Nearly all kosher wines are also kosher for Passover, in large part due to the injunction to consume it in quadruplicate, but cheese, its eons-old sidekick, has never gotten much respect. That’s all changed this year, as evidenced in both local and virtual dairy cases, with reliably-certified cheeses from France, Italy, Denmark, and Vermont joining the traditional kosher options.

Several bars of Cabot medium-sharp cheddar arrived by UPS today, proudly brandishing an OU hologram. Brookline’s largest kosher market, the Butcherie, has a few French varieties in stock, including Makabi-brand Camembert and a soft, mold-ripened, goat- and cow-milk cheese called Le Pavé. I passed over the tiny two-dollar morsels of blue cheese, in favor of the pungent wedges of Kirkeby Danablu. As usual, they also had the standard Miller’s and Haolam cheeses, the blocks of which actually aren’t bad. We’ve been enjoying those baby Goudas and Muensters for a few years now, and the cholov yisroel Haolam Monterrey Jack is actually pretty decent, absent any alternatives.

In nearby Newton, Centre Market is carrying a large selection of French and Italian cheeses, including honest to goodness wedges of Provolone and Grana Padano (a close cousin of Parmigiano Reggiano) and whole wheels of French blue and Tomme — not to mention the finest prime meats in town.

Online options are also abundant this year — Cabot sells the OU cheddar exclusive at their website, and KosherItalia.com has 31 Passover-friendly products. In fact, they’ve just announced the arrival of both fresh cow mozzarella and fresh buffalo mozzarella, made in Italy on March 11 in preparation for the holiday.

With the simple addition of petite matzah crackers, a variety of jams and chutneys, some sliced vine-ripened tomatoes, and several bottles of fine wine, you’re ready to have a swanky — and fully pesadik — wine & cheese party.

I’ve often remarked that any holiday on which you can have steak and French fries every night isn’t really such a hardship. A well-stocked cheese drawer is yet another reason to believe that Passover could actually be a lot of fun.