Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once said, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” Does that name sound familiar? One of the most well-known triple-creams, Brillat Savarin, was dubbed after this popular epicure.

Picture this: You’re in 19th century France walking down the road on a brisk, winter day. Your rather large stomach is bouncing with your strut, but you’re feeling prouder than ever. Why the extra weight? Because of those high amounts of triple-cream cheeses you devour daily. Did you know that extra weight used to be a sign of wealth in the 19th century? It meant that you could afford the life of magnificent, decadent foods. That includes triple-cremes. These oozy, bloomy rounds were once a sign of grandiosity and a literal taste of luxury.

When you travel to 109 you’ll see that we have different sorts of cheeses such as triple-cremes and double-cremes, but what exactly are they? Creaming is the addition of milk before the curds form. For double-cremes, the cheeses have a butterfat content of 60-75%. Triple-cremes, on the other hand, have to have a minimum of 75% fat content.

That sounds like a lot of fat though, right? Have no fear! Even if something has a high butterfat content, it doesn’t mean that the cheese is necessarily bad for you. We know, we know, we know… we hear the term fat and shudder at the thought too. It turns out that when Cheesemongers discuss butterfat content, they normally are referring to the percentage of fat content in just dry matter. Triple-cremes and double-cremes are, in most cases, compromised of around 50% water. In reality, the cheeses (with the water) only have around 30-40% total fat.

Triple-cremes are very well known and loved at 109. They are one of our most popular sellers. Really. We have yet to come into contact with a coworker who does not like the taste or texture of triple cremes. They’re rich. They’re decadent. They’re a bloomy round of pure pleasure. Flavours of our triple-cremes can range from mild and buttery, such as our Délice de Bourgogne from Fromagerie Lincet, to more rich and tangy like our Pierre Robert from Fromagerie Rouzaire.

These cheeses are also very easy to pair with.  Perfect for Valentine’s Day, these cheeses are wonderful with a nice glass of bubbles. Try a triple-creme with tangy fruits like strawberries or raspberries and I promise– you will not be disappointed. If you want to try something a little different, go with a house favourite, Mt. Alice from the Von Trapp Farmstead. This double-creme matches with deeper fruits such as dried figs and raisins.

Our stomachs are growling. Are yours? Stop by for a taste! We’ve got plenty to share.

Follow us to our new location at 7 Old Barn Road (The old Panini Café space)

During the move you can visit us at our Ridgefield location at 109 Danbury Road, Ridgefield or give us a call at 203-438-5757 and we can arrange cheese, wine and gourmet products to be delivered to your house 

We are open Today, Monday, December 24th! Both Ridgefield and Kent! 10-4

While all wines of quality and balance can be paired with cheese, some wines are more versatile in this respect and the pairings, thusly, are spectacular. We at 109 Wine particularly enjoy the wines of Yves Cuilleron, an immensely skilled winemaker who traces his roots in the area back nearly 100 years to 1920; Yves himself has been steering the domaine since 1987. His whites from the northern Rhone are utterly stunning: delicate, highly perfumed, with excellent mineral and floral components. Some of our favorites include: 

Saint-Peray 2015 – a very floral wine, with lots of lilac, cherry blossom, and jazmine; a blend of Roussanne and Marsanne done in both steel and barrel and aged for 9 months, this wine works great with Alpine-style cheese like Hornbacher, Alpha Tolman or Schweizer Gold. 

Viognier 2016- one of my very favorite varietals, viognier reminds me of a rainy spring morning, damp white flowers and just a hint of honey and peach. This wine is soft, elegant, and maintains great acidity due to the steep incline of the hills and the granitic soils the vines grow out of. I put this with slightler softer cheeses, like Grand-Mere or Truf Tres Lattes. 

Roussanne 2016 – The leanest of the wines featured, this wine is essentially pure flowers and minerals – complex, elegant, just soft enough to work with delicate cheeses, just racy enough to hold up to bolder, aged cheeses like Gruyére, Comté, and even Emmanthaler.