Sharing his passion for the cheeses of his homeland comes easily to Gilles Mereau. He tells Rebecca Fox why it is so hard to pick a favourite.
When Gilles Mereau grew up in the Loire Valley in France, having a snack of goat's cheese after school came naturally.
''I understand goat's cheese. I've been eating cheese since I was very little as a fresh curd with herbs or with sugar at 4 o'clock in afternoon coming back from school.''
The expatriate Frenchman, who has lived in New Zealand for the past 30 years, has not lost his enthusiasm for that cheese or any other from his homeland but does admit to a liking for ''Kiwi coffee''.
''Each time I go back to France the coffee is horrible.''
Visiting Dunedin recently to hold a tasting of French cheeses, Mereau, who is a director of La Fromagerie with his ''Kiwi wife'', spoke of the need for people to understand the different ''families'' of cheeses - soft, bloomy rind cheeses (Pate fleurie), soft, washed-rind cheeses (Pate lavee), hard cheeses (pressed-uncooked), hard cheeses (pressed-cooked), blue vein cheeses and goat's cheeses.
''When buying our own cheese put into family, is what we need to do in France because we have more than 400 cheeses.''
To highlight these differences he offered a tasting of an artisan variety of washed rind cheese, Epoisses from Burgundy, and a Montagnard from the Vosges region, Normandy Camembert both pasteurised and raw, an ash log goat's cheese alongside a Chevrot, and a blue vein and Roquefort.
He admits French cheeses can sometimes be an acquired taste for New Zealanders more used to their blocks of cheddar or young Camembert that are always consistent in flavour.
However, he urged people to experiment and to realise there were many different types of cheeses and that a cheese's taste could change depending on maturity.
''Maybe they are buying cheese to mature or [may] not realise there is another version.''
He trains his staff to educate and guide customers through the varieties to help them find one they like.
''But sometimes you put something very strong and very mature for non-cheese-eaters [and] it is too strong, like I suppose if you give a smoky malt Scotch to a person who doesn't drink Scotch, they will walk away from it. So I had to step back in my role as they [are] not ready for that, so they have a goat's cheese for beginners instead.''
The Epoisses cheese is an example of a complex, difficult-to-make cheese with a long history.
It nearly disappeared after World War 2 in France when changes in agriculture from animal grazing to wheat nearly destroyed its production. Named after a small village in Burgundy, it was kept alive by its makers travelling to Paris to sell it once a week.
''Most of the products we sell, much of the products are from France. Some recipes go back a couple of hundred years, sometimes a thousand years.''
Due to France's turbulent history many regions were closed off during the centuries, developing their own localised produce, especially cheeses. The climate of each area and its soil types all influenced the type of cheeses they produced - just like wines.
Washed rind cheeses were ''very special'' as they were pungent and very aromatic, so not for beginners, he said.
They were ''perhaps too complex, too sophisticated''.
Again, trying a raw unpasteurised Camembert could be a ''bit of a shock'' for New Zealanders.
''Prepare yourself when you approach this one - you might get a bit of shock; use your senses. By using my eyes straight away, I see the pigment is different, my nose is telling me lot of things are going on, a strong mushroomy flavour coming through.''
Cheeses lasted for a long time but like people, matured over that time, which changed their taste and appearance, he said.
Goat's cheese continued to be a favourite for Mereau, who advised non-goat's-cheese eaters to start with a milder variety like an ash-coated log with lots of lemon flavours.
The French include goat's cheese on cheese platters and one of Mereau's favourite ways of eating it is to grill it until soft and golden and serve on a freshly picked green salad with raspberry vinaigrette.
''Very simple; so exciting to eat.''
Each time a new cheese arrived, he found himself excited by his ''new baby''.
''I say I have a new baby on board. I have to look after it but after a while you have that many babies.''
He liked all cheeses, saying it often depended on their age, where and how you ate them when considering what were his favourites at any one time.
''I like them all.''
