Cheese

This Holiday season do something a little different, host a Holiday themed Wine and Cheese tasting party. Here are some tips.

By in Bistros Eateries & Cheese, California Wine, Cheese, Foodies, Italian Wine, Spain Wine, Wine and Food Pairings, Wine Chatter and Blather, Wine Scores and Reviews

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One way to break up the madness that comes during Holiday season is to do something a little different, host a holiday themed wine and cheese tasting party. Here are some tips on throwing a good wine and cheese party.
Just gather several of your closest friends, wine, and a whole lot of unique types of cheese.
The perfect size for a seated tasting, in my opinion, is between 12-16 guests.
Pick seven Wines. Place all of the wines inside brown paper bags and assign a number. This way, no one would know which wine is being poured. Everyone will sip wines priced anywhere from $5.00 to $120.00.  Either provide all of the wine or another way to do it is to have everyone bring a bottle of wine of his or her choice. You can assign the type of wine, vintage, etc. as a guide so that the wines are all comparable. Then sample the wines in no particular order.
Nibble on many cheeses: For example; Midnight Moon, Humbolt Fog, Manchego, 5 Year Aged Gouda, Parmesan, English Cheddar, Stilton, and Guilloteau St. Angel. Cheeses like this will be absolutely delicious! Separate the cheeses by milk type: goat, cow, and sheep.
You’ll find that even friends who swore they strongly disliked certain kinds of cheese will happily fill up their plates with them. It just happens 😉

Serve  cold cuts, breads, crackers, fruit, and jams which are gluttonous pairings for the wines. For the jams, make sure you include included lavender honey, sweet mango chutney, and the very fashionable hot pepper jelly….maybe Pate too.
Printed score sheets on white, linen paper. Numbers 1-7 are added to rate each wine and the instructions were printed at the bottom of the page leaving plenty of space for note taking.
After everyone has a chance to feast a bit on all the delightful food, sit down and began to finally try each wine. Each place setting has 7 glasses. This will allow guests to go back and compare the wines.
What makes it so much fun is you have no idea what you are actually drinking.
After much sipping, debate, and laughter, tabulate the scores. The results get posted and listed from highest to lowest score.
You just never know what the result will be at a wine tasting event given everyone’s different palate. It sure is fun to find out! So, this year, do things differently and have a healthy, delicious, and memorable holiday season.
Here’s a quick idea for a wine list:
Col Solare ($60.00)
Caymus ($65.00)
Far Niente ($109.00)
Darioush ($90.00)
Faustino 1 ($25.00)
Yellow Tail ($8.00)
Tignanello ($80.00)

Tangled up in Blue… Blue Cheeses, Roquefort, Stilton and Cambozola

By in Bistros Eateries & Cheese, California Wine, Cheese, Desert Wines, Foodies, Spain Wine, Tampa Bay Wine Pairing, Wine and Food Pairings, Wine Chatter and Blather

Tangled up in Blue – Blue Cheeses and other like Roquefort, Stilton and Cambozola sure give a variety to choose from. 
The family of blue cheeses — made from cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and sheep’s milk — is treated with molds to produce blue and green veins. Although blue cheeses stereotypically have strong flavors that intensify with age, there are also a few blue cheeses that can be defined as relatively mellow and very tasty. Their tastes can include a distinct sweetness that’s often combined with the salty, sharp, and tangy notes that you’d expect from a blue. That’s what truly special about blue cheeses; there truly is a profile for all kinds of cheese lovers.
Wine Recommendations for Blue Cheeses:
Dessert wines: These sweet wines have intense flavors that aren’t overpowered by strong blue cheeses. Try Fonesca Late Bottled Vintage, Taylor Fladgate Special Ruby Porto, or something like Château Rieussec Sauternes.
Also, Full-bodied and fruity California Zinfandels or Cabernets are also a great pairing option for the saltier blues. Try a Rosenblum Zinfandel, Ridge Zinfandel, Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon, or Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon
Roquefort Blue:
This blue cheese is made from sheep’s milk and aged for at least three months. Its creamy texture yields a slightly salty taste. It’s relatively soft with plenty of good blue.
Wine Recommendations for Roquefort:
Rhône Valley reds: Choose a red wine from this winemaking region in southeastern France. Try Crozes-Hermitage Paul Jaboulet; Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape or a Marques de Caceres Rioja Gran Reserva
Sauternes is a great pairing for Roquefort; this sweet and delicious wine from the Bordeaux region of France. Try Coutet or Château Rieussec.
Stilton:
Whole cow’s milk is used for this pale yellow blue cheese. Rich and creamy in taste, it has a slightly crumbly texture with a subtle nutty flavor and tang that gets stronger with age, which makes it the perfect foil for sweeter wines. A Stilton chunk with Blue Cheese in it is fantastic. Sometimes it contains Cheddar, Cotswold or even cranberries. Sometimes when crumbles in a Cole Slaw or Cobb salad can be a revelation along with wine.
Wine Recommendation for Stilton:
Port: This sweet wine is made in the Douro region of northern Portugal. Asso Try Taylor Fladgate 40 year Tawny Port or Nieport Late Bottle Vintage. I enjoy Malmsey wine or rainwater Madeira as well
Cambozola:
Native to Germany and Austria, Cambozola is considered a cross between a Gorgonzola blue and Camembert. Cow’s milk is the main ingredient of this cheese, with added cream to give it a smooth, creamy, and spreadable texture. Mostly, flavors are mellow and mild with a bit of zip from the blue. Sometimes it can be spicy…especially the Italian versions of this style.
Wine Recommendation for Cambozola:
Merlot Wines: A soft, round red wine that has a very supple texture. For Cambozola, choose a Merlot from California. Try Mantanzas Creek Merlot or Shafer Merlot. A Piedmonte Nebbiolo Wine from Italy can be a very tasty combination

