> Camembert, one of the most well-known of French cheeses!

Every cheese should be considered on its own, because every cheese has its own characteristics and deserves the best match! That's why instead of a cheeseboard, we would recommend to propose only one cheese! One cheese with one wine! This does not mean that there is only one wine match possible for one cheese. According the maturity and fat-level of the cheese, its saltiness or bitterness (especially present in the crust of some cheeses), and depending on which aspect of the cheese we want to emphasize, we still have a large choice.

For this issue of Assemblage we propose to put the well-known CAMEMBERT in the spotlight.

Camembert cheese, comes from the small village of Camembert situated in the Normandy region in the North-West of France. It became famous when in the 19th century it could easily be transported to Paris by railroad, well protected in newly invented round wooden boxes.

To guarantee the quality and origin of the cheese, the producers obtained the AOP Camembert de Normandie in 1983.

The cheese is produced with raw cow milk. It takes 2,2 liters and 6 weeks to produce one cheese of 250 gr, which is a disk with a diameter of 10 to 11 cm (4 inch) and 3 cm (1,2 inch) thick.

Camembert is part of the soft cheeses with a bloomy rind.

Have you ever seen the French choose a Camembert?

They take off the wooden cover of the box and press the cheese with their thumbs.
Why? To choose the right ripening of the cheese. A supple cheese is the indication of a ripe creamy Camembert, with great taste.

The wine pairing?

A guideline that works quite well in general: choose your wine in the same region as the cheese. That's why the Normans drink a lot of cider (wine made with apples) with their Camembert.

No cider available? Let's then skip to the second guideline:
A creamy cheese appeals for a creamy wine: a creamy Chardonnay would do well, especially one from Burgundy, like a Pouilly-Fuissé or a Macon Villages, both available in the Barton & Guestier Passeport range.

Recommendations for cheese consumption:

• Like for the tasting of wines, the temperature of the cheese is important. Most cheeses have to be tasted at room temperature (18-20°C / 64°-67°F), they do not like excessive cold or excessive heat.
• Do not serve salad at the same time as the cheese. Often the salad sauce, especially French "vinaigrette", spoils the food and wine pairing, because its high level of acidity.
• Serve with fresh bread or crackers.