6 excellent gourmet cheeses to try with serving and drink pairing suggestions

There are hundreds of kinds of gourmet cheese in the world, some of which are gourmet-good by virtue of being just the opposite: very rustic.  On the other hand, some cheeses are just plain fancy, so fancy that it's hard to imagine having them in any way other than by themselves or accompanied by a matching drink and not much more, though fruit always pairs well with cheese.  Here are six great cheeses, all of which are frequently available in Knoxville at the upscale grocery stores The Fresh Market and Earth Fare (both locations of each).

Cheeses, especially great ones, taste best when they're at least at room temperature.  Letting your cheese sit out for about 20-30 minutes before you cut it and eat it will make a tremendous difference in your experience if you store your cheese in the refrigerator (as you should).

Manchego -- this is a sheep's milk cheese from La Mancha in Spain, made exclusively from whole milk from Manchega sheep, in fact.  Once it is produced, it is aged in caves in the region that give it a particular, unique, and delicious flavor.  In the U.S., it's typically only available curado, i.e. cured or hard, but it's even better if you can get it semicurado, i.e. semi-cured.  Though it (meaning the more-available curado) is wonderful grated over scrambled eggs for a rather gourmet take on breakfast, the ideal Spanish way to enjoy this cheese is to slice it very, very thinly and to then enjoy it alongside wine or beer.  Spanish riojas, medium-bodied beers, and cava (Spanish sparkling wine, like champagne but Spanish) all pair very well with manchego, as do dried fruits, particularly apricots.  Spaniards also enjoy this cheese atop toasted bread that has been rubbed with garlic and tomato and drizzled over with good (Spanish!) olive oil.  This cheese is a real favorite!

White Stilton -- is produced by the same British folks that produce the much more famous blue Stiltons, though they leave the mold out of the cheese and frequently "season" it with bits of fruit.  It's crumbly and a little salty, like you'd expect from blue cheese, but without any of the characteristic flavor.  Instead, it's smooth and rich, almost ice-cream like, though somewhat more solid.  Paired with fruit, it can be absolutely divine.  Mango-ginger Stilton is unbelievable.  Blueberry Stilton can hardly be beat.  When you can find it, cranberry Stilton will blow your mind.  These are aboslute must-tries, despite their rather heavy price tag.  Pair it with champagne.  It's too good not to.

Cranberry-chipotle cheddar -- produced primarily by Carr Valley in Wisconsin, this cheese is fantastic on its own and unbelievable as a topping for gourmet burritos, particularly of braised beef.  Once this cheese warms up and wakes up, it's very hard to put it on anything, though, because after you sample the first little slice, you might be tempted to eat your entire $10 block of it in one sitting.  It's very good.  The cranberry adds depth to the strong (white) cheddar character, though the smoky chipotle leads and finishes the flavor profile without being daunting or overly spicy.  This cheese plays well with fruit-forward red wines and beers of the brown or black ale varieties.

Cahill's porter cheese -- produced by Cahill's in Ireland, this cheese (in the photo) is marbled through with dark brown veins of evaporated porter and stout (beer), the small curds inside the marbling being an outstanding Irish white cheddar.  The flavor of this cheese takes a little getting used to, and if it's served incorrectly, it's a bit of a let-down.  Done right, however, it is fantastic!  The best way to serve this cheese is in large, very thin slices.  It also must be allowed to come to room temperature or the bitterness of the beer residue dominates the flavor and ruins the experience.  Obviously, this cheese goes very well with a dark, heavy beer (particularly stouts), although it is interesting and good with a heavy red like a zinfindel or an assertive yet smooth cabernet savignon or merlot.  The conversation-starting power of this cheese at a party is almost unbelievable, so pick some up around the holidays if you can find it and be sure to put it out, displayed prominently.

Drunken Goat (Queso Cabra al Vino) -- is an absolutely beautiful goat's milk cheese that gets its name by the fact that once it has been cured, it is submerged and bathed in Doble Pasta red wine (made from Mourvedre grapes) for three full days.  It is subtle and smooth and a perfect starting place for folks that think they want to try goat cheese but are scared to.  It has an almost fruity character, is quite smooth in the mouth, and is very mild in terms of its "goatiness."  It's great to enjoy alone or in any recipe that calls for goat's cheese.  Being weak to the scrambled eggs, I love to shred it over them just as they finish cooking and then serve the whole thing in a spinach wrap with fresh tomatoes and onions.  You can probably guess what to drink with it: red wine, particularly mellow, fruit-forward, dry ones.

Parmigiano reggiano -- is billed "the undisputed king of cheeses" by celebrity chef Mario Batali in almost every appearance the man makes on television or in print.  It really is great, and it takes essentially every savory dish to another level when it is included.  It's also quite expensive, blowing away domestic parmesians and good parmesians from other parts of the world (like Australia).  The difference is worth it, though, once you have it.  For a gourmet little treat, you can heat a nonstick skillet or grittle over medium heat and drop heavy pinches of this stuff, once grated, in small piles.  They'll melt and start to bubble and brown, and once they've caramelized, you can flip them over and cook the other side.  Take them off after another minute, and they'll cool into crispy little rough disks that can be enjoyed like (very fattening) potato chips made entirely of extremely good cheese.  This cheese is not best enjoyed alone, though it can be taken that way in very small, thin slivers or prepared as indicated.  Instead, enjoy it smothering any pasta dish you can imagine.  It pairs with essentially every wine and champagne in the known universe, depending on the food it rests on, and plays very well with most beers.  It really is the king.

Buy it local!  As mentioned above, all of these cheeses are frequently (few gourmet cheeses are available all of the time at any market) available locally at the Knoxville area Earth Fare stores and The Fresh Market locations.  Some of them, notably the manchego (curado) and "drunken goat" are frequently available occasionally in the deli area of Kroger grocery stores in the Knoxville area.  Other great local cheeses, though not these varieties, are produced in Sweetwater, TN, just south of Knoxville are available from the Sweetwater Valley Farms cheesemakers (with a shop in Turkey Creek and products available at small groceries and food co-ops in the region).

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