Winemakers in the Finger Lakes excel in producing one of the most versatile white wine varietals for cheese

Ask any sommelier what he or she wishes people would drink more of, and nine out of ten will answer Riesling. Rieslings are the epitome of versatility, simultaneously delicate and powerful, muscular and graceful, the modern dancers of the wine world. So when it comes to cheese—with its delicate, milky nuances yet formidable fat—Riesling is a no-brainer.

Finger Lakes Fare

The best way to explore Finger Lakes wines and cheeses is to go there, since many of them don’t make it much past local stores. Until you can get there, here are some of the best of the more widely available wines and cheeses to search out.

Local Wines
(from dry to sweet)

Fox Run 2008 Finger Lakes Riesling ($14)

The husband and wife team behind MouCo Cheese Company in Fort Collins, Colorado, are uniquely positioned to speak about just how far the artisan cheese and beer movements have come. You see, Robert Poland and Birgit Halbreiter both worked for New Belgium Brewing Company, a Fort Collins–based craft brewery, before building their revered cheesery, which today turns out award-winning cheeses. Love of both beer and cheese is common; careers in both beer and cheese are not.

Pairing Possibilities

MouCo founders Robert Poland and Birgit Halbreiter offer a few suggestions for pairing their cheeses with craft beer:


New Belgium Ooh La La + Truffello

A story about meat, not marriage, and the passion of American salumi makers

The national appetite for handcrafted, small-batch food and drink has been growing for more than three decades, thanks in part to the revival of heritage foods. Now domestic charcuterie—which includes luxury cold cuts, sausage, bacon, terrines, and pâtés—is the new savory star.

Pioneer salumieres Herb and Kathy Eckhouse, who founded La Quercia in Norwalk, Iowa, in 2001, are part of the renaissance. An impressive roster of high-profile chefs use their silky-textured prosciutto and speck instead of European brands. Herb likens the demand to trends in the cheese world.

Bolzano pancetta

La Quercia pancetta americana

Coming Soon!

Culture's editor, Elaine Khosrova, visits amateur home cheesemaker Janet Elsbach for a peek at goat mozzarella making. Catch the surprise ending.

Culture's editor, Elaine Khosrova, visits amateur home cheesemaker Janet Elsbach for a peek at goat mozzarella making. Catch the surprise ending.

Coming Soon!

Learn to make fresh pasta with the help of Culture's talented intern, Austin Banach, a former chef turned cheesemonger with a special knack for pasta. Follow recipe here.

Hawaii Island Goat Dairy is owned and operated by Dick and Heather Threlfall, in Ahualoa, Hawaii. This beautiful goat farm and its charismatic herd, was featured in our summer 2011 issue. Shown here are more photos of the farm, the goats, and the cheesemaking process.

See page 80 in our summer issue for the full story.

Photography by James Rubio

What sets Montréal apart from other Canadian cities is not just dazzling skill in the kitchen. Most of all, this French-speaking city shines gastronomically because it is blessed with provenance. It is surrounded by rich agricultural lands and heritage, a supportive Québec government, and ingredients that encourage artisan food producers to blossom.

Nowhere is this more evident than in local cheesemaking, which began in earnest when Trappist monks first produced world-famous Oka in the region in 1893. Today, there are about 100 artisan and farmstead cheesemakers in Québec—more than in the rest of Canada’s provinces combined. The acclaimed quality and remarkable diversity of les fromages d’ici, “local cheeses,” are best tasted out in the countryside, where the cheeses originate, and in Montréal, among dedicated retailers and chefs. Here are some places to start your cheese-happy tour of Montréal: