Cider and cheese are a natural pairing. The creamy, earthy and savory flavors of cheese play well with the different flavor profiles of cider. We recently sampled our cider along with a few different cheeses from fellow Good Food Award finalists Grey Barn & Farm located in Martha’s Vineyard, MA and Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company located in Point Reyes Station, CA. Check out the pairings we put together below.
This certified organic, washed rind cheese from Grey Barn & Farm was named one of the finalists for the Good Food Awards 2020 and won a silver medal in the category of soft cheese at the 32nd Annual World Cheese Awards in Bergamo, Italy.
Description: “The delicate yet pungent paste of this washed-rind cheese has a beautiful, thick, soft yielding texture. Toasty and nutty with hints of tropical fruit and sour cream: when ripe this cheese has a slightly salty and savory flavor. Its delectable texture melts on your tongue.”
Pairing: We found the balanced tart and sweetness of Mass Appeal paired well with the slightly salty and savory flavor of Prufrock. If serving with a sliced warm baguette and bit of chinky apricot or spicy mango jam on top, as Grey Barn & Farm recommends, we found it also pairs well with Legendary Dry.
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Certified Organic pasteurized cow’s milk cheese from Grey Barn & Farm.
Description: “A bright and grassy bloomy rind cheese with hints of apple and celery that give way to deep mushroom and toasted pie crust.”
Pairing: Grey Barn & Farm recommends pairing with a cold, crisp cider or a dry Champagne: one without excessive sweetness. We found this paired well with the champagne-like character of Legendary Dry.
Certified organic raw cow’s milk blue cheese from Grey Barn & Farm.
Description: “A mature Bluebird is pleasantly salty with hints of butter. At times it boasts strong yeast notes like a good sourdough. Bluebird’s texture is yielding and soft. Not completely crumbly, it does boast tiny crystals that delight the senses.”
Pairing: We found the pleasantly salty flavor and richness of Bluebird paired well with the caramel-like acidity, tannic back- bone and funky tartness Kingston Black.
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Among a whole host of other awards, this all natural, pasteurized, semi-hard table cheese by Point Reyes Farmstead was also named one of the finalists for the Good Food Awards 2020.
Description: “Semi-hard cheese, creamy in texture with a waxed rind. Creamy, buttery flavor. Grassy tang finish.”
Pairing: We found that the creamy, buttery flavor of Toma paired well with both Mass Appeal and Legendary Dry.
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The Point Reyes Farmstead “cheese that started it all.” This “California classic style blue cheese is rindless, all-natural and gluten-free.”
Description: “Milky white in color with blue-green veins throughout. Ultra-creamy texture with medium-strong blue mold flavor. Sweet, fresh milk with a medium-to-strong punch of blue flavor.”
Pairing: We found the fruit forward flavors of Mass Appeal paired well with the peppery finish of Original Blue. It also paired nicely with the bright acidity of Legendary Dry.
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A rustic-style blue cheese with a natural rind from Point Reyes Farmstead.
Description: It is known for its mellow flavor and sweet, salted caramel finish. It has mild blue mold pungency and is earthy with notes of malty toasted grain.
Pairing: We found the mellow flavor and sweet, salted caramel finish paired best with Kingston Black.
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