Summer Reading

Cheese: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best

by Max McCalman and David Gibbons

Clarkson Potter, 304 pp., $32.50

Max McCalman can perhaps be considered a rock star in the cheesemonger world. While a maître fromager at New York's Picholine restaurant, he elevated cheese to a new level and was the first in America to present such an advanced cheese menu, introducing artisanal cheeses and rare finds perfectly paired with wines. In this book, he presents an array of some of the world's best, which he admits is based on his own personal taste and opinion. And although this may seem arbitrary and snobbish, the writing is not condescending to the reader; it reads easily and feels more like a mentor offering a lifetime of passionately acquired knowledge.

In choosing this selection, he mostly looked toward artisanal cheeses – that is, cheeses that are handmade by independent, smaller cheese-makers – and organic ones whenever possible. McCalman offers the finer points of discernment, instructing on what characteristics one must look for to find the right cheese at the peak of its flavor. He offers the main principles of tasting, as well as a guide for shopping and identifying the right cheesemonger, how to know the seven degrees of cheese ripeness, and tips for proper storage. This is followed by an informative section on how to serve and the best wine pairings, including a list of "Marriages Made in Heaven."

All the cheeses are individually explained in a one-page summary of type, provenance, producer, production, appearance, similar cheeses, seasonal notes, and wine pairings; and accompanied by a rating of quality and strength. The simple close-up photographs of the cheeses are helpful for identification. This excellent resource book should whet the palate to try one's own hand at cheese connoisseurship and inspire a fun summer wine-and-cheese party or two.