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Camembert with a nouveau wine |
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Friday, 16 November 2007 |
Softer cheeses, even smelly ones, go very
well with young, inexpensive, fruity red
wines. One of the best known French cheeses
in this category is without doubt Camembert,
and it fits the bill here very well indeed. Like
the ‘nouveau’ wines, Camembert does not
often enjoy a good press (literally speaking)
nowadays. Its name can be seen on labels
wherever cheese is made, and there are even
goat’s and ewe’s milk versions.
True Camembert comes only from
Normandy. Even then there are two versions –
AOC and non-AOC.
Camembert de
Normandie AOC is made from the
unpasteurised milk of Normandy cattle reared
in a large area – three million hectares over
five départements. Although regulations go
back to 1909, it is the AOC decree of 1983 (as
amended) that governs Camembert AOC
production today.
left: non-AOC,
right: Camembert de Normandie AOC
In contrast, the non-AOC version is a
processed cheese, produced industrially from
pasteurised milk but essentially within the
confines of Normandy. Check the label for the
origin and classification.
In terms of smell and taste, the AOC
version is pungent, ivory coloured, soft in
texture with mushroom and vegetal flavours,
and a good length of finish. The industrial
version is far more neutral both in smell and
taste with a fairly short finish.
The price difference is often not more than
a euro as there are many ‘own label’ brands for
both categories. Only those fortunate enough
to live or visit the small producers in
Normandy can learn and taste the finer points
of this most famous of all French cheeses.
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Downtime 
