I adore wine and cheese. When I go to Burgundy, I wake up early before Mike, Linden, and I head out for winery appointments, so I can get in a big run before our day as I want to be able to enjoy these things that I love in what is one of the greatest regions for them.

As much as I enjoy wine and cheese, sometimes it’s hard to know how to pair them together. So, I spoke to our good friend Antoine Zaruba of the Cheese House and asked him about joining me in putting together a wine and cheese class to help make selecting your wine and cheese for an afternoon or evening a bit easier. We view pairing wine and cheese as a fun endeavour that provokes creativity and can yield sublime tasting moments.

Through this afternoon class we hope to help you understand what to look for in a wine and in a cheese when it comes to pairing the two together and show you what works and what doesn’t. We’ve selected one wine to match with each cheese from the two lists below (you have to come to the class to find out the pairing); we will likely find that there are a few matches that work. As you will see from the list, we’ve included some of the classic complements for cheese like Port, Sauternes and Sherry. And for the cheeses, we’ve included all types from goat’s milk to cow’s milk to sheep’s milk cheese, everything from a light and delicate cheese to a strong Roquefort and 24-month Comté. Come join Antoine and me on Saturday, 27 July, for an afternoon of delicious wine and cheese pairing discovery!

Here’s the wine lineup for our afternoon discussion:
2002 Bruno Paillard - Champagne Brut
2011 Domaine Billaud-Simon - Chablis Vaudesir Grand Cru
2015 Jean-René Germanier - Petite Arvine
2014 Château du Moulin-à-Vent - Moulin-à-Vent 'Champ de Cour'
2010 Bouchard Père et Fils - Meursault 1er Cru 'Charmes'
2005 Château Guiraud, from half bottle
1997 Quinta do Noval - Colheita Port
NV Osborne Oloroso Abocado Solera India