2 culturecheesemag.com DRINKS WITH CHEESE 202 3
EDITOR'S LETTER
"W
hat's your favorite cheese?" is the most common
question people ask when they find out what I
do for a living. A close second is: "What type of
wine should I drink with (insert name of special cheese)?" My
answer to the former is usually "it depends," and to the latter,
"whatever you like!"
Of all the delicious things to pair with cheese, drinks offer
the widest range of possibilities. And while conventional
wisdom might dictate serving port with a pungent blue and a
crisp viognier with a creamy bloomy rind, there is a world of
drink pairings out there beyond wine and beer.
Cheese lovers have discovered that spirits, served neat or
in a cocktail, can be excellent companions to cheese. At the
recent American Cheese Society Annual Conference, Creative
Director Mallory Scyphers and I attended a fascinating session
on pairing mocktails with cheese. As a judge at the New York
Cheesemonger Invitational in June, I tasted the oddest, yet
most memorable drink pairing—murcia al vino cheese with
cream soda. It was so bizarre yet so wonderful I kept going
back for another sip.
This special issue contains dozens of inspiring ideas for what
to sip with cheese. Wine and beer are well represented, but
you'll also find pairings for cocktails, coffee, tea, kombucha,
seltzer, cider, even newly trendy functional beverages—all
helpfully organized by season. I hope you'll keep the issue
as a resource for entertaining, or when you just want to try
something new. And always keep in mind that there really are
no rules—drink what you like!
Now, a personal note: This will be my final issue of culture.
The past three-and-a-half years have been some of the most
meaningful and enjoyable of my editorial career. I have come
to love the artisan cheese industry, and I will forever be grateful
for the myriad ways I have been embraced by this kind and
passionate community. Thank you.
Susan Sherrill Axelrod, Editor
