The Pairing Zone: Fin du Monde & La Tur

by Chris Munsey

The Pairing Zone.

Advice for Lovers of Cheese for choosing the beverage that goes best with them. Enter a world a bit different than the one we normally live in. A world where Wine and Beer joyously match with cheese creating an unparalleled taste experience instead of brusquely destroying the complexities and nuances of that $20 a pound piece of cheese you just bought.

Enter the Pairing Zone.

Twice each month, Chris Munsey of Murray's Cheese, hardened veteran of beer and wine with cheese pairing will present an outstanding match between fermented curd and grain or grape. It's a hard job, but someone has to do it. Right, let's get to it shall we?

La Tur and Fin du Monde: a truly decadent dessert.

Creamy, dense and intense- what is not to like about La Tur? A cheese from the Robiola family (small round or square Italian cheeses from the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy) La Tur is made from a mixture of cow, sheep and goat milk and is a study in simple addiction (so easy to eat, yet so naughty: like eating mascarpone with a spoon). This rich creamy curd cupcake is even more delicious (if that is possible!) paired with Fin du Monde a Belgian style Trippel (strong golden colored beer) from the Canadian Brewery Unibroque. La Fin du Monde is no pushover, weighing in at 9% alcohol with a robust, frothy champagne effervescence and a deep weighty flavor reminiscent of wild honey. I actually find the beer a bit much on its own, but it truly finds its match with La Tur. The fudge-like richness of the cheese melts away with a sip of the beer, the malty sweet flavor of the beer mellows and becomes less cloying. This pairing would make a wonderful dessert. If you can wait until after dinner to try it!