Aligoté, infamously, is Burgundy’s Other White Grape. It is undergoing a renaissance in the 21st century. No frills and tasty.

By in Bistros Eateries & Cheese, Cheese, French Wine, Tampa Bay Wine Pairing, Tampa Examiner Wine Pairing, Wine and Food Pairings, Wine Chatter and Blather

Aligoté, infamously, is Burgundy’s Other White Grape. The one that is not Chardonnay!

Chardonnay is known for its unique signature fruit…

Aligoté is the straw-colored, tart, racy and softly scented “other” white wine of Burgundy, playing a subordinate role to Chardonnay. It can be very no frills and tasty.

Therefore, while Chardonnay may be the most famous white varietal in Burgundy, Aligoté recorded in Burgundy in the 1700s was once very widely planted, but almost died out in the early 20th century after the 19th century phylloxera epidemic wiped out most of the vineyards.

But let me tell you…It is undergoing a renaissance in the 21st century. That’s why I am writing about it. You are seeing more and more of it and it really does give you a no nonsense white to enjoy.

So, Aligoté is thought to be the oldest Burgundian grape variety. In the Middle Ages it was probably drunk with harigot, a mutton and bean stew and/or simple poultry stew. Aligoté can be vinified as a standalone or blended with Chardonnay. It can also bear the Bourgogne Aligoté AOC; which gives it a well-known notice.

Years ago, Aligoté got this trendy reputation around Europe. Aligoté is often paired with blackcurrant liqueur, which it makes a drink called Kir. It was named after Canon Kir, who was deputy mayor of Dijon, France. He made this aperitif very fashionable after the Second World War. Order it sometime at a nice restaurant and see what happens!

Anyways, it is known that high-quality examples of Aligoté can be found in the village of Bouzeron and many major players in Burgundy France bottle their own version of it.

So keep an eye out for it and give it a try. It’s very pleasing, sometimes neutral and crisp.

Aligoté on its own can be a fine contrast to foods that are rich, salty, oily, or fatty. Aligote pairs well with Light Fish, Shrimp, French cuisine, Foods cooked via Poach/Steam. It suits to be served with cold dishes.

 I like it with Fried chicken myself or a cold antipasto…Cold sandwiches.

Other Dishes to serve with Aligoté: Pate of Foie Gras, Duck Confit, Feta stuffed Bell Pepper

Enjoy! Ask for it at your local wine place.

Delicious Cheese is great! Where do you start?…you can find them at the supermarket! Yep..Go ahead and experiment. It’s so good!

By in Bistros Eateries & Cheese, Cheese, French Wine, Wine and Food Pairings, Wine Chatter and Blather, Wine Sensory Guide

Cheese is great. It’s a great appetizer and it’s also a fulfilling meal in itself. There are so many to choose from. Where do you start. It’s not an easy question to answer but these days there are so many restaurants, Bistros and Pubs jumping on the cheese bandwagon that it’s getting easier to dabble, learn and enjoy.  And you can find them at the supermarket!
There are some delicious cheeses that can be found in the local market such as Whole Foods, Publix, Kroger, Hyvee, Costco and Trader Joe’s.

Listed are 8 relatively accessible cheeses that I like along with a little bit of a story to illustrate how interesting it all can be especially when you start pairing cheese with wine.
 
1.            St. Armour Triple Cream (French) – Rich and buttery, Soft and ripened; a heavenly cheese with angelic façade that’s straight-up sinful – Cow’s milk

2.            Cotswold (British) – legendary, made in Gloucestershire England; the cream is skimmed twice; blended with chives and spring onions farmed in the English Country – cow’s milk

3.            Wensleydale (British) a Yourkshire cheese once made by French Monks from the Roquefort region who settