A chat with Jean d'Alos, cheese retailer, Bordeaux

"Don't believe in miracles!", warns Jean d'Alos There are rules to follow for wine and cheese to go together successfully. For instance, always start with the wine to get the flavour, and then have some cheese, before another sip of wine. Elementary, really. As for personal tastes, popular wisdom has it that there is no accounting for it. "However," says Bordeaux 's great cheese specialist, eyes twinkling, "you must be careful." We can guess what he is going to say. He loves Saint-Emilion, but would never serve it with a double or triple cream cheese – cheeses that are 50% to 75% fat – such as Gratte Paille.

So what are the cheeses that go well with Saint-Emilion? "First of all, Camembert-type cheeses, like Brie and Coulommiers, as long as they are not too ripe, and cheeses made from fresh milk, as long as they are not too strong. The secret of success is choosing a cheese that's at the right stage of maturity. Saint-Emilion goes perfectly with "pressed" cheeses, like Comté, and with ewe's cheeses, where the slight saltiness is an advantage. But these cheeses need to be mature. The same goes for cheeses like Gruyère and Emmental".