Vacherin du Haut-Doubs.  Add/Read Comments

Admittedly the wine was pants; sharp, short and spineless - a cheap Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The high acidity was needed however to cut through the creamy, full richness of the cheese.

Over the border in Switzerland they label theirs Vacherin du Mont d'Or. In French Savoie it is Vacherin du Haut-Doubs a spruce wood-infused unpasteurised cheese with complex floral flavours and a soft, pale, creamy centre. The AOC rules dictate that it can only be made between the 15th August, when the cows return from their mountain pastures, and 31st March when I assume the shove 'em back up the slopes. Shaped in cloth-lined moulds then encircled with a strip of spruce bark the cheese is subjected to three weeks of regular brine washing. The spruce imparts a resinous flavour to the interior that becomes almost liquid as it matures. The undulating golden crust, tinged with pink, shows faint cloth markings. Before eating the cheese the top rind is removed and the paste is spooned out. Not realising this I ate the top, relishing the contrasting textures. A few juicy tomatoes with their own juicy acidity, fresh granary bread and crunchy wheat crackers - delicious. Next time though a decent wine, something more local perhaps.