The Twins—Gemini’s glyph—tends to conjure an image of identical twins. (And hopefully not the ones from “The Shining.”) But twins are often fraternal, and even those who do look exactly like each other are not merely two identical parts of a pair. They each have their own identity and experience to bring the pairing. Twins can be harmonious, like a yin and yang combo, or they can be divergent, like the creatures depicted in The Chariot card of the Tarot: if the id and ego are headed in separate directions, it can be hard to get anywhere at all.
Such is the chaos that underscores the energy of human Geminis. But in that chaos there is also charisma, and Geminis can be some of the most flexible, most interesting, and most versatile among us. I thought I was done with the low-hanging fruit signs where Zodiac and cheese intersected, with goat’s, sheep’s, and cow’s milk being represented by Capricorn, Aries, and Taurus. But that just goes to show I wasn’t thinking like a Gemini, even though I have recently learned that my Mercury is in Gemini, which really should govern how I think. (We got there eventually, if on a lazy, Taurus schedule.) Because in Gemini we have another cheese-perfect theme to consider: pairing. With that, here are 5 gifts—with built in pairs—for your cheese-loving Gemini friends.
Beehive Cheese Pour Me a Slice
Alcohol has long been used in the making of cheese, and while people usually think first of wine and beer for such efforts, here’s a modern take on cheese production that utilizes bourbon. Utah’s Beehive Cheese must be helmed by a fleet of Geminis, as their whole approach to cheesemaking comes from finding pairings between unique flavors and their flagship cheese, Promontory. Pour Me a Slice is a partnership between the creamery and Basil Hayden’s, where freshly pressed rounds of Promontory are marinated in the whiskey, for an outcome that imparts the cheese with spice and vanilla notes.
Goat Rodeo Bamboozle courtesy of Third Wheel Cheese Company
Geminis are thought to have some of the best senses of humor among the members of the Zodiac, so not only is this a perfect cheese for its beer co-conspirator, the terms “Goat Rodeo,” and “Bamboozle,” tend to leave one believing that there’s more than a little mischief going on behind the scenes here. Bamboozle is a mixed milk cheese, (oh look, another pairing…) that is surface-ripened with washing from fellow Pennsylvanian Cinderlands Beer Co. The resulting cheese is supple, meaty, nutty, and just a little funky.
Weinkäse Lagrein is another internally paired cheese that especially speaks to split personalities. While its name is decidedly German, (meaning “wine cheese,” and not just a little giggle-worthy, basically because there’s an umlaut,) its origin is Italian, hailing from the northern, Alto-Adige region whose history involves alternate rule by both countries. Beginning with a classic tomme, a local wine joins forces with garlic and herbs to give the wheel a good soak before aging, providing an outcome that is as bold as the sign I have dedicated it to.
Cheese and Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing, and Enjoying by Janet Fletcher
Cheese expert Janet Fletcher is a Libra. But Libra and Gemini are compatible air signs who communicate well, and Fletcher has provided a charming read that is all about finding that harmonious communication between wine and cheese, ergo her book has Gemini tendencies. (If you’re looking for hardcore cheese Geminis, both cheese-fluencer/authors Erika Kubick and Marissa Mullen play for the Twins, though both of their books belong to other signs spiritually.) Fletcher offers specific wine pairing ideas for 80 of the world’s cheeses, as well as the principles behind creating pairings, and cheese plate theme suggestions.
I’d be remiss not to mention cheese’s other spiritual pairing here, charcuterie, since this Gemini post is all about the sometimes chaotic notion of the other half. This Yin & Yang serving platter is just the thing to display both, perfectly in balance, both sides contributing equally for the common good.