I found a store that imports Neal's Yard Dairy cheeses to the US and airmails them across the country. I just received Neal's English Farmhouse Cheddar and Colston Basset Stilton. Also I received an old fashioned Boerenkaas Farmhouse Gouda. I tried these with some Heitz Martha's Vineyard 1976 Cabernet Sauvignon.
The wine is still holding well. I believe I reported on it last year. It is a very intense, dark, and complex wine full of cassis and that trademark minty quality that screams Napa. There is still tannin, but it is under control.
The mentioned cheddar was very rich and complex with some tang. It is as good, or better, than other cheddars I have tasted. It went well with the wine. It also would have gone well with a somewhat less intense wine. The Stilton was far superior to what we usually get in the US. It had considerable bite from the blue mold, but not excessive. It was very rich and creamy with a nutty character. The huge Cabernet could stand up to it, although a good tawny Port might have been a better match. This Stilton might overpower a less intense Cabernet or Bordeaux. The Farmhouse Gouda made the usual Goudas we get seem like paste on comparison. It was far richer, more nutty, and more complex than any other Gouda I have seen. It stood up well to the powerful Cabernet, but would have also been good with a consideraby less powerful wine.
I am not a big fan of cheese and wine combinations. However I must say this match was interesting. I can remember too many wine and cheese events in the past that usually included one or two cheeses that made the whole room stink and that should have been buried several weeks earlier. Such cheeses might even overpower the strongest Stout.
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