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Have you been impressed to see the cheese carts whiz by in five star restaurants? As a non-cheese eater for too many years, I just enjoyed the experience of guests choosing cheese and the commanding manner of the Frommagier (cheese sommelier) who explained the various cheees.

Now I'm exploring wine and cheese and am taking many classes in the subject. If you'd like to learn how to taste cheese, here are some tips from the web site Great American Cheese:

When tasting cheeses, consider these guidelines:

1. Let the cheese warm to room temperature so that its aromas and flavors are at their maximum levels.
2. Taste milder cheeses first and progress to the stronger flavored ones, leaving blue cheeses till near the end and tasting "stinky" cheeses last.
3. Taste each cheese at its center first and then work your way to the outside where the cheese is most aged and stronger in flavor.
4. Taste the rind/skin last.
5. Taste starting from the tip of your tongue working towards the back of your mouth. This takes advantage of all of the taste receptors in your mouth and brings the cheese in contact with of all of the sense areas: sweet, salty, acidic, bitter, etc.
6. Take note of these characteristics when you taste:
   1. texture — smooth, grainy, crunchy, etc.
   2. density/weight — how compact the cheese feels in your mouth.
   3. intensity — how flavorful is the cheese.
   4. acidity — tartness, lemony.
   5. duration/finish — how long each of the characteristics last.
   6. fruit — fresh dairy tones, sweetness.
   7. saltiness.
   8. flavors — earthy, nutty, roasty, toasted, musty, mushroomy, meaty , etc.
7. Aroma - don't be shy about smelling the cheese just as you would wine.

So now I'm tasting Vento d'Estate washed in white wine (bought at Whole Foods, $26.95 a pound) and happen to have a bottle of Don David Torrontes (Michael Torino Estates, Argentina) open. This is a cow's milk cheese fairly mild in body that pairs fairly well with the Torrontes, as the wine's bright fruit and high acidity contrast with the slightly salty cheese. Since the cheese's body is fairly light, I'd caution against a very complex red wine or anything but the very driest of rose wines.

If you enjoy cheese with wine, I'd love to hear your pairing techniques.

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