The real reason wine and cheese were meant to be

Beaudoin at the Church and State Wines for a Dairy Farmers of Canada Cheese seminar during the 2013 Visa Wine Country

Image Credit: Dairy Farmers of Canada

October 03, 2013 - 1:25 PM

KELOWNA – Fall Wine Fest kicks off this week and with glasses filling with reds and whites, dishes featuring another fermented favorite will be served up. Cheese will play a starring role at a number of signature events over the next couple weeks.

There's a reason wine and cheese make a solid pair – and it's not what you might think.

Armstrong-based cheese expert David Beaudoin says from a scientific perspective it's about balancing the acidity of wine with the oily fat of cheese – but there's also a more human explanation: pleasure.

“In the end that is really want you want,” he says, exploring the senses and tastes that come from mixing the two.

“You get lots of pleasure when wine is made to fit with cheese.”

Not every pairing is the right fit so part of the fun is finding what feels good for your palate. After all, it's a complex "living, breathing thing," he says.

Varying in mold, moisture and creaminess it lends itself to the same tasting rituals practiced with wine.

“We can use all of our senses to explore cheese: through the eyes, nose, touch, by warming it, squishing it," he says. “People don't usually take the time to do this, but when you do it's so much better.”

After moving to the Okanagan in 2005 Beaudoin realized something was missing. Growing up in Quebec, family meals were a big affair where good wine and artisan cheese brought everyone together. That was the inspiration behind his mission to bring artisan-style "squeaky cheese" curds to the Okanagan, and today product from his factory reaches as far as Vancouver.

Without a doubt Beaudoin says, "everyone loves cheese and everyone loves wine," and it makes sense when it comes to health. More and more research suggests both age-old products of fermentation are probably good for us.

“France has the highest consumption of dairy fat but some of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world," he says.

This is some of the wisdom Beaudoin will be sharing at his Cheese 101 seminars at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre next week. Here in Kelowna he will be attending the Blind Wine and Cheese Soiree at the Laurel Packinghouse, the Harvest Reds and B.C. Cheese event at Manteo Resort and the Iron Chef Throwdown at Cabana Bar & Grille.

Signature events for the fall wine festival are selling quick, but if you don't have tickets there's still opportunity to enjoy the Okanagan's fall wines in the comfort of your own home.

Beaudoin suggests hosting your very own wine and cheese soiree with friends and family.

“That's the beauty of living in the Okanagan, you can get a nice bottle of wine, fresh cheese with some crackers and dried fruits and have a great evening with the ones you love.”