Uncorked Cheeses
Cheese First?

Most authorities consider that cheese was first made in the Middle East. The earliest type was a form of sour milk, which came into being when it was discovered that domesticated animals could be milked. A legendary story has it that cheese was 'discovered' by an unknown Arab nomad. He is said to have filled a saddlebag with milk to sustain him on a journey across the desert by horse. After several hours riding he stopped to quench his thirst, only to find that the milk had separated into a pale watery liquid and solid white lumps. Because the saddlebag, which was made from the stomach of a young animal, contained a coagulating enzyme known as rennin, the milk had been effectively separated into curds and whey by the combination of the rennin, the hot sun and the galloping motions of the horse. The nomad, unconcerned with technical details, found the whey drinkable and the curds edible.

How to Serve and Eat Cheese

Cheese is a living, breathing organism. Imported cheese is often sealed in plastic when it travels to the U.S. to help prevent mold growth but mold should be expected when dealing with natural cheese.
The first thing to do when you get a cheese wrapped in plastic or cryovac is to let it breathe for several hours. A packaged cheese, especially a vacuum-sealed one, is like being in prison and therefore needs to breathe fresh air in order to return to it natural state.
Once you are ready to eat the cheese cut a piece from the wheel and make sure to cut off the rind on all three sides. If you are making a cheese tray, for aesthetic purposes you may want to leave the rind on for color or contrast, but it is a very good idea not to eat the rind. This is the part of the cheese that may have an antimolding agent on it or, at least, has been handled by someone who may not have been wearing gloves. Certain soft ripened cheeses are customarily consumed with the rind but they are in the minority.
Make sure the cheese is at room temperature before it is eaten. In this way you will get the maximum flavor from the cheese. The cold dulls the flavor just like it does a glass of wine.

How to Serve and Eat Cheese with Wine

Wine and cheese go together, for more reasons than meet the eye. Both are products of fermentation - wine is fermented grape juice and cheese is made from fermented milk. Both can express terroir, or the taste of the place from which they come - wine through the roots of grapevines, cheese through the milk of animals that feed on local plants. Add their shared ease of preparation, and wine and cheese indeed go hand in hand - glass in the right, cheese in the left, grateful mouth in the middle. 
That said, every wine doesn't go with every cheese. No matter how you slice it, each artisan cheese is unique, and aged Vermont cheddar is as different from fresh French chevre as Zinfandel is from Champagne. Exploring this range of sensations and combinations is more than an excuse to drink wine; it's a veritable and delightful education for the palate. 
Some consider Sauvignon Blanc the most cheese-friendly wine of all. Among reds, the easiest wines to pair with cheese are those that are light and fruity. Beyond that, terroir-inspired combinations of wine and cheese from the same region or village are almost always winners. 
When matching wine and cheese, keep a few general rules in mind: 
The whiter and fresher the cheese, the crisper and fruitier the wine. 
A smooth, fatty cheese can take on a rich wine, but may also provide a nice backdrop for one that's light and zesty. 
Sweet wine offers a satisfying counterpoint to tart or salty cheese. (Port and Stilton is a classic). Salty cheeses also sing when partnered with high-acid wines. 
Fruity red wines suit soft cheeses. Try a Beaujolais with your chevre. 
Dry sparkling wine is brilliant with a bloomy white rind. Champagne and brie, anyone? 
Adapted from wine.com

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