Nothing is more a matter of individual taste than, well, individual tastes. Pairing wine and cheese is one of the best examples. There certainly are guidelines that reflect a large consensus about which wine goes well with which cheese. Even individuals can have similar tastes. But there’s plenty of room in pairing for the most rabid iconoclast, too.

Start your afternoon with a fine Bel Paese from the Lombardy region in Italy. This creamy, semi-soft cheese is a perfect partner to a fine Chardonnay. The milky aroma will blend nicely with the delicate buttery flavor of that fine white.

Prefer something from farther north? Why not slice off a big wedge of Wensleydale and set it side by side along your tongue with a great Gewürztraminer. This pale yellow delicacy from Wales can be traced back to Cistercian monks in the 11th century. It’s an excellent complement to that delicious dry white from Alsace.

Go wild and try a Zamarono, made from unpasteurized Churra sheep’s milk from Spain. The nutty flavor combines well with the fermented juice from those Tempranillo grapes. You’ll be stomping your heels and clapping your hands in no time.

Had enough of that hot sun? Head to Sweden and try a Graddost. Soft and mild with a hint of tangy bite, just like the inhabitants of that Scandinavian land, it will go nicely with a delicate Chenin Blanc. The wine hails from France’s Loire Valley and the pairing makes for a most diplomatic meeting of two great nations.

Head a little south and have a Havarti. This traditional Danish cheese is semi-soft, but the taste is as robust as the people. It makes a fine companion to a Bordeaux and the joining of those traditions of France and Denmark was never more apropos.

Head south again and go for a Gouda. The Dutch have long been among the world’s best, and often least recognized, major cheese makers. Pairing a sample with a dry German Riesling will convince even the most hide bound skeptic that these two make the best of friends.

Celebrate your international neutrality by trying an Emmentaler. Mature (aged at least four months), but not wizened, this mild ivory cheese is great for a crackers and cheese dish, not just cooking. Pairing it with a fine Beaujolais from Burgundy will enhance your diplomatic reputation, and make you forget about all the troubles in the world.

Be bold and try a Cheshire, invented in England in the 12th century. Semi-hard, it will have you softening your stance on a variety of issues. Whether red or white, you’ll find these lighter than cheddar. Combine it with a lovely glass of Champagne and you will have a delectable dining experience to write home about.

Finish off your world tour with a Cambozola. Creamy and flecked with blue, it’s better than Brie for a sunny afternoon. Paired with a grassy Sauvignon Blanc, you won’t even need the pasta to consider yourself in a connoisseur’s field of dreams.

Be adventurous! See the world.

Cheese is one of the healthiest foods we can consume, in moderation. A single ounce provides over 200mg of calcium, about 20% of the daily recommended minimum. Natural cheese, which contains casein, can provide the full complement of essential amino acids. But most cheese does, in fact, contain a relatively high percentage of fat - and saturated fat at that.

Saturated fats are contributors to a high level of ‘bad’ cholesterol and they provide 9 calories per gram. As a result, it’s possible to get a lot of calories in a small quantity, and too much of the cholesterol forming compounds at the same time.

Reducing consumption is difficult for some. Cheese is not only a very enticing food, but it’s a common ingredient in a wide range of recipes - fondue, Welsh Rarebit, pizza, some soups, as a topping on salads… the list goes on and on.

Vegetarians often find it easy to eliminate a lot of animal-based products from their diets, then find that cheese is everywhere. Going to a restaurant and finding something on the menu becomes a real challenge.

Low-fat cheeses can help solve these dilemmas.

Since cheese is made from milk, it’s possible to use different sorts to produce it. Though nature isn’t so accommodating as to produce a low-fat milk, we can thank the ingenuity of chemists for finding a safe way to produce them. Though natural milk does vary in fat quantity. Milks that are 2% less in fat percentage are considered low-fat. Skim milk contains 1% or less. This can make cheesemaking more difficult, but the products are still outstanding.

One way to cut down on total fat from cheese is to divide and conquer. Chunks served after the main meal can be made of regular milk cheese, but use low-fat cheese in the main dish itself. One potentially tricky aspect, though, is the different way the two melt.

Most low-fat cheeses don’t melt as smoothly as regular cheese. The lack of saturated fat molecules makes the result lumpy or stringy. Increasing the heat or lengthening the melting time often results in burning.

In some cases, there are techniques to overcome this limitation. In casseroles, for example, layering the cheese between the strips of pasta can help. The pasta supports the low-fat cheese, which then doesn’t need to melt quite as smoothly. Another tip is useful for those cases where the cheese is added on top. Add the cheese later in the cooking cycle than you otherwise would. It will warm, but not melt entirely.

Alternating use of low-fat with regular cheese in this way can help reduce the total quantity of saturated fat consumed. Depending on your diet, that may be enough. Be prepared to sacrifice a little bit of taste, though. Making a low-fat cheese that tastes as good as the regular sort is still proving a challenge.

