Strong or mild. Aged or fresh. Goat, cow, or sheep. There is an endless variety of wonderful cheese, and I love them all.

My favorites are the full-flavored cheeses: three-year aged cheddar, Gouda, Parmesan and the like. And then there are the soft cheeses like Brie and Camembert. But I also love Gruyere and its Swiss cousins. Then again I’m also quite fond of goat cheese, both aged and fresh. And there’s always the adventure of a ripe, stinky cheese. If there’s anything I don’t like about cheese, it’s the dilemma of picking just one.

Like drinking wine, eating cheese takes me to a specific place, culture, language and tradition, the total context for production known as terroir. Each traditional cheese carries the unique stamp of its place of origin and tastes like no other. Again like wine, in most European countries the specific details of cheese production — milk type, aging time, and production methods — are strictly regulated to protect these traditions. Here too, we Americans demonstrate a talent for appropriating names and applying them to substandard imitations.

Just as there is no true Champagne made in America, neither do we produce any real Brie or Camembert. But while mass produced “cheeses” like the much-loved American Cheese don’t merit discussion here, the U.S. does have its own proud tradition and distinctive styles of cheese production, ranging from artisan producers to large-scale dairy co-ops like Cabot Creamery.

While supermarkets have vastly expanded their cheese offerings in recent years, we’re lucky to have a couple of genuine Cheese Mongers here in Fairfield County. The legendary Darien Cheese and Fine Foods was founded by Ken and Tori Skovron 36 years ago with the goal of bringing the finest European cheese to Connecticut. It is a nationally known source for carefully ripened artisanal cheese, including many rare and hard to find examples. Ken and Tori are always eager to share their lifetime of expertise and talk about cheese. Spending time at their cheese counter discussing your preferences and allowing them to make recommendations is one of the best ways to expand your cheese experience.

The Fairfield Cheese Shop is a more recent addition, but has quickly gained a reputation for variety, quality and a broad selection of cheese from around the world. Owners Laura Downey and Chris Palumbo travel throughout New England and beyond to search out unique cheeses. Their store showcases an in-depth selection of American artisanal cheese — a category that continues to grow in fascinating ways.

Area independent food stores like Palmers, Stewarts and The Village Market along with Whole Foods are sources for delicious cheese too, but you might miss the assistance of an expert.

Now, as I said, picking just one cheese is for me a great challenge, so a visit to the cheese store has to be carefully planned. Without something in mind and a spending limit, I’m likely to go overboard. I want to try them all! Last week Patricia Wells, a prolific cookbook author and serious Francophile, spoke at the Wilton Library. Her passion for all things French extends to including a cheese course when she has a dinner party at home. Sounds like a good idea to me, and perhaps a reasonable justification for adding a few more cheeses to my list.

While I heartily recommend relying on the expert resources available locally, you can always strike out and do some cheese exploring on your own. Look online to find the informal Connecticut Cheese Trail, which winds through the state connecting our proud cheese making farms including Cato Corner Farm, Beltane Farm and Beaver Brook Farm, just to mention a few. American artisanal cheese makers have studied the French tradition and are now creating great cheese here at home. As a bonus, there are several junctions with the Connecticut Wine Trail, offering you a natural pairing if ever there was one.

There is a lot of good cheese out there. Like the best of foods, cheese is not just delicious, it also offers an opportunity for exploration and discovery. Send me a note at notbreadalonefw@gmail.com with your old favorites and new discoveries, or I’d be happy to make some recommendations of my own!