Say Cheese
‘Madame de Fromage’ and other experts elevate the pairing of wine and cheese at parties
Savor Wine Country Magazine, Winter 2006
Stories by Diane Peterson • Photographs by Mark Aronoff
Among all the flavor in the world of food, the flavor of cheese stands alone.
“Cheese is the most savory thing you can eat,” says Colette Hatch, a petite Frenchwoman known throughout Wine Country as Madame de Fromage. “It changes everyday ... so you grow with the product. You kind of bond with it.”
Hatch bonds with cheese fans all across the country as a consultant to gourmet markets and cheese shops. Around here, she shares hr expertise during pairing seminars held at wineries like Landmark Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley and Ferrari-Carano in Dry Creek Valley. But the vivacious brunette is best known for doling out advise—along with tastes of some extraordinary cheeses—from behind the counter at Oliver’s Market in Santa Rosa, where she runs the cheese program.
It’s how Amanda Haas of Santa Rosa, who grew up in Texas on a diet that never got more exotic than Velvetta, got to know her. She asked Hatch to give a cheese seminar at her home.
“It completely relaxes everybody, and they start discussing the cheese,” she says. “It’s been a fabulous way to raise the bar.”
Hatch, whose passion for cheese is matched only by her passion for wine, has elevated a classic party and entertainment solution with a Wine Country touch: wine and cheese pairing parties that focus on what she refers to as the “trinity” of food products” wine, cheese and bread. In place of the usual appetizer, fish and meat course, the paring party unfurls with a series of savory cheese courses and wines, starting with a leathery Pinot, peppery Syrah and luscious port.
During these feasts, guests can savor the synergy between each wine and cheese, with little else to distract them except perhaps a thin cracker, a dollop of honey or a roasted nut. Along the way, the party turns into a lively, interactive forum, with guests sharing their opinions about what works and what doesn’t.
“All of a sudden, people are paying attention, and they are putting an adjective on what they find,” Hatch says excitedly. “It’s like going on a treasure hunt.”
Pat Conway of Santa Rosa decided to host a wine and cheese party a few years ago during the busy holiday season. The soirée, held a few days before Christmas, was a resounding success, and she didn’t have to cook a thing.
“People kept drinking and talking and hanging around, from 7:30 p.m. To about 1:30 a.m.,” she says. “and they were full when they left.”
Since her husband, David, collects California wines, he was put in change of picking out specific vintages. Next, Conway consulted with Hatch on what kind of cheeses and breads to serve with the wines.
“You want the cheese and wine to stand on their own, and the little cracker is a vehicle,” she says.
Heeding Hatch’s advice to keep the spread simple, Conway bought a few small flute of sweet French bread and crisp Falwasser crackers, along with a few dried fruits. For dessert, she ordered a 5-pound hunk of Scharffen Berger chocolate to serve with port. Conway suggest setting up separate areas for each cheese course and making sure the cheeses are taken out of the refrigerator an hour or more before guests are scheduled to arrive.
For the holiday party, Conway rented crystal wine glasses so each guest would have a clean glass designed specifically for each wine. When her guests arrived, she greeted them at the door and steered them toward a table with a single wheel of triple-crème cheese surrounded by champagne flutes and sparkling wine. After enjoying the bubbly, the guests were whisked off to the dining room, where she served a white wine with five different cheeses. Then the group gathered around the kitchen island, where a medley of red wines was paired with six cheeses. The movable feast culminated in the family room, with port and the impressive chunk of chocolate. After that, folks were free to return to their favorite for one more bite.
To make your wine and cheese party a success. Conway suggests making sure there’s plenty of room for the number of people you’ve invited. However, you only need chairs for about half of the guests. If you want, you also could place heaters on your patio, allowing guests to escape for a moment and get some fresh air. And make sure you provide some bottled water to keep everyone well hydrated. Considerer getting a big self-serve container, filling it with ice, stocking it with bottles of water and putting it out on the patio.
For her holiday decor, Conway picked out silver, gold and black baubles along with lots of glittery candles that would look festive for Christmas but carry the theme beyond to the New Year holiday as well. She bought place cards and wrote down the name of each cheese, along with descriptors and information about the kind of milk it was made from – sheep, goat or cow.
All the cheeses that Hatch imports and cares for are interesting and unique, from the earthy Piemontese robiola to Normandy’s creamy Brillat-Savarin, from Ireland’s melt-in-your-mouth Cashel Blue to the nutty Abbaye de Belloc of the western Pyrenees.
“It’s a special treat, to even get to taste these cheeses,” Haas says. “it’s just a great adventure.”
