Every family has their traditions and in our house the cheese board is our Christmas Eve treat. Forget the tins of Roses, the crisps and desserts, it’s all about the cheese.
Determined to find the best array for our readers, SmartShopper spoke to expert Kevin Sheridan of Sheridans Cheesemongers in Meath.
To find a tipple to accompany it, Lynne Coyle of O’Briens Wine has completed no less than 132 wine exams and can match flavours to perfection. O’Briens have 32 shops nationwide and all their special offers are valid until 6 January 2014. However, Lynne has selected wine varieties that are available in any good wine shop. Most importantly, Kevin and Lynne encourage readers to forget the snobbery. These are suggested accompaniments, but pick the cheese and wine you like, and enjoy.
Soft Irish cheese – Cooleeney, St Killians, Wicklow Bán (200g at €4 - €6)
Bougrier Sauvignon Blanc (€15.49, reduced to €9.99)
Cooleeney, St Killian and Wicklow Bán are all great soft cheeses, but make sure they are made with raw milk. You may find some made with pasteurised milk, but these aren’t as nice. For Cooleeney and St Killian, find a cheese with a best before date in the first few days of January. Anything later than 4 January 2014 and it will be too hard.
This type of cheese, which is from the brie and camembert family, tends to have a more vegetable taste and a sauvignon blanc is a very nice accompaniment. Many are familiar with New Zealand and Chilean varieties, but the Loire Valley in France is the home of sauvignon blanc. It has a lovely zingy aroma of gooseberries and fresh fruit, with a nice level of acid that cuts through the fat of the cheese and leaves a refreshing and clean effect. You’ll find Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc in any wine shop and many are very affordable.
Stilton – Cashel Blue, Crozier Blue and Bellingham Blue (200g at €4 - €6)
Graham’s LBV Port (€21.99, reduced
to €17.99)
Longview Epitome (€16.99)
Stilton is a classic for the Christmas cheeseboard and Cashel Blue, Crozier Blue and Bellingham Blue are all excellent Irish options. Blue cheese is naturally strong with a sharp, salty taste, so if you like this, opt for the stronger Crozier. However, if you prefer a milder version, then go for the Cashel Blue.
With cheese this strong, you want something rich. The traditional accompaniment is a vintage port and the Graham’s LBV Port is a good option. The 2008 bottle has all the taste of a vintage port but without the sediment, as it has been aged in a barrel before being bottled.
If you’re not a fan of port, then the Longview Epitome Riesling is a funkier option. This dessert wine is grown in the Adelaide hills of Australia and has a rich, full flavour. It’s sweet with a ripeness that leaves you with a nice dry finish and it goes well with the savoury, salty flavour of the cheese. The whole effect is a clean finish on the palate, making you want to go for more.
Comté (200g at €5.50 - €6)
Porta Nova Ripasso (€20.49,
reduced to €13.99)
You simply can’t beat a good comté with its rich, nutty, sweet flavour. However, picking up a block of comté is like picking up cheddar. There is a huge variety and finding the right one can be a challenge, so it really is worth tasting before you buy. Although this is a French cheese, there is a delicious Irish variety. A few years ago, David Tiernan, a farmer in Co Louth, imported Montbeliarde cows and started making comté in the same way it is done in the Alps. The only difference is the storage, which made for a slightly drier cheese. Unfortunately though, David passed away last month. As the cheese is aged, you will still be able to get some from Sheridans this Christmas, but it is limited.
As comté is quite a savoury cheese, it’s nice to accompany it with a touch of sweetness. A dry red such as a Ripasso has very ripe fruit with a sweet flavour profile. This offsets the flavour of the cheese beautifully.
Coolea (200g at €5.50 - €6)
Cono Sur Pinot Noir (€12.49)
If you’ve a sweet tooth, then coolea, with its rich, fudge flavour, is the one for you.
