Mornington Peninsula’s best wine and cheese pairings

When it comes to local fromage, Aaron says Boatshed's Compass Gold, from Dromana, is one of his personal favourites, which is why he loves being able to have it on the menu.

"This is a strong and pungent style of cheese and this one has been washed with some pale ales so you want to have something that’s quite big and boisterous to go with it," Aaron says. "Most people think cheese is just for after dessert – but that’s not necessarily the case. You can actually have cheese to finish off that bottle of red wine after your last savoury course so that you can then progress into a sweet wine to go with the dessert."

Pair it with: 2018 Merricks Creek Shiraz. "This cheese works perfectly with this big, juicy, black cherry style of shiraz," Aaron says.

Another BoatShed beauty is the bitey Chelsea Blue. "It’s a cow’s milk cheese," says Aaron, "and it's probably my pick of the bunch."

Aaron says this is a classic Roquefort style of cheese that has a sweet, nutty flavour. "You've got a lot of salt happening in this style of cheese so you want to have a nice, sweet balance to go with it," he says. "A classic pairing is a botrytis semillon; the acid in it will actually help rinse your palate as well."

Pair with: The 2016 Hickinbotham Noble Sauvignon from Dromana. "It’s got all the texture and acid that you want," Aaron says.

If textural cheeses are your thing, Aaron recommends the soft Caprinella goat's cheese from Main Ridge. He says it's aged for a minimum of three months which gives it a subtle salty, earthy characteristic and mild, nutty aftertaste. "This is quite a textural style of cheese that will start to fill your mouth so you want to have something with a high acid to help rinse the palate," he says.

Pair with: The 2016 Mantons Creek Estate Trio. "It’s a blend of three grapes – muscat, pinot grigio and gewurtztraminer, so it's a very very unique blend that you will not find anywhere else."

Red Hill's tangy Portsea Picnic is another gorgeous goat’s milk variety in a semi-hard style. "It's quite a salty style of cheese," Aaron says, who recommends pairing it with a wine that's a little bit different.

Pair with: The 2015 Crittenden Estate Cri de Coeur Savagnin. "This was actually made in a Sherry style so it works really nicely with the texture in the cheese, especially if you’re having it with some of our maple-coated walnuts as well."