 

Americans are catching on to one of the best of Europe’s traditions: serving a cheese course after a meal. Providing a variety of tasty cheeses tops off a great roast beef or halibut, or nearly any main course.

Add to its enjoyment by making a visually appealing display, and labeling the choices. Or, provide some mystery and take the opportunity to let your guests try some and ask you about each one in turn. Show off your cheese education! Either way, be sure to offer a few different samples to satisfy every palette.

Be sure to serve at room temperature, to bring out all the flavor of a fine cheese. For milder cheeses, that will require taking it out of the refrigerator about half an hour ahead. For harder cheeses it may take up to an hour.

Don’t put them out too early, though. Cheeses can dry rapidly, and everyone may just want to skip the main course and head straight for the cheese! Leave the cheese wrapped or on a glass serving plate covered by a glass jar while it warms. Seeing the cheese is a great appetite enhancer.

You can provide a slab or wheel or tub of softer cheeses that spread delightfully on a fine cracker or small piece of bread. For harder cheeses, they should be sliced for putting onto bread, or cut into small chunks for individual sampling. Array a set of cheese knives to make things easy for your guests and to keep fingers from straying onto uneaten pieces. Be sure to have some cheese stickers in the center or nearby to make individual selection easy.

You can present the cheese on a nice wooden serving platter, surrounded by small slices of bread or little crackers. Or, you can array them in geometric patterns on the glass serving plate. You’ll want a flat, sturdy surface whether marble, wood or glass as your design dictates. Knives should be sharp, but needn’t be razor sharp. It’s cheese, not tomatoes.

Separating the cheeses may be helpful for certain types. Cheese absorbs odors readily and you don’t want a Limburger or even an extra sharp cheddar to overpower the more subtle ones. Laying them out on a large marble slab will do the trick, or you can arrange them in a wooden holding dish with separate compartments. But you’ll still need to keep those extra aromatic ones a couple of feet away.

A separate knife for each type of cheese is best. That keeps each cheese isolated. If guests want to mix and match, their own palettes are the best place to do that. Not a bad idea, actually! Some cheeses work very well as partners.

A two ounce serving per person is about right. It’s not a question of being stingy. Your guests are worth your best. But cheese can be high in fat and sodium and moderation is best. Besides, you still have that great dessert waiting!

Taste is unquestionably an individual affair. Some will rave over the flavor of a Limburger, while others won’t touch Brie. But no matter your preference in type of cheese, there are certain factors that always should be taken into account.

First, prepare your senses to make a good judgment. Before smelling or sampling a cheese, try to optimize conditions. Make sure your tongue and nose are ready. How? Avoid smoking for at least an hour before testing. Be a little hungry, but not excessively. Avoid heavy meals before choosing a cheese. Of course, your nose and tongue should be at peak capacity, so avoid making judgments when you’re ill.

Second, avoid distractions. No, not the sort caused by noisy traffic, cell phone calls or children running through the store. More subtle ones. Don’t use hair spray or strong cologne shortly before picking out a cheese. Avoid other odors such as those from onions, chili or other foods with pungent aromas.

Third, isolate the cheese. Don’t try to smell or taste an extra sharp cheddar right next to an Emmentaler. Cheeses absorb odors from anything nearby. A fine cheese shop will help you by keeping strong cheeses separate and well wrapped. Shop accordingly.

Fourth, don’t judge all cheeses by the exact same criteria. Certain basic factors should be common. But each cheese type has a distinctive flavor profile, texture and consistency and so on. A semi-soft Muenster won’t behave the same as a semi-hard Feta.

In fact, use the individual characteristics as criteria. Each cheese should follow its own standards. A Brie that has become crumbly, quite unlike its gooey nature when young, is signaling deviation from perfection. A Parmesan that is soft has been altered by external conditions, and generally in a way not to its advantage.

As for general criteria, some are obvious.

Every cheese considered should be fresh, in the ordinary sense. ‘Fresh’ cheese is a category and is one that is aged for a short time and intended to be eaten shortly afterwards. Ricotta is a good example. But even a 12 month old cheddar should not have hard spots or certain molds. In that sense, even a year-old cheese should be fresh.

Some mold, for example in blue-veined cheeses such as a Stilton or Gorgonzola, is deliberately introduced. That’s what gives those cheeses their particular identity. In such cases, the veining is the result of the introduction of a certain species of penicillum spore. But others represent simple spoilage.

Other type-specific qualities apply. A Brie should be moist, while you should expect an Italian Grana to be brittle and hard. If the characteristics have been reversed, you know something has affected the cheese in a negative way.

Let your nose and tongue be your guide. After all, the most important criteria of all in judging a cheese is whether you enjoy it!