Although it’s got a bit of a crunch, it’s very smooth and appealing. It’s a big flavour, so if you would like something a little lighter, go for a younger variety. The aged variety has more impact, although you will pay a higher price for the experience.
Although this cheese is quite rich, it does have a delicacy about it, so a good pairing would be a Chilean pinot noir.
Cono Sur Pinot Noir is available nationwide and these guys are at the top of their game in regards to making pinot noir outside of Burgundy. It has a heavy tannin profile but it is also quite delicate and floral.
Washed rind semi-soft cheese – Gubbeen, Milleens and Durrus (200g start from €5)
Marc Kreydenweiss Pinot Blanc (€16.49)
Washed rind semi-soft cheese such as Gubbeen, Milleens and Durrus are classics from west Cork. Made in this temperate rain-swept countryside, they tend to be pungent with a real earthy, meaty flavour. If you like this, then opt for Milleens which has the strongest taste, while Gubbeen is a milder choice. It’s especially important to get this type of cheese freshly cut, or else buy the little cuts that are wrapped in wax paper. To match these strong flavours, a really rich white wine would work well, such as a pinto blanc from Alsace. It is really concentrated, quite savoury, and multi-faceted in terms of the complexity of the wine. It is better to serve it with food. CL
Buying tips
• Buy the cheese that you like, not what people expect on a cheese plate.• When it comes to cheese, choose quality over quantity.• Although it’s ideal to visit a cheesemonger or a farmers’ market, you will find a wide range of cheese in some good supermarkets. Scally’s SuperValu in Clonakilty has an excellent selection. Try and buy somewhere where you can taste the cheese before purchasing . • While some hard cheese do well when wrapped in plastic, if you are opting for a softer cheese, make sure it is wrapped in foil or wax paper as it needs to breathe.• Don’t drink your best wine on Christmas Day, there are just too many flavours. There is no wine on earth that can match turkey, ham, the rich glaze and cranberry sauce. These ingredients and flavours will completely overshadow the wine, so keep it for a day or two afterwards when all the hype has died.
Every family has their traditions and in our house the cheese board is our Christmas Eve treat. Forget the tins of Roses, the crisps and desserts, it’s all about the cheese.
Determined to find the best array for our readers, SmartShopper spoke to expert Kevin Sheridan of Sheridans Cheesemongers in Meath.
To find a tipple to accompany it, Lynne Coyle of O’Briens Wine has completed no less than 132 wine exams and can match flavours to perfection. O’Briens have 32 shops nationwide and all their special offers are valid until 6 January 2014. However, Lynne has selected wine varieties that are available in any good wine shop. Most importantly, Kevin and Lynne encourage readers to forget the snobbery. These are suggested accompaniments, but pick the cheese and wine you like, and enjoy.
Soft Irish cheese – Cooleeney, St Killians, Wicklow Bán (200g at €4 - €6)
Bougrier Sauvignon Blanc (€15.49, reduced to €9.99)
Cooleeney, St Killian and Wicklow Bán are all great soft cheeses, but make sure they are made with raw milk. You may find some made with pasteurised milk, but these aren’t as nice. For Cooleeney and St Killian, find a cheese with a best before date in the first few days of January. Anything later than 4 January 2014 and it will be too hard.
This type of cheese, which is from the brie and camembert family, tends to have a more vegetable taste and a sauvignon blanc is a very nice accompaniment. Many are familiar with New Zealand and Chilean varieties, but the Loire Valley in France is the home of sauvignon blanc. It has a lovely zingy aroma of gooseberries and fresh fruit, with a nice level of acid that cuts through the fat of the cheese and leaves a refreshing and clean effect. You’ll find Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc in any wine shop and many are very affordable.
Stilton – Cashel Blue, Crozier Blue and Bellingham Blue (200g at €4 - €6)
Graham’s LBV Port (€21.99, reduced
to €17.99)
Longview Epitome (€16.99)
Stilton is a classic for the Christmas cheeseboard and Cashel Blue, Crozier Blue and Bellingham Blue are all excellent Irish options. Blue cheese is naturally strong with a sharp, salty taste, so if you like this, opt for the stronger Crozier. However, if you prefer a milder version, then go for the Cashel Blue.
