March 2nd, 2010 at 11:30 am
“ Hi Ben,

Now you entered my area of expertise - Swiss Cheese Fondue and Raclette. As you know there are many diferent recipes that have been published over the years. In the end you have to pay more attention to the cheese that is being used before you can generalize the wine selection. Keep in mind that the Swiss cheese grated based on strict standards before they can receive the Swiss Trademark. Gruyere and Emmenthal are the two cheeses that are commonly used for the cheese fondue, but the percentage of the mixture changes often. Using a Cave Aged cheese or adding another Swiss cheese such as Appenzeller or Tilsit to the blend will add complexity to the dish. Furthermore, younger Swiss cheese has a tendency to be more runny (never use too much wine when starting off)and a good chef will stay away from any corn starch to thicken the blend. I don’t feel that you can generalize as to the type of Chardonnay you want to drink as I beg to differ with you that a well made Sauvignon Blanc with good acidity could potentially be a better match.

As to Raclette, the Swiss vs. the French has some differences. The Swiss Raclette comes generally from the mountain regions where cows during the summer month eat the floral, herbs and grasses in the high alps (5,000 to 8,000 feet)resulting in a richer and more complex Raclette cheese. The cost is higher and as a result many consumer buy the cheaper priced Frnach Raclette. Here again as with the Cheese Fondue you will have different choices and once more a well made Sauvignon Blanc could be a better choice. If you are interested please visit our website http://www.napastation.com where you can find a cheese fondue. I also have a recipe from the great Swiss alpine skier Didier Cuche that

I will forward to you shortly. By the way - a peasant dish? Not at the prices of imported cheeses any longer.

Thanks for all of your great and stimulating writing. “