Rang Des Iles
Pasteurized cow milk
Fromagerie Médard (farmstead)

A single herd of Swiss Brown cows produce the rich milk that goes into this mild, sweet, tender and creamy cheese. A downy white and russet rind, and an unusual flat square shape make Rang Des Iles attractive on the cheese board, and readily appealing to most tastes.

Rassembleu
Raw cow milk
Fromagiers de la Table Ronde (farmstead)

This certified organic blue-veined cheese is a fairly serious example of the style. The paste is beige, dense, and shot through with grey-blue moulds. Aromas are piquant and herbal, with a savoury, toasty quality as well. Rassembleu offers a potent mouthful of pungent peppery and green herbal flavours. Serve generously to fans of strong cheese, or use sparingly in composed salads with beets or pears and nuts.

La Sauvagine
Pasteurized cow milk
Alexis de Portneuf (industrial)

Voted Grand Champion at the 2006 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix, La Sauvagine is extremely popular, and for obvious reasons. The soft, smooth-to-flowing paste is aromatic, salty, savoury, mushroomy and spicy, but never challenging or unpredictable. Compatible with a wide range of beverages, La Sauvagine is a safe bet for serving at your next wine-and-cheese gathering.

Tomme de Grosse Île
Unpasteurized cow milk
Société Coopérative Agricole de
L’Île-aux-Grues (artisan)

Cows on the tiny Île-aux-Grues graze on flavourful shoreline grasses, which contribute what many tasters perceive to be unique qualities to the various excellent local cheeses. Tomme de Grosse Île is a sturdy bloomy rind cheese in the style of France’s Coulommiers, an ancient cheese thought to be the ancestor of Brie and Camembert. The texture of cold butter, this rich cheese tastes ripe, salty and savoury.