Catching a Rainbow

Époisses de Bourgogne is a cheese made in the village of Époisses, which can be found in the département of Côte-d’Or; between Dijon and Auxerre.

As the sixteenth century dawned, Époisses was home to a community of Cistercian monks who resided at L'Abbaye de Citeaux.
It was the monks who developed and perfected the recipe for this wonderfully aromatic, some say pungent cheese.

Two hundred years later the monks were gone, but the tradition of cheese making remained in the community and continues to this day.
Époisses- a famous cheese, so beloved by Napoleon and crowned by the celebrated Brillat-Savarin as the ‘King of Cheese,’ although now popular, disappeared from French cheese boards between 1914 and 1950 production halted during the two world wars.

The milk used in the production comes from three local varieties of cow the Brune, Simmental Française and the Montbéliarde. The pâte is lightly pressed and is ripened for eight weeks in humid caves in the Burgundian countryside. Regularly hand washed with water enriched with Marc de Bourgogne the cheese gradually develops its characteristic appearance and heady spicy aroma. Although available all year round the best cheese is made from summer milk becoming available in the early autumn- or right now!

A small handful of resolute producers lead by the Berthaut family decided to re-launch the cheese in 1954 making it in the same way it had been made for centuries.
A good Époisses has a soft rind, smooth and brilliant- pale orange with a light coloured pâte, rich and supple. It has a 50% fat content and has a flat cylindrical shape. It is made in two sizes 250g-350g and 700g – 1100g.

As the cheese matures it develops different characteristics and can be eaten at different times through the maturing process.
At thirty days old the cheese is firm with a grainy pâte and a distinct yeasty tang. As the cheese ages the rind softens becomes darker and stickier and a pungent spicy aroma develops.

The cheese needs a big white burgundy to complement it, however some prefer a Sauterne. Locally the cheese is often served with a glass of Marc de Bourgogne a spirit distilled from fermented grape skins, which have been used to make wine.

Époisses has been classified as AOC since 1991.
There are now three dairy producers of Époisses and one farm producer who have united to for the syndicate for the defence of Époisses.

Buy a wine to go with Époisses

Sauterne.
Red Burgundy.
Marc de Bourgogne.


References
http://www.fromage-Époisses .com/uk/Époisses /historique/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89poisses_cheese
http://www.fromagerie-berthaut.com/htmlfr/p02_2a.htm

http://www.trenel.com/liqueurs/en_tres_vieux_marc.html
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9B03E7DA153BF93AA2575AC0A9679C8B63

Special thanks to
EN ROUTE: FRANCE; A Fine Roughness: On the Trail of a Spirit Called Marc
By R. W. APPLE JR.
Published: September 19, 2001 ©