When you ask a French expat what he misses about France, the answer is always the same: BREAD, CHEESE, and WINE. ⠀
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In fact, it’s not 3 separate items, but rather the combination of them together that we miss. Being able to find the right wine for the right cheese, with a baguette crisp “comme il faut”, is an impossible challenge when you’re abroad, and if it is possible, it’s going to cost you a fortune. ⠀
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But the utmost pleasure isn’t even that combination ; it’s being around a table of friends or family, chatting about the gastronomy experience of trying this or that cheese with this or that wine, helping each other out with our latest discovery. Those flavours just don’t feel the same if you are alone doing the tasting. ⠀
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So, even though French table manners seem very coded (you should eat the cheeses in this particular order, there’s a precise way of cutting each cheese, you shouldn’t spread cheese on bread but rather “drop” it on your piece of bread…), there is actually a lot of freedom in the French mindset in terms of the tasting experience, and that’s what we love. It’s certainly part of the French “art de vivre”, where we discuss, advise on best ways to eat and best pairings.
A rule of thumb says you should always pair wines and cheeses from the same region. Example: have a “crottin de Chavignol” (goat cheese) with a white wine from Sancerre, the neighboring town.
Here are a few “strange” pairings that are actually worth a try :
- Camembert and cider (or champagne): indeed, the bubbles enhance the cream of the camembert!
- Truffled brie with sweet white wine (or very old white wine): you need something rather strong to balance the flavour of the truffles!
- Comté with Muscadet: the acidity and minerality of the wine meets well with the salinity of this particular cheese!
With that said, bon appétit! ⠀
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