Epoisses and Burgundy

Why is it that when pairing french cheese, in this case epoisses, with wine that there seems to be a light sweetness to the palate. Does it have something to do with the acidity of the wine and the lactose in the cheese?

Try epoisses with an old vintage port or 30 year tawny. It may be my favorite dessert.

Can’t answer the real question…the biochemistry.

But, as a “veteran” of lots and lots of epoisses (some smuggled in, when the only versions were raw milk and could not be sold in the US), epoisses, per se, can take on many characteristics, depending on its age and , I suppose, the extent it is dipped into the marc.

Marc de Bourgogne…can really interfere with matches, IMO, as the epoisses ages and gets funkier and funkier. When it is relatively new and mild, what you’ve described is often the case. (And, frankly, when I can, I buy versions of the same producers’ that are dipped in Chablis or aligote, rather than marc, as they don’t get as funky as fast.

But…assuming that you are talking about the combo of the cheese and the wine creating the “light sweetness”…I’d have to speculate that some role has to be assigned to the milk fat…and the particular cows they use (and they are designated by AOC law) and the season…

I guess what I’m saying is, to the degree I understand your thoughts, is the epoisses can vary in so many ways…it’s difficult to figure out what might cause this effect. (And, in recent years, I prefer epoisses and its relatives, of which there are many sold now in the US thanks to the “thermalized” ie, flash pasteurized processing…with white wine…sacre bleu!)

Epoisses is probably my favorite cheese…and I’d say that my consumption of that cheese probably accounts for 10% of my wine consumption in the past 3 years. I’ve found that this cheese does a great job of bringing out the fruit in older wines…and that’s why I’ve loved it so much. It seems to really do a great job of finding the fruit in wines when otherwise it’s well hidden. I don’t know the science behind it…but I do know whenever I’ve had a wine that I was having difficulty finding the fruit…after I added Epoisses the fruit was front-and-center.

Any reliable source for decent Epoisses in the US?

All the Epoisses in the US is made with thermalized (pasteurized) milk…so…legally the raw milk version is not around.

By far the best quality (i.e, freshness), and price is at Zabar’s in Manhattan. And, variety, too.
The companies that make Epoisses often make sister/brother cheeses that are the same cheese in a different shape and dunked into something that might not be marc de bourgogne such as aligote, chablis or other wine. Because they don’t have “Epoisses” on the label, they are often about half the price of Epoisses.

Some of the names are “Affine au Chablis” , Eclat de Nuits, Soumantrain, and L’Amis du Chambertin…among others that Zabar’s carries. The companies are Gaugry, Berthaut and Germain and there are others, too. Look for the sibling cheeses if you like less smelly cheese. The famous stink from Epoisses is largely from the marc as it dries and festers on the cheese. I prefer the siblings, as a result, in addition to the cost savings.