Very much enjoyed the cheese post Kent, and I think I may be able to shed some light as to why we have not developed fine cheese production in the U.S.A. I consider myself a cheese lover as well, although having been exposed to the limited US varieties, I would agree that you can’t go wrong with a good pepper jack, and my family’s favorite European cheese is Gruyere, which is simply referred to as ‘stinky cheese’ in our household.

This leads me to the core reason Americans are not fanatical about great cheeses. While the words you used in your blog were spot on in their description of fine cheese, they would not be words typically found in describing yummy foods in America. (i.e. mold, sandy, gout.)

I’ll begin with the Brebis – made from sheep and has a natural rind. Would that be natural, as in formed during the aging process, or natural as in wrapped in some other edible part of the sheep – similar to the ‘natural rind’ of haggis? Cantal – so old it crystallizes into a sandy or grainy texture. Ever tried to make a sandwich at the beach, being ever so careful to keep all the ingredients on the clean paper plate propped on top of the ice chest, only to have some happy child run by and kick sand all over your food? That tooth grinding texture is something we generally try to avoid. Other misunderstood cheese terminology: un petit gout (well anything that’s going to give me a little inflammation of the joints should be avoided.) Tangy (if I bite into a food which tastes tangy, and that tanginess is a result of the aging process, I know to spit before swallowing and immediately dispose of the fermented item.) Moldy (anything which has a hint of nap on it should be tossed before the nap spreads further.) Liquefy (If you open a container of food which started out firm, but which is now watery, it will probably make you sick.) Aromatic (get real…what you really mean is ‘stinky’.) But since our favorite cheese IS ‘stinky cheese’ perhaps I need to stop emptying my refrigerator of cheeses which have developed the above characteristics, and start sampling them with an appropriate bacteria killing wine.

When you return from your adventures, give Rob Schwartz a call. He is also a huge cheese lover and recently found a great cheese shop in DC, where you may be able to acquire some of the fine French cheeses you describe. Of course he returned from said shop with a bag the size of a lunch sack, only half full of $90 worth of cheese.

As stated, many entrepreneurs have jumped into the wine business in Virginia. Perhaps you and Heather will produce the US’s first wildly successful fine cheese. We certainly have cows and sheep in here in the valley. You could lease some and let them graze on the upper slopes at Bryce. The only North American Four Season Resort Cheese Producer with a Christian label!