is a luscious cheese made from pure cow's milk from the plains of the Champagne region - so it was only fitting that it be paired with champagne of course.  In honour of the Champenois tradition, we began this tasting by pouring a little Pol Roger over the top of the Langres and allowing it to absorb the champagne for five minutes. Supple and tender, the cheese has a very rich and creamy texture. Just delightful.

It was paired with Pol Roger Brut Non-Vintage - in my opinion, one of the best non-vintages on the market. With equal portions of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot menuier, Pol's market entry champagne speaks volumes of complexity. Notes of red cherries, soft lemon acidity, green apple, pear and brioche all come to mind.  It leads to a lingering yet snappy and delicious finish.

Again, this was a very good match. The rich, creamy cheese also had a slight earthiness to it which really brought out the autolytic flavours of the champagne. It made for a much more complex champagne experience. Working the other way, the champagne really cut through the fattiness of the cheese. The flavours and textures complemented each other so much so that I felt they had equal representation on the palate at the end of the tasting. Just wonderful.

Dunes and Greene Split Pick Moscato Non-Vintage paired with Hervé Mons Roquefort AOC

Lastly, we delved into the sometimes resisted world of blue cheese. Hervé Mons Roquefort AOC is up the very extreme end of the blue cheese scale. People either love it or hate it (but I absolutely love it!). Made from sheep's milk, it is aged for up to nine months, has a silky smooth texture and and is very rich.

It was paired with a Dunes and Greene Split Pick Moscato Non-Vintage and a Yalumba Wrattonbully Botrytis Viognier - both very different on their own and producing very different results. The Moscato features flavours of strawberries and musk as well as some rose water but ends with a sweet but balanced finish. In contrast the Botrytis displays flavours of peach, apricot, nectar and spice with a finish that is not as sweet as the Moscato.

Integrated with the Roquefort, both work very well but in different ways. My vote is with the Botrytis. It targeted the blue aspects of the cheese, softening its steeliness and producing a more mature and mellow result. In comparison, the Moscato picked up on the creaminess of the Roquefort and contrasted well with that, producing a more lively and exciting integration on the palate.

The evening was capped off beautifully with a wonderful traditional display of sabering a champagne bottle by Valerie. After many attempts, she finally got it! And it was a whole lot of fun watching.

I highly recommend any champagne or wine enthusiast enrolling in The Smelly Cheese Shop's regular wine/cheese appreciation courses. Having now been to three of them, I can vouch for their professionalism and the fact that they are a hell of a lot of fun, not to mention the life-long appreciation skills you develop. For more details on their courses go to: www.smellycheese.com.au or contact them on (08) 8231 5867.