Mark's December
Cheese, Wine, and Beer Pairings:

Allgäuer Bergkäse with
Alsatian Pinot Blanc Wine

Appenzeller Cheese with
Bock Beer

Alpine Cheese Fondue

Cheese Expert
Mark Todd

Cheeses of the Alps

The Cheese
Allgäuer Bergkäse is the first PDO (Protected Domain of Origin) cheese from Germany to be imported into the United States. Translated as the “mountain cheese from Allgäu”, it has been made the traditional way for centuries, and is still made by hand in copper vats, one wheel at a time.

The 60-pound wheels are washed in a specific whey and brine solution (with herbs and flavorings that the makers won’t divulge!) to produce a cheese that is a cross between Emmental, Gruyere and Appenzeller. It has medium-sized holes or “eyes” distributed throughout the body of the cheese similar to, but smaller than, those in Emmental. Before being shipped to market the wheels are scraped by hand to reduce some of the intensity of the rind. Aging time is controlled on both ends; a minimum of 180 days and a maximum of 13 months.

Made exclusively from whole, raw cow’s milk produced in high mountain pastures, Allgäuer Bergkäse is quite literally the best cheese I have ever had in a fondue. It has the nuttiness of Emmental and the intensity and fruitiness of an Appenzeller or aged Gruyere. Since it was only introduced to the U.S. in September this year, it is hard to find, but for fans of full flavored Swiss-style cheeses, this one is worth seeking out. Stay tuned for the best and easiest fondue recipe you have ever used!

The Wine
Pinot Blanc is a relatively unknown grape in America, and is often confused with Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. It is genetically related to the latter, but somewhat similar in flavor to the former. This grape is planted sporadically in California and Australia, and some of the wines produced in these regions are quite wonderful. However, those thought to be Pinot Blanc in California turned out to be Melon de Bourgogne, and in Australia the vines were often mistaken for Chardonnay.

 The Alto Adige region of Northern Italy produces excellent examples of Pinot Blanc. These tend to be balanced more toward the sweeter, fruity end of the spectrum, as opposed to the wines of Alsace where, in my opinion, Pinot Blanc reaches its peak. Here they produce bone-dry wines with aromas of apples, pears, persimmons and woody spices. These medium-bodied wines have bright acidity and pair well with cheeses (and food in general). The best of them can age several years, becoming quite honeyed and rich.

While I am an avid member of the ABC Club (Anything But Chardonnay), Pinot Blanc is a delightful wine that is never over-oaked and malolacticly fermented to the point of “butter and splinters,” as is typical of California Chardonnay.  This wine retains a distinct freshness that draws me to it time and again.

The Extras
This pair is versatile, but shows best with an artisan seeded whole wheat bread, fresh persimmons (if you are lucky enough to have them available), Asian pears, Macintosh apples, globe grapes and almonds (roasted and salted). Alternatives include wheat or butter crackers, seedless grapes, Fuji apples, and cashews.

Why it Works
Alsace makes the most distinctive white wines in the world, both from terroir and stylistically. The absolute dryness in the Pinot Blanc of Alsace is balanced by the richness of the Allgäuer Bergkäse, while the fruitiness of both merge and mingle on your palate. With the accompaniments listed above, this pairing offers a satisfying and fairly nutritious meal in itself!

The Cheese
Appenzeller, or Appenzell, is a washed rind cheese produced in the eastern Swiss canton of the same name, bordering Austria and Germany. It is produced in wheels of approximately 15 pounds and is aged about 3 months. Like most premium alpine cheeses, it is made from raw milk, in this case, whole milk.

The wash used for this cheese was once a closely guarded secret, but is now known to contain white wine (or hard cider), herbs, black pepper and brine. This wash creates the characteristically full, fruity aromas and flavors for which this cheese is so famous. As with all cheeses, and washed rind cheeses in particular, the flavors and aromas evolve as the cheese ages.

Appenzeller is best when consumed young or medium aged. While there is no such thing in the market as Appenzeller that is too young, there are plenty of examples of Appenzeller that is too old! The rind should be light brown and not cracked (too dry) or slimy (too wet), and the body of the cheese should be creamy ivory, never grayish or brownish. When in good shape, this cheese is delightful as a table cheese or in any dish calling for good melting properties. It is a great addition to traditional fondue.

The Beer
Bock is a beer with a long and somewhat twisted history. There is no doubt that the original Bock beers were developed in the northern German town of Einbeck, a member of the Hanseatic League. The popularity of this rich, malty beer (originally called Einbeck or Ainbock) quickly spread throughout Northern Europe from Russia to the Netherlands and beyond to France and the entire Holy Roman Empire. The Bavarians were not yet the paramount brewers they are today, and this new beer sensation cut into not only their profits, but their pride. They tried many ways to copy the new style, but ultimately had to kidnap the chief brewer from Einbeck in 1612 in order to discover his secrets.

The word Munich translates to “place of the monks,” and much great beer was born in the monasteries of that city. During the fasting periods of Lent and Advent, the monks where prohibited from eating solid foods. They developed extremely malty, filling beers to help them get through the fasts. When the first of these powerhouse beers was released to the public in the late 1700’s it was dubbed Doppelbock (double bock). While it is not truly twice as powerful as the traditional bock, it is certainly more intense. Doppelbock has the most intense, malty flavor of any beer, containing just enough hops to keep it from becoming cloyingly sweet. Look for the original Doppelbock, Paulaner Salvator, or Späten Optimator from Germany, or Gordon Biersch Winterbock from the U.S. “Bock” is German for “goat” and you will often see a goat on the label of imported bock and Doppelbock beers.

The Extras
As with most beer and cheese pairs, these two work wonderfully with pickled veggies. I like to use cornichons and rotkohl (red cabbage) with sourdough rye, speck (a German dry-cured ham similar to prosciutto) and whole grain mustard.