Northland Cultural Food Academy Event - Cheese and Wine

To celebrate the great fresh food offerings at Northland Shopping Centre, Gastrology recently attended the Cultural Food Academy showcasing cheese and wine. The masterclass workshop event featured expert cheese monger Laura Lown from Milk the Cow who paired three absolutely decadent cheese dishes with fine wine from De Bertoli Wines. 

First up, we were treated to a Wine and Cheese Flight where four cheeses were perfectly matched with different varieties of wine from De Bertoli. One of our favourite pairings was the Brillat Savarin cheese from France with De Bertoli KV Prosecco. 

This pairing was a match made in heaven as the acidity from the wine neatly cut through the fattiness of the triple cream cheese on offer. 

Our other preferred pairing was the De Bertoli rosé with Beaufort d'Alpage cheese. The versatile rosé from the Yarra Valley had lovely floral notes which matched well with the French hard cheese. Beaufort d'Alpage is one of the most expensive cheeses in the world as it takes an enormous amount of milk to make a single wheel - 55 cows in fact!

There are also 83 flavour characteristics  in this cheese which added to the complexity to this pairing with the wine. The final wine that we tasted for the night was the  Villages Heathcote Shiraz Grenache. The fresh and vibrant red wine was full of berry notes which balanced magnificently with Reypenaer Gouda Cheese from the Netherlands. 

To finish off the evening, Laura demonstrated how to cook a decadent Grudlegend Cheese Fondue and a Flaming Saganaki. The cheese fondue is one of the most popular dishes at Milk the Cow, and now we know why! The dish is one for all cheese lovers and to top it off, truffle honey was drizzled on top to add that little bit of sweetness.

The flaming Saganaki was doused with Grand Marnier, then light on fire and extinguished with a squeeze of lemon juice which brought the dish to a whole other level! The citrus punch of the lemon countered the lovely sweetness of the Grand marnier and the saltiness of the Haloumi making it the a well balanced dish. 

The Cultural Food Academy at Northland provides foodies with a great opportunity to learn about the diverse culinary scene in Melbourne and indulge in some of the city's best food. 

Written by Helena Lea.