The Pairing Week 11: Blue Cheese (part 1)

There are few cheeses more widely recognized by name, or tightly woven into our dining traditions, than English Stilton. With its velvety texture, sweet and mushroomy blue mold, and meaty sea salt finish, Stilton hits all the best flavor buttons. Our preferred Stilton comes to us from Colston Bassett Dairy, located within Nottinghamshire County, in the Midlands region of Central England. One of the smallest of just 6 dairies authorized to produce Stilton, and an operation that’s been going strong for over 100 years, Colston Bassett takes pride in its hands-on approach to quality and consistency. Much of their success can be traced to the fact that they’ve employed just 4 head cheesemakers throughout their entire cheesemaking history. A common pairing suggestion for Stilton might be Port wine, and while we don’t necessarily disagree, we’ve found something perhaps a little more fun for this time around. This sparkling Gamay Rosé, from Bernard Rondeau, made in the southernmost region of the Jura Mountains of France, is full of red summer fruit, gentile tannins and a balance of residual sugars and acid that fit perfectly with this sturdy cheese. A fully expressive pairing highlighting the wild streak of natural fermentation.

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