Cheese is for lovers or at least lovers of cheese. This month although short, is full of special events where cheese is an ideal accompaniment. From the frenzy of Super Bowl Sunday to the fun and spectacle of the Academy Awards (writers strike permitting), and one very special lover’s holiday, February practically screams: buy cheese.

When the Pats and the Giants are wrestling it out on the gridiron, Goldy’s handcrafted cheeses -- salmon with dill, smoked mozzarella with slow/roasted tomato or double creme with crab and grilled artichoke -- offer a wonderful change from the usual chips and dip football fare.

And when all those overdressed stars pay tribute to their movies, Mt. Tam triple cream and a light white wine will set just the right glamorous, self-indulgent mood.

And especially when St. Valentine celebrates lovers, the true heart offers flowers, chocolate, and of course cheese.

Lovers in a noir state of mind choose Coeur du Berry goat cheese. Made in the Berry region of France, famous for its goat cheeses, this is a heart (Coeur) shaped cheese lightly dusted with ash. Visually striking, black and grey on the outside, and inside pure white, this cheese has a fresh, tangy taste, with the ash giving it a lightly smoky flavor, making it a cheese of mystery and sass: think Bogart and Bacall.

For a more rustic kind of romance, find Cupid’s choice Camembert from Old Chatham Sheepherding Company in New York’s Hudson Valley. It too is shaped like a heart, with a bloomy rind and an ultra rich, smooth mix of cow and sheep’s milk. But its flavor is buttery leaning more towards a triple cream rather than a traditional camembert. It is perfect to take along with crackers on a romantic hike into Marin’s flowering (and wet) hills.

Our last heart-shaped goat cheese, Le Coeur d’Alvignac, comes from Les Gariottes, a small co-op in Alvignac in the Pyrenees With its strong, earthy taste and soft texture, this is a cheese you can eat by candlelight with ripe pears and champagne. A cheese to fall in love with? You won’t be the last.

Yes, February at Woodlands is a month just ripe for cheese.

Thanks for reading Octavio Saez De Ibarra, cheese manager