McIntosh & Bowman Cheesemongers

Fabulous wine and cheese tasting on Ft. Denison in Sydney Harbour.
Check out the photos of the table setting and the eleven cheeses on the plate. This is exactly what it’s like. We went over to Fr. Denison from Circular Quay on a ferry, then stood outside and had sparkling wine and hors d’oeuvres as a ranger explained the history of the island. Then down into a small historic room in the fort where Claudia put on her show.
What a show it was. She really knows her stuff. Delightful presentation, well paced, well projected. Nice wines to match the cheeses, and the focus was the cheeses. She put in a few European cheeses for comparison, like the real Camembert to compare with the Victorian Camembert. The cheese and wine part took a bit over an hour and was delicious — over and over again as we worked our way through the different style cheeses.
It was an absolutely delightful experience. If you’re not into cheeses and their differences, I’m not sure I’d recommend it. But if you have any interest in understanding the differences in cheeses and their tastes, this is a great excursion.

McIntosh & Bowman are a great team of ‘cheese educators’ and appreciators, that aim to boost Australia’s knowledge and interest in cheese through a variety of ways; appreciation courses, activities, cheese making workshops and local and international cheese tours.
Early last year I was lucky enough to do the ‘Australian Cheese and Wine Experience’ on Fort Denison, in Sydney. Meeting at Circular Quay for the ferry to Fort Denison, we were greeted by Claudia and given a general overview of how things work and what her job involves.
Upon arriving, we were greeted with a glass of bubbles and a quick talk by the park rangers about Fort Denison, before sitting down inside at a large table with everyone else in the group.
The afternoon consists of trying a variety (we had 10) different australian (and some international) cheeses, from blue, to brie, camembert, cheddar and more. Claudia explains a little about each cheese, it’s history and the process of making each cheese. It’s very interesting how each cheese is made, and how much the process does actually differ between cheeses.
A few glasses of different wine and beer are also supplied, along with some chocolate. You’re invited to experiment, while also given a few recommendations on what to try with each cheese. It’s quite amazing how the textures and tastes of different cheeses change, after a sip of red, white, dessert wine or even beer.
And you definitely can’t go wrong with chocolate! It goes great with cheese, and you get to find out just what works best.
There’s ferries semi-​reguarly between Fort Denison and Circular Quay, so there’s enough time for a (very quick!) tour of the ‘island’ too before you head back after you’re finished with cheese.
Overall I absolutely loved the experience and would definitely recommend it to anyone; cheese lovers, or those that haven’t had much experience and would love to try something new and rather different. I’ve come away with a much greater appreciation of cheese, with hopefully a better knowledge of what goes best with what, and what cheeses I absolutely love and adore.