Cheese and snow just flows. And what better way to enjoy a snowy Whistler day than on the patio of Whistler’s newest cheese shop?
Not just cheese, as their name suggests, they also have everything you need for a carefully curated artisan grazing board. And not your run of the mill grocery store finds, they go out of their way to source unique items that you can only gather through them, in all of Whistler Village.
Seeing as we are cheese lovers, and were in Whistler for the weekend, we had to carve out some time to see what they were all about. We came in for a cheese tasting, but they also serve grilled cheese deli sandwiches and snack boxes to go. And make for a great source of gifts this season with cheese boxes and even an advent calendar.
The latter is a limited edition 12-day advent calendar box with drawers. Each day reveals a specially selected cheese or its accompaniment. Priced at $195, with only 50 available for purchase.
Similarly, their “Cheese to the People” boxes is a curated selection featuring international cheeses, Italian crackers, chocolate, chutney or jams, prosciutto and duck rillettes, and more. Available in both medium and large boxes, for picked up in-store or delivered across the Lower Mainland.
I was originally interested in trying their raclette or fondue rentals, as a fun activity to do in our hotel suite. Sadly, the timing didn’t work out. Overall, this is a fantastic idea, considering everyone likes the idea of a shared meal around bread and fruit dipped in cheese, or scraping bubbly gooey cheese onto roasted vegetables and meats. However, no one wants to invest in the equipment and/or store it afterwards. Therefore, this is a great solution to that.
Located in the heart of Whistler Village, they’re curated boutique centres around the cheese counter. Behind chilled glass is a collection of wheels and chunks that you can purchase, with prices lists by the 100g. With over 60 to 80 different types of cheeses from all around the world to choose from, we found it overwhelming and relied on the expertise of staff. We only mentioned that we are fans of more pungent flavours, and definitely wanted it sample cheeses that most people won’t get to discover.
Their selection of cheeses include international varieties from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and all across Canada. Covering cow’smilk, sheep’s milk, and goat’s milk. They have your more common hard cheeses on rind, spreadable soft varieties, as well as a collection of triple creamed with is the price tag to match.
There’s a little two top table where you can enjoy your selection indoors, but we decided on the patio given the clear day, and to take a vantage of its cozy vibes. Despite the gentle snowfall the day before, the covered patio was kept relatively warm thanks to fiery heat lamps, faux fur seat covers, and the fleece blankets that we could drape across our laps.
And truthfully, this setting only heightened the experience making it a magical moment of enjoying cheese with a snowy mountain view. Apres-ski without the ski.
This would serve as our breakfast. And although it may not have looked like much, we found it fairly filling, especially as our five piece cheese plate came with a side of crackers to enjoy them with and we had two glasses of wine each. This was nostalgic, a throwback to childhood having cheese and crackers with fruit juice, but elevated for an adult appeal.
All of their wines are 100% organic. Much like their cheeses, they focus on bottles that aren’t readily available in The Village’s liquor stores or bars. Their wines are available by the bottle for glass, with a selection rotates every 5 to 7 weeks. If you’re looking for something a bit fancier, they also have champagne by the bottle for purchase
Like the cheese, the wines were recommended by the helpful and informative staff. A glass of white and a glass of red that was chosen as both generally coupled well with most of their offerings.
The Pinot Gris Cayuga 2023 is a buttery, slightly sweet white wine to match with the buttery mouthfeel of the cheeses.
The Welcome to Hard Times 2022 Cabernet Franc is a smooth wine that is only slightly fruity with less tannins.
Following five cheeses are what we tried, in the order that we were recommended to try them. From the lightest to the most fragrant. The first two paired with our white the last three flavoured cheeses went well with the red.
Midnight Moon is from Holland. This is a Pasteurized Goat Gouda. This cheese is known for its complex and nutty flavour profile, with hints of caramel and its sweet smooth finish. We found it had one tone and was consistently silky and milky.
The Chimay à la bière was from Hainaut, Belgium, a Semi Soft Pasteurized Cow’s milk cheese. Its firm leathery rind carries a heady beer aroma, making it a great pairing with beer. Especially the white musky layer that has a similar foamy quality to pint. A certain funky creaminess that melts in your hand and your mouth, making this an ideal spreading cheese. The flavour transforms starting off mellow and ending with a strong flavour on the palate.
Our favourite was the Oveja Black Olives cheese from Spain. This is a Firm Pasteurized Sheep cheese where the flavours are injected in the form of cream over 40.000 times. The cheese develops some pretty marbling with an even mix of briny olives to sharp cheese. From here on we felt they all needed a bite of cracker for base.
You must like blue cheese for this, and we both do. Bleu d’Élizabeth, a Semi Firm Blue Unpasteurized Cow cheese from Quebec, Canada. It is a marbled paste-like cheese covered with a natural rind which contains bluish veins. You get a lot of intensity upon first bite. It is a fine tuned blue cheese with a balanced salty taste, and just a hint of hazelnut.
And we saved the most pungent for last. The Truffle Tremor was a triple creamed Soft Ripened Pasteurized Goat cheese from Cypress Grove, USA. Its bloomy rind allows the cheese to ripen from the outside in. As it ripens and matures the creamline develops and the flavour intensifies. There is no hiding the truffle flavour here. It is so strongly salted with a hardened and softened texture depending on layer. It ends purfumey in the mouth. Not a cheese you enjoy as is, it is far too rich.
This was a great experience and such a gem to have in Whistler’s already speciality Village.
Flute & Fromage
4305 Village Stroll #102, Whistler, BC V8E 1E4
(604) 932-7000
fluteandfromage.com
