POLOKWANE – Today, 20 February is Cheese Lover’s Day and in appreciation of the day, we have compiled a list of the best cheeses in South Africa, along with which wine they can be paired with.
• Fairview Blue Rock
Taste A firm, full-flavoured, Roquefort-style blue-veined cheese with a creamy texture and sharp bite, produced by the mould interacting with the fats to create that traditional “blue cheese” flavour.
It’s delicious in a four-cheese pasta sauce or on a cheeseboard. For a stunning display, use a large black slate tile and write the names of the cheeses in white chalk.
Wine pairing Noble Late Harvest or Joostenberg Chenin Blanc
• Klein River Gruyère
Taste Slightly grainy texture with a strong tangy taste and a wonderful complexity of flavours – fruity at first, with earthy, nutty characteristics that linger afterwards.
It’s delicious sprinkled over salads or pastas, in quiches or savoury tarts, and is also a popular fondu choice.
Wine pairing Vondeling Erica Shiraz
• Woolworths Duetto
Taste This delicate semi-soft and creamy mascarpone is interlayered with preserved figs and pecan nuts.
It’s delicious on a thick slice of toasted ciabatta, topped with a green fig preserve, says TASTE’s food editor Abigail Donnelly.
Wine pairing Howard Booysen Riesling (Rhine), or Woolworths Prosecco, says Abigail
• Ganzvlei Cheddar
Taste A slightly grainy, very strong Cheddar with a lingering bite
It’s delicious with something sweet (to balance the strong flavours), such as caramelised pears or chilli-tomato jam and plain crackers. It could also work on a cheese burger a grown-up Mac ‘n’ Cheese, if you will…
Wine pairing Doran Pinotage (to balance the strong flavours)
• Langbaken Karoo Crumble
Taste A mature hard cheese with a dry crumbly texture, tangy bite and a slightly fruity aftertaste.
It’s delicious in a cheese sauce over cauliflower, to flavour broccoli soup, or as part of a cheeseboard with preserved fruits and nuts.
Wine pairing Ken Forrester Petit Chenin
• Van Gaalen Boerenkaas
Taste This two-month matured Gouda-style cheese is soft, sweeter than Cheddar, and made from cow’s milk.
It’s delicious on sandwiches, pizzas and lasagnes, as it’s a good melting cheese.
Wine pairing Anura Sangiovese.
• Le Petite France Camembert
Taste A rich and creamy hand-crafted cheese made from Jersey milk, it is his hormone-, additive- and chemical-free.
It’s delicious with ripe figs and nuts as a Banting (Tim Noakes) dessert.
Wine pairing Glen Carlou (unwooded) Chardonnay.
• Dalewood Fromage Huguenot
Taste A semi-hard brushed-rind cheese with an intense flavour and nutty nuances
It’s delicious as a Tim Noakes-esque snack, in potato gratin, or on a party cheeseboard.
Wine pairing Blaauwklippen Zinfandel
• Simonsberg Mature Gouda
Taste Tangy, tasty and firm.
It’s delicious in lunch boxes, with cheese scones, on a cheeseboard and for 5 o’clock-snacking.
Wine pairing The High Road Classique (a Bordeaux-style red blend)
• Cremalat Fresh Asiago
Taste A fresh and creamy, slightly spicy light-coloured cheese.
It’s delicious in a croque-monsieur or -madame, or in a potato gratin.
Wine pairing Usana Pinot Gris
• Cremalat Gorgonzola
Taste This rich and creamy light blue-veined cheese’s nose is stronger than its bite.
It’s delicious ladled on crackers, or with Gruyère in a soufflé-with-a-difference.
Wine pairing Nederburg Special Late Harvest.
