The corkscrew: together forever

As a sommelier, I am often faced with the question: "What comes first - the wine or the cheese?"

For me, the wine should be chosen first as a general rule because, by the time the cheese is served, the wine is already flowing. Having said that, I do have an Australian friend who, when hosting, insists on serving the cheese - with wine, of course - before dinner. So, to each their own, I say: I'm always happy to eat cheese, whenever someone chooses to serve it to me.

One of my most exciting (and delicious) recent encounters in Hong Kong was with a French affineur of great repute: Patrice Marchand, of the cheese-making family Les Freres Marchand. An affineur, according to Marchand, is someone who specialises in storing, maturing and ripening cheeses, and who can transform them into something magical. These connoisseurs provide a link between cheesemakers - with whom they work very closely - and their customers. Cheese is a living product and, in France, it's not just bought in supermarkets: real cheese-lovers go to an affineur.