Cheese Parties

A wine and cheese tasting. What a feast for the senses! It appeals to one's sight, smell, touch, and of course taste! Much like wine does, cheese provides a succession of little pleasures as it reveals its full extent of odours, flavours, colours, all indicative of its origin. And when wine is aptly paired with cheese, the result is an exquisite explosion of flavour. Over the years, cheese and wine parties have become a must event. A cheese and wine tasting is such a wonderful way of entertaining in today's hectic and frantic urban life. It creates a special and intimate moment to enjoy and relax with friends. Being easily put together, you can tailor it to any event, and still put out all the stops as to what you will serve. In addition, a cheese and wine tasting can be revisited and transformed, exploring new avenues by offering your guests original taste trials. You need only to select cheeses that, when agreeably paired with the appropriate wine, present a pleasurable taste combination with memorable organoleptic qualities.

Select as you please

Attractively displayed on an elegant covered platter, our product samplings are clearly identified with small tags. Servings are based on 200 g of cheese per person, 50 g of smoked or cured meats per person, along with breads, crackers and rusks, fruits and nuts. All tasting platters include 3 to 4 servings. Come see us at the shop; we will be delighted to put together a sampling perfectly suited to your event.

Pleasing pairings

You usually have a winning combination when selecting cheeses and wines in the same tonality, or similar character. But contrasts in flavours and aromas can also provide a great experience. So, if pairing a cheese and a wine both originating from the same region is a reasonable formula, it may not necessarily be the best. When dealing with the taste buds and how to please them, wouldn't we prefer pizzazz to reason? The wonderful purpose of exploring taste sensations and creative combinations is to constantly perfect these cheese and wine pairings, in the end discovering combinations that are revelations and totally delightful. Whether your cheese tasting event is simple or sophisticated, there remains an absolute rule to making it a success: always begin with the milder cheeses, moving towards the more robust flavours. Your choice of accompanying wines will follow the same lead.

Tips for a successful tasting

1. Ask for expert advice. Before finalizing your selection, it is strongly recommended to ask your cheesemonger for advice or suggestions of pairings. Don't forget that Fromagerie Hamel's ripener ages several cheeses in our cellars. We can help you select cheeses that will have reached their peak and be at their very best when you are ready to serve them.

2. Prepare your assortment with an expert. Even if you are planning your event yourself, never hesitate to consult with the expert staff in our shops to make the best selection among our wide range of cheeses and accompaniments such as smoked or cured meats, pâtés, nuts, dried fruit, fruit jellies and pastes, condiments, breads, crackers and rusks. If you haven't the time to make your own selection, trust your cheesemonger. Just give him your target budget, what tastes and flavours you are looking for, the number of guests, the style of sampling platter you would prefer, and the wine pairing you want.

3. Go for a minimum of 4 courses. It has proven preferable to extend the cheese-tasting experience over at least 4 courses when possible. This gives the opportunity to present a wider variety of cheeses and an interesting progression of flavours. For example, you could start with a first course of 3 mild cheeses with a dry white wine. The second course would also include 3 cheeses, this time with a little more character, with a light or medium red wine. Your third course would consist of 3 sharp cheeses accompanied by a full-bodied wine, finishing with your fourth course of 2 to 3 robust-flavoured cheeses paired with a sweet white wine, or a vintage burgundy or port.

4. Bring your cheeses to room temperature. It is important to take your cheeses out of the refrigerator at least one hour before serving. Just as it happens with wines, the flavours and aromas of cheeses develop as they reach a certain temperature.

5. Identify the products. If you are setting up your own platter, it is customary to identify the products and to have on hand a minimum of information on each selection to share with your guests, such as place of origin, composition and main features. In addition to the information given by the experts in our shops, you can get further facts from the Cheese catalogue in the Products Section.

6. Finish with a flourish. As a close to your cheese tasting, desert, though optional, must always be light. Fruit sherbet or a fresh fruit salad would bring a perfect final conclusion to your guests' gastronomic experience.