As great food and drink matches go, there’s nothing quite like a glass of wine and a slice of cheese.
Don’t forget claret and port, or claret and stilton with some aged cheddar. The newest trend in Christmas shopping isn’t a pairing. It is a merging.
The latest foodie obsession is boozy cheese. This includes cheddar infused with Rioja and gin-and-tonic, as well as Wensleydale infused with espresso martini. A Prosecco-infused Italian Ubriaco Cheese is a great option for fizz lovers.
Is it mad idea? Puritans: Look away! . .
UK-based wine expert Helen McGinn, gives her verdict on a selection of cheeses for embracing the supermarket trend – including Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Wensleydale with Apricot & Amaretto (pictured)
AMAZING AMAROTTO
Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Wensleydale with Apricot & Amaretto, 200g, (£2.50, sainsburys.co.uk)
You might serve dried fruits alongside cheese, so there’s logic in putting them in the cheese. But amaretto? Let’s just say I was dubious.
At first sniff, there’s a pleasing fruity smell thanks to copious apricot pieces, but no hint of amaretto.
However, take a bite and within seconds that familiar taste of boozy marzipan hits the taste-buds and I find I’m wanting an actual glass of the stuff to go with it.
This one’s creamy, sweet, fruity and boozy — if this were on my cheese board, I’d eat more than I planned to. 4/5
GIN & TONIC TREAT
The Mouse House Cheese Company Gin and Tonic Cheddar, 190g, (£4.95, mousehousecheese.co.uk)
Helen said The Mouse House Cheese Company Gin and Tonic Cheddar (pictured) is a real delight for those who love a G&T
The truckle is handmade by Erika, her daughter, and Mollie on their Lincoln farm.
You can taste the juniper berry in this gin by cutting into it. Well, yes, there’s plenty of kick from the juniper, giving it that medicinal gin flavour — but what really surprised me is you can taste the tonic, too.
There’s even a sparkle. Unconventional, but if you love a G&T this one’s a real delight. 5/5
MEDIOCRE RIIOJA
Aldi Specially Selected Caramelised Onion and Rioja Mature Cheddar, 200g, (£1.99, groceries.aldi.co.uk)
Helen said Aldi Specially Selected Caramelised Onion and Rioja Mature Cheddar (pictured) is sweet and creamy, but she struggled to find any Rioja
Aldi presents this Christmas-edition cheese in small black trucksle. I’m a big fan of aged cheddar and Rioja, so it was a great choice. It’s creamier than I expected, with a squishy texture. It could have had more bite and crumble.
Let’s get to the flavor. It was all about caramelized onions. It is sweet and creamy, and it was difficult to locate any Rioja.
Disappointing because, in theory, this should work, but I’ll stick to keeping my Rioja in a glass and cheese on a plate. 1/5
TELIQUILA HEAT
El Gringo Chilli, Lime & Tequila Cheddar 200g, (£4.75, cheshirecheesecompany.co.uk)
Helen said El Gringo Chilli, Lime & Tequila Cheddar (pictured) is worth a shot, if you like your food with some heat
You can’t miss this one with its lime green wax covering. Although the aged cheddar has flecks red and green, it tastes much more intense than you would expect.
I couldn’t taste tequila, but there’s a real hit of vibrant lime and proper heat from the chilli that carries on long after the cheese has gone.
A little bonkers maybe, but if you like your food with some heat, it’s worth a shot. 4/5
SWEET PROSECCO
The Great British Cheese Company Wensleydale with Raspberry and Prosecco, 200g, (£5, gbcheese.co.uk)
Helen said The Great British Cheese Company Wensleydale with Raspberry and Prosecco (pictured) is best for those with a sweet tooth
This red truckle, emblazoned with a union flag, looks unmistakeably British, but there’s a little bit of Italian in there too.
Having said that, the amount of prosecco used is only 0.5 per cent of the total ingredients, so it’s hardly surprising you can barely taste it.
You can smell the sweet raspberry sweetness and it’s delicious. Basically, it’s more like cheesecake with a salty tang.
This one is for people who love sweet things. 3/5
MOREISH MARTINI
Aldi Specially Selected Espresso Martini Yorkshire Wensleydale, 250g, (£2.19, groceries.aldi.co.uk)
Helen said Aldi Specially Selected Espresso Martini Yorkshire Wensleydale (pictured) is her new guilty pleasure
According to the blurb, this Wensleydale is creamy and has velvety coffee liqueur, a vodka kick and butterscotch crispy pieces. Don’t get me wrong, I love an espresso martini (obviously) and who doesn’t love Wensleydale? But maybe not. What’s the point of butterscotch in this recipe? It also looks like it’s made of a creamy pate.
This was a poor start. But on tasting it, I’m hit with a sweet, slightly coffee-tasting cheese and it’s so wrong but oh-so-right. This is my new guilty pleasure. 4/5
BEAUTIFUL BUBBLES
Ubriaco al Prosecco, 200g, (£7.50, linastores.co.uk)
Helen said Ubriaco al Prosecco (pictured) is moreish, a treat for the taste-buds and perfect with Prosecco
It might just be the promise of Prosecco, but this comes so beautifully packaged, wrapped in the shop’s trademark pistachio green and white striped wax paper, that I’m salivating before I even get to the cheese.
It’s a pasteurised cow’s milk cheese and traditionally the leftover skins of Veneto grapes were used to wet the rinds, imparting a hint of Prosecco.
I can’t say I can taste the Prosecco, but the cheese itself is a winner, mild and slightly fruity. It’s also impossibly moreish, like the drink! A treat for the taste-buds and perfect with (you’ve guessed it) Prosecco.5/5