388: What Are the Insider Tips to Discovering and Buying the Best Cheese of Your Life? with Michael Finnerty

Why does buying from a good cheese shop often beat picking up a wedge from the supermarket? How do people underestimate the physical labor and other demands of being a cheesemonger? How does using a cheese iron reveal where a wheel of cheese is in its life? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Michael Finnerty, author of the terrific new book The Cheese Cure: How Comté and Camembert Fed My Soul. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of Michael Finnerty's new book, The Cheese Cure: How Comté and Camembert Fed My Soul. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!   Highlights Why do so many people underestimate the physical labor and other demands behind life as a cheesemonger? How does using a cheese iron reveal where a wheel is in its life? Why can two wheels of the same Comté taste noticeably different? How do grading systems help protect cheese quality? Why do locally made cheeses sometimes outperform famous imported cheeses? What are the advantages of visiting a cheese shop over supermarkets and bulk retailers? How do cheesemongers tell the difference between a cheese that is flawed and one that is stronger than their taste preferences? What causes washed rind cheeses to develop those famously funky aromas? What made the Hervé Mons 1924 Bleu so unforgettable that Michael describes it as a narcotic cheese? Why should you always taste a cheese before buying it?   About Michael Finnerty Michael Finnerty is a cheesemonger, journalist, and author based in both London, UK, and Montreal. After almost 30 years of success and acclaim working for the CBC, BBC, and The Guardian, he found joy and a new life selling cheese at London's iconic Borough Market. Mike has a weekly column on Pénélope on Radio-Canada, works part-time at Global Montreal, but for most of the year, you can find him slinging cheese with the other mongers. Critically acclaimed, The Cheese Cure is his first book.         To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/388.