{"id":3019,"date":"2025-01-05T16:25:20","date_gmt":"2025-01-05T16:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/cheese-shops-we-love-109-cheese-wine\/"},"modified":"2025-01-05T16:25:20","modified_gmt":"2025-01-05T16:25:20","slug":"cheese-shops-we-love-109-cheese-wine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/cheese-shops-we-love-109-cheese-wine\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheese Shops We Love: 109 Cheese & Wine"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Monica and Todd Brown, owners of Ridgefield, Connecticut\u2019s 109 Cheese & Wine<\/a>, were drawn to cheese by their passion for pairing the wines at their boutique wine shop with food. They opened 109 Cheese in 2009, inspired by the closure of a local gourmet food store. \u201cAlong with a lot of our [wine shop] customers, we were sad to not be able to buy specialty cheeses,\u201d says Monica. When she spotted a storefront available in a shopping center, it seemed like the ideal spot for a cheese shop\u2014she called the landlord first, and then told Todd about her scheme later. \u201cShe sold me on the fact that it would be easy!\u201d he says with a rueful chuckle.<\/p>\n

The couple delved into the world of cheese by attending the Fancy Food Show, visiting cheese shops, and absorbing as much information as possible. They eventually sold their original wine store and opened a small wine shop adjacent to 109 Cheese, and later expanded both spaces in 2017. The couple also operates a second 109 Cheese location in Kent, Connecticut.<\/p>\n

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The Shop <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The cheese portion of the Ridgefield shop is about 1,000 square feet, with another 400 square feet for the wine shop. \u201cIt\u2019s very rustic, with barnwood shelving throughout,\u201d says Todd.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s very warm and inviting\u2014a lot of people are terrified of going into cheese shops so we try to make it as inviting as possible. Our staff is incredibly knowledgeable and very warm and friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the \u201c109\u201d in the shop\u2019s name was inspired by the address, Monica notes, \u201cWe probably were close to 109 cheeses when we started! We hover around 100-150 different cheese selections now.\u201d\u00a0 She adds, \u201cIt\u2019s a nice balance of everything, international, domestic, we\u2019re just trying to find the best cheeses we can get our hands on at all price points.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Todd characterizes the second location in Kent, Connecticut, as \u201ca mini-cafe driven to summer traffic\u2014it\u2019s more a summer weekend kind of town.\u201d\u00a0 In addition to cheese and sandwiches, the Kent location has a commercial kitchen used to produce cheese-focused prepared foods including soups, pates, appetizers, and mac \u2018n cheese.<\/p>\n

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Top Selling Cheeses <\/strong><\/h2>\n

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OG Kristal<\/a><\/h3>\n
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\"OG<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

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\u201cOur customers love OG Kristal,\u201d says Monica.\u00a0 \u201cIt has beautiful crystallization, it\u2019s not your typical aged Gouda.\u201d\u00a0 Adds Todd, \u201cThe texture is just amazing!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Rodolphe Le Meunier Cr\u00e9meux des Citeaux<\/a>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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\"Rodolphe

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Cr\u00e9meux de citeaux. Photo credit Rodolphe Le Meunier<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u201cOur customers love triple creams,\u201d says Monica.\u00a0 \u201cRodolphe Le Meunier Cremeux des Citeaux is a nice small-format triple cream.\u201d<\/p>\n

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High Lawn Farm Crema Alpina <\/a>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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\"High

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High Lawn Farm Crema Alpina. Photo credit High Lawn Farm.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u201cWe just discovered High Lawn Farm Crema Alpina\u2014it\u2019s amazing that they\u2019re almost in our backyard!\u201d says Monica. Made in western Massachusetts from Jersey cow\u2019s milk, the sliceable Alpine cheese is washed in Down East Cider for a funky, fruity flavor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Also Look For <\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\"cheese<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

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In addition to cheese and wine, the shop has a charcuterie program, an extensive selection of olive oils and gourmet foods, and gift and household items including pottery, cookware, and candles.\u00a0 \u201cWe try to appeal to the person who loves to cook and entertain,\u201d says Todd.\u00a0 \u201cWe think of ourselves as a lifestyle cheese shop.\u201d<\/p>\n

109 Cheese & Wine also offers cheese and charcuterie boards, which can be arranged on customers\u2019 own serving dishes and boards.\u00a0 \u201cWe tell them that they can easily lie to people and say they did it all themselves!\u201d says Todd.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Monica and Todd Brown, owners of Ridgefield, Connecticut\u2019s 109 Cheese & Wine, were drawn to cheese by their passion for pairing the wines at their boutique wine shop with food. They opened 109 Cheese in 2009, inspired by the closure of a local gourmet food store. \u201cAlong with a lot of our [wine shop] … Okumaya devam et “Cheese Shops We Love: 109 Cheese & Wine”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1271,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-milk-and-diary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3019\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}