The Cheese Cellar (100 4th Avenue N.) holds a wine and cheese tasting the second Thursday of every month, from 5:00 to 7:00pm. This Thursday features wines from Aussie wine importers extraordinaire The Grateful Palate (they of the Bacon of the Month Club) paired with various cheeses and a bonus tasting of “so hot right now” Claudio Corallo chocolates. I also got a little insight into the Roquefort situation…

Most people have stockpiled the Roquefort, but a contact with Peterson’s–the cheese importer with the most of the stinky blue stuff–said they have two shipmentscoming in the next few months that are already bought, pre-tax pricing. George W. Bush’s 300% tax on the tiny cheese village goes into effect in March, and they are estimating a supply of Roquefort in Seattle through maybe July. If the tax isn’t overturned, they will stop importing.

Peterson’s carries Roquefort, such as the Vieux Berger and Papillon, from small co-ops who have no muscle with the government, but expect some cheese giants like Lactalis (giant exporter, “Milk is our business.”) to get into the mix. Teresa Simpson, one of the owners of The Cheese Cellar, said, “Three of the Roqueforts we really like are made in small villages where all the people are employed making cheese. What will they do with that milk? There is no other work for these people.”

Boutique importer Herve Mons carries a cheese JUST LIKE roquefort; it comes from right next to the controlled area for the real stuff. (Roquefort is a controlled area, and all cheeses with that name must age in the caves of that area.) Which leads me to ask…can’t all the Roquefort producers just declassify their cheese and sell it with the name of the village or the greater region, and a wink? Kinda like calling your Chianti a Tuscan red instead… That’s away to get around Bush’s pettiness, and maybe feed the family. Fascinating. Or maybe I’m just a cheese nerd….