With cheese this strong, you want something rich. The traditional accompaniment is a vintage port and the Graham’s LBV Port is a good option. The 2008 bottle has all the taste of a vintage port but without the sediment, as it has been aged in a barrel before being bottled.
If you’re not a fan of port, then the Longview Epitome Riesling is a funkier option. This dessert wine is grown in the Adelaide hills of Australia and has a rich, full flavour. It’s sweet with a ripeness that leaves you with a nice dry finish and it goes well with the savoury, salty flavour of the cheese. The whole effect is a clean finish on the palate, making you want to go for more.
Comté (200g at €5.50 - €6)
Porta Nova Ripasso (€20.49,
reduced to €13.99)
You simply can’t beat a good comté with its rich, nutty, sweet flavour. However, picking up a block of comté is like picking up cheddar. There is a huge variety and finding the right one can be a challenge, so it really is worth tasting before you buy. Although this is a French cheese, there is a delicious Irish variety. A few years ago, David Tiernan, a farmer in Co Louth, imported Montbeliarde cows and started making comté in the same way it is done in the Alps. The only difference is the storage, which made for a slightly drier cheese. Unfortunately though, David passed away last month. As the cheese is aged, you will still be able to get some from Sheridans this Christmas, but it is limited.
As comté is quite a savoury cheese, it’s nice to accompany it with a touch of sweetness. A dry red such as a Ripasso has very ripe fruit with a sweet flavour profile. This offsets the flavour of the cheese beautifully.
Coolea (200g at €5.50 - €6)
Cono Sur Pinot Noir (€12.49)
If you’ve a sweet tooth, then coolea, with its rich, fudge flavour, is the one for you.
Although it’s got a bit of a crunch, it’s very smooth and appealing. It’s a big flavour, so if you would like something a little lighter, go for a younger variety. The aged variety has more impact, although you will pay a higher price for the experience.
Although this cheese is quite rich, it does have a delicacy about it, so a good pairing would be a Chilean pinot noir.
Cono Sur Pinot Noir is available nationwide and these guys are at the top of their game in regards to making pinot noir outside of Burgundy. It has a heavy tannin profile but it is also quite delicate and floral.
Washed rind semi-soft cheese – Gubbeen, Milleens and Durrus (200g start from €5)
Marc Kreydenweiss Pinot Blanc (€16.49)
Washed rind semi-soft cheese such as Gubbeen, Milleens and Durrus are classics from west Cork. Made in this temperate rain-swept countryside, they tend to be pungent with a real earthy, meaty flavour. If you like this, then opt for Milleens which has the strongest taste, while Gubbeen is a milder choice. It’s especially important to get this type of cheese freshly cut, or else buy the little cuts that are wrapped in wax paper. To match these strong flavours, a really rich white wine would work well, such as a pinto blanc from Alsace. It is really concentrated, quite savoury, and multi-faceted in terms of the complexity of the wine. It is better to serve it with food. CL
Buying tips
• Buy the cheese that you like, not what people expect on a cheese plate.• When it comes to cheese, choose quality over quantity.• Although it’s ideal to visit a cheesemonger or a farmers’ market, you will find a wide range of cheese in some good supermarkets. Scally’s SuperValu in Clonakilty has an excellent selection. Try and buy somewhere where you can taste the cheese before purchasing . • While some hard cheese do well when wrapped in plastic, if you are opting for a softer cheese, make sure it is wrapped in foil or wax paper as it needs to breathe.• Don’t drink your best wine on Christmas Day, there are just too many flavours. There is no wine on earth that can match turkey, ham, the rich glaze and cranberry sauce. These ingredients and flavours will completely overshadow the wine, so keep it for a day or two afterwards when all the hype has died. 
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