LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2019

new cheese BEST

Mountainoak Farmstead 3 Year Old Mountainoak Cheese, New Hamburg, Ontario

Rassembleu Les Fromagiers de la Table Ronde, Sainte-Sophie, Québec BEST blue cheese

Winner of the Best New Cheese Award, this three-year-old Gouda erupts with savoury, umami notes of salty bone broth and rich cream. Paired with an American IPA, like Beau’s Full Time IPA ( LCBO 575365, 473 mL, $3.95), the cheese tastes as if it was coated in pine needles. The herbal notes tease the cheese’s caramel centre, while the beer’s zingy bitterness slices through the fat.

This mild blue cheese is a great entryway for folks who don’t like the funkier fromage. Les Fromagiers de la Table Ronde make their cheeses with organic milk from their own herd of cows. Caramel, mushroom and damp earth notes bloom on the palate. Domaine Jean Bousquet Cabernet Sauvignon Organic This inky purple wine ( LCBO 218875, $14.95) has a medium body and notes of dark berries, tobac- co and plum. Try it with Rassembleu and notice lusher notes of dark cherry and blueberry, while the cheese shows off its nuttier caramel side.

BEST

mixed rind cheese

Origine de Charlevoix Laiterie Charlevoix, Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec With a melting, buttery centre and a pungent, funky rind, this stinky cheese from Laiterie Charlevoix mellows with the right pairing. Nice & Dry Organic Cider Here’s an Ontario cider from the Great Canadian Cider Co. ( LCBO 549642, 473 mL, $5.85), that pours a sparkling gold. Its bright apple sauce and honey notes soften the cheese’s pungency and bring out its rich buttery centre.

Beau’s Full Time IPA This organic, family-owned brewery didn’t put out a year-round IPA until two years ago—and it was worth the wait. Dripping with resinous pine, mango and passion-fruit aromas, it packs a pleasing bitterness that builds with each sip.

84  FOOD & DRI NK SPRING 2019