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Talking boards and bubbly with Las Vegas' Wonder Woman of Cheese

Kristen DeSilva/KNPR

She’s known as the Wonder Woman of Cheese in Las Vegas.

Diana Brier is an artisan cheese maker, affineur (one who ages cheese) and a cheese monger, so that also means she's an expert at cheese and charcuterie boards. 

"They really consist of great cheeses, great meats, great accompaniments, and great thought and effort ... not just into design and presentation of the board," said Brier.

The owner of Valley Cheese and Wine in Henderson said she realizes that boards have become a viral sensation with everything from butter (yes, a board covered in smashed butter) to fancy kids' snacks, but it should be more about how it all tastes together, rather than how nice it looks in a social media post.

 

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"This is actually an interesting 'throuple' of food here … and the reason is because all of the wines [I brought here with me today] pair with all of the cheeses that are on the board. And all the cheeses also pair with your traditional Thanksgiving Day meals. There’s a double cream brie,  Fleur de Nuit … and then we have Sottocenere al Tartufo​ ... a semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Veneto in Italy ... and it's aged with ash, coriander, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon on the rind ... and a small smattering of Italian black truffles."

She also brought  Le Cret Gruyere 1655 and a sweet, custom-made sweet cheese made from goat's milk, VCW holiday torta.

For the champagne and wines, she brought:  Devaux Grande Reserve BrutMaison Auvigue  Mâcon-Solutré 2018Resonance Pinot Noir; and  Broadbent White Port.

To find out how to pair them, listen to the interview above. 

​Diana Brier, owner, Valley Cheese and Wine 

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Lorraine Blanco Moss is the host of KNPR's award-winning Asian American Pacific Islander podcast, Exit Spring Mountain. She's also a former producer for State of Nevada, specializing in food and hospitality, women's issues, and sports.