"Bourdain Day" Continues: How National Wine & Cheese Day Influenced My Culinary Decisions by Kevin Lynch

The monthly Bourdain Day dining homage continued on July 25 at The Blind Monk in West Palm Beach, Fla. Coincidentally, July 25 fell on National Wine and Cheese Day, thus rendering our culinary decision obvious. 

Pairing wine with cheese is a centuries old practice. Most Old World hamlets held blacksmiths and carpenters, but also fromagers and vintners producing regional cheeses and wines. These goods were often shared communally amongst the villagers. Because of this tradition, basic wine and cheese paring today adheres to proximity. Simply, French cheese with French wine, Italian wine with Italian cheese, etc.

Photo: The Blind Monk

Our Bourdain brethren completely dismissed this practice, however, instead starting with an American pale ale from California, followed by some Central Coast California reds to pair with cheeses from Vermont, Utah and Germany. The standout was the Cambozola, a German cow’s milk cheese inspired by blending French-style cream cheese with Italian Gorgonzola. Basically, we were able to tap three regions with one cheese. 

This month we went more traditional than cultural, but we experienced the time-honored practice of cheese and wine pairing and discovered along the way.