The Cheese and Wine Week, which celebrates the pairing of wines and cheeses, will take place from 3 to 23 November in Brussels, the event’s organiser announced on Tuesday at a press lunch.
This will mark the first time the event is being held in the Belgian capital.
A total of 22 establishments, including restaurants, wineries, cheesemongers, and markets, will participate in the three weeks of festivities. The event, already held in France since 2016 and in New York since 2017, aims to highlight “the joy of living and sharing in true Brussels style,” Jean-François Hesse, the French creator of the concept, explained. This edition pays tribute to the Belgian capital and its exceptional culinary scene, he said.
The four participating restaurants include notable names such as Pascal Devalkeneer, the Michelin-starred chef of ‘Chalet de la Forêt’ in Uccle - and patron of the event - and Denis Delcampe, chef of ‘Le Tournant’ in Ixelles. Both will feature cheese-and-wine pairings as part of their menus.
Nine renowned cheesemongers in Brussels will host tastings, either during the day or in the evening, at various times throughout November. Additionally, seven wineries will join the initiative, offering their own wine-and-cheese pairings.
“The message we gave to participants was simple: ‘Enjoy yourselves,'” said Eric Boschman, the event’s other patron and a sommelier who helped select the participating establishments. “The idea is to rediscover the joy of simple pleasures and to take part according to one’s tastes and means, with no obligations.”
In France, the event typically involves around 250 partners during the same period. “November is the month of cheese,” said Hesse.
For the next Brussels edition, the organisers aim to double the number of participating venues to around fifty.
