A little wine with that cheese?
It's often regarded as the perfect pairing: wine and cheese.
But what about drunken cheese?
A Beamsville winery and gourmet Toronto cheese shop have taken this kismet gastronomical marriage to new heights by fusing the two.
Since February, 180 wheels (one kilogram each) of Ontario-produced goat-milk cheese have been soaking up 250 litres (or about 330 bottles) of Malivoire Wine Company's 2006 Old Vines Foch, an intensely flavoured red wine with high acidity.
Both cheese and wine are commonly aged, just not normally together.
The idea came from winery owner Martin Malivoire, who used to spend his time creating special effects for major motion pictures, and celebrated gourmet food and cheese proprietors, Fatos Pristine and his son, Afrim, of Toronto's The Cheese Boutique.
During a casual chat one day, Malivoire and the Pristines decided to try an experiment.
What would happen if you drowned a pile of soft goat cheese in wine and let it mingle for at least a year?
Other countries, such as Italy and Spain, already make cheese permeated with wine. Why not in Ontario?
So Malivoire fashioned an old French oak wine barrel with a stainless steel ring with a one-way seal to keep it airtight to prevent the wine from spoiling.
And the dunk, drunk fest began. The test team, including the distinguished tastebuds of Toronto celebrity chefs Massimo Capra and Mark McEwan, has tried nibbles through the months.
Malivoire, a longstanding customer of the 40-year-old shop and a family friend, has noticed the difference in both the cheese and the wine.
The wine is taking on the salty character of the cheese, while the cheese is becoming more fruity and grape-like.
It's not come of age, yet. The cheese will stay in the drunk tank until the purple liquid fully permeates it. That could take until February or beyond.
"It's typical for aging cheese to go through many stages of development," said Malivoire, who opened his winery 10 years ago.
"What we come up with, we may decide we should have stopped earlier, but we're going to look at everything that happens along the way and decide at what point we'll stop it next time. This is the experimental stage."
There's a bit of logic behind making a wine cheese, said Afrim Pristine, who believes they are likely the first in Canada to try it.
The flavours of wood, oak, cheese and wine go well together, he said.
It should also offer clarity for people confused by what wine to pair with cheese.
"Hopefully, the marriage between the actual Vines Foch wine and the cheve will be a match made in heaven," Pristine said.
"That's the plan."
The Ripley Avenue shop is also playing around with cheddar and Scotch, goat cheese and gin and tonic, and Belgium cheese and beer.
The wine cheese will eventually be sold through the shop and at select restaurants, mainly in the Greater Toronto Area. Malivoire hopes to partner with a few high-end restaurants in Niagara and offer the cheese.
If the experiment works, the trio may produce more.
What about the name of the cheese?
"We're thinking of calling it CB Inebriated Cheve," Pristine said.
In other vines & wine news: More buzz out of Malivoire Wine
Company. Owner Martin Malivoire said he plans on rebranding the 10- year-old west Niagara winery, from labels to new products to a new website.
Malivoire said the winery will offer a large variety of new wines -- including more value-priced products to suit tough economic times -- based on the wants of customers.
"It's kind of like Madonna in a way. You've got to come out with a new look."
Expect the official relaunch in April.
Spots are still available for Peller Estates Winery's Intense Icewine Weekend on Jan. 24 and 25.
Participants can learn all about icewine, from traipsing out into the frigid vineyards to a luxurious icewine-makers dinner.
The cost is $550 per person or $895 per couple, which includes accommodation, and transportation.
To book, call Peller Estates at 1- 888-673-5537, ext. 2.
Do you have interesting information on the wine and grape industry to share? Contact Monique Beech at