First in a series of two articles on pairing cheeses with wine.

It is becoming increasingly fashionable to present a cheese course as part of a formal or informal dinner. This practice has always been common in Europe, but has been slow to take root in the U. S. and Canada, as well as other New World countries, very likely because of the perception that really fine cheeses are largely European products, the best of which can't be imported because they are made from raw milk.

But over the past several decades truly great artisanal cheeses have begun to appear in places like Wisconsin, Vermont, Oregon, and California - cheeses that take second place to none. Our tasting panel assayed three of these beauties and one Old World cheese in a formal setting, along with four contrasting wines, with a view to test the old wisdom of cheese and wine pairing and to find new combinations to recommend.

First, some general thoughts. Palates differ. What appears to be a marriage of cheese and wine to one person can be only ordinary to another. In some cases, we found unanimity; in others the tasters were all over the map. Our advice: If you can find someone whose reviews seem to coincide with your own taste, follow his advice. Otherwise, consider group opinions. In a group of tasters like our 12 member panel, there is almost always a spectrum of opinion, but very often a majority will lean towards a certain preference. There is often wisdom in numbers.

THE CHEESES

Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese (CA)

This splendid soft-ripened tomme style cheese is said to be one of America's finest goat cheese products. It is surely the most beautiful, with a snowy white mold exterior that encloses a rich, ivory colored smooth paste, surrounding a chalk white interior divided in half by a thin line of vegetable ash. The flavor is mild and earthy, becoming stronger with age.

Rouge et Noir Camembert (Old Style) (CA)

This remarkable cheese has been a local favorite of Califonians for decades. It's a very fragile cheese, sold in 8 oz. rounds. It's shipped about a month or more before optimum ripening, so must be kept for several weeks in the refrigerator. When ripe, it is soft, creamy, and unctuous. It has a peculiar rind that is quite edible. When properly ripened, it's moderately strong, rich, mushroomy, and is surely one of America's finest Camembert type cheeses.

Uplands Pleasant Ridge (WI)

This is one of America's greatest washed rind farmstead type cheeses. It's an alpine type cheese similar to France's Beaufort or Swiss Gruyere with less sharpness and more nuttiness. This was the only cheese that paired favorably with every wine-white, red, sweet.

Shropshire Blue (U.K.)

This legendary Stilton, made in one of England's finest Stilton dairies, is colored with annatto, like Cheddar, and injected with blue mold. It's unique in taste and appearance. And it's one of the world's greatest cheeses, according to Artisanal Cheeses, NY. It's strongly flavored, salty, warm and tangy.

THE WINES

Sauvignon Blanc, Jackson Estate, New Zealand; 13% alc., $16

Fleurie, Duboeuf, Chateau de Bachelards; 13% alc., $14

Zinfandel, Ridge, Pagani Ranch; 14% alc., $32

Oloroso Sherry, Dios Baco; 18% alc., $19

HOW WE RATED THE CHEESES

We used Max McCalman's (Artisanal Cheese) scoring method. Each cheese was tasted alone with each of the four wines and rated according to the following scale:

+2 A marriage made in heaven! The pairing of the cheese and wine offers a new profile that is pleasant. The cheese and wine seem to be better together than separate. Neither overpowers the other.

+1 Either the wine or the cheese is elevated, with no harm done to the other partner. Possibly both are elevated somewhat. It is unlikely that an altogether new and pleasing profile is exhibited, but there are no clashes. Might be worth repeating.

0 Nothing lost and nothing gained. It's O.K. A combination you might try again, but is easy to forget. The cheese and wine seem to go their separate ways like two dancers dancing to the same tune, but not with each other.

-1 Something went wrong. Either the cheese or the wine, or the combination of the two suffers. One of the two comes out on top. They just don't work together well.

-2 Disaster. The wine and cheese go to battle and both lose. A metallic clash might come from this pairing. A waste of what may have been a perfectly good cheese and a perfectly good wine. Divorce is the best solution.

See the results of our cheese and wine pairing in the following article. You might find some surprising results.