At Checkers, they’ve always made it their goal to bring their shoppers the very best.
From the award-winning wineries of the South African wine route, to top international brands in their Wines of the World selection!
Add to that the mystery of the Odd Bins range and you’ll see that they truly deliver on their offer to bring you the fruit of the world’s best vineyards for your drinking pleasure.
In fact, the world’s toughest food critic, Gordon Ramsay, and local celebrity chef, Nataniël, both agree that the Checkers wine selection is world-class. These celebrity critics were also impressed with Checkers’ varied selection of international and local award-winning cheeses, such as Healey’s Farmhouse Cheddar, which brings us to the first of today’s pairings.
The wine:
One of our favourites from their Wines of the World range is the delicious Frontera Merlot, all the way from Chile.
Both affordable and unforgettable, the delectable, hand-picked grapes that comprise this bottle of Chilean red are carefully aged for two months in oak.
It’s a deliciously dark, fruity wine, yet smooth with an astonishingly full body and aroma. At the dinner table it makes a committed partner to an assortment of cheeses, red meats and pastas.
The cheese:
Healey’s Farmhouse Cheddar is aged within a cave-like environment and cultivated from preservative-free, unpasteurised milk.
You can taste hints of the pasture, as well as the naturally deep creaminess of pure cheese.
Taking home the 2006 World Cheese Gold and Silver awards for its delicious Cheddar, as well as acquiring Gold status at the 2011 World Cheese Awards, it’s a cheesemaker that’s doing something right!
The traditional recipe, created over 150 years ago is still used today. Delicious!
The pairing:
Treat your taste buds with the complex flavourings of a Chilean red wine combined with the savoury notes of traditional farmhouse Cheddar.
Merlot is perfect for bringing out the fine-spun natural flavours of the Cheddar whilst the matured perfection of the cheese lends a sharp edge to the piquant essence of the wine.
More fabulous Checkers wine and cheese pairings include:
Italian Pirovano Pinot Grigio and Kasselshoop White Cheddar with Nettles
Fairview Blue Rock and sweet French Carillonade Bordeaux
Diamond Ridge Sauvignon Blanc and Wyke Farms’ extra-mature Cheddar
Italian Sensi Risalto Chianti and Lancewood Mozzarella
Find more suggested pairings on the Checkers site and get ideas that will add something special to any occasion.