Wine and Cheese
The Perfect Pair
Richard Lee
Hult MIB
San Francisco
ow, even though I’ve always loved wine
and cheese, apparently, I’ve been doing
it all wrong. It wasn’t until a few
months ago that I learned there are
certain rituals and traditions while
indulging in both wine and cheese.
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It all started when I took a look into a fellow Hultian’s
fridge…
While I stared at Filippo Clemente’s refrigerator, full
of numerous unique cheeses, I wondered what type of
culture revolved around the iconic duo.
When and How Do You Eat Cheese?
If you ask me, anytime is a good time for cheese. But
while one can find cheese in a plethora of dishes, many
cheese enthusiasts like to have their cheese on its own
in order to fully appreciate and savor the flavor. As
Clemente says, “the cheese is the food itself,” which
Gabriella Lucano claims is often served after the main
course and before the dessert. On another hand,
Leonardo Salati prefers his cheese as an appetizer,
specifically with prosciutto, coppa, or an assortment of
hams. Differenc es of when and how the cheese is served
often depends on the flavor and quantity of the cheese.
Typically, younger and more common cheeses find
themselves before the main course, while older, more
full bodied cheeses demand an audience after. Although
there is no written rule, there is a step-by-step process
to properly enjoy cheese when it is on its own. One
starts with the younger and softer cheeses, working
their way to older and more brittle cheeses. For
instance, we start with goat cheese or gorgonzola, then
brie or toma, pecorino and so on. (There are so, so, so
many different cheeses and wines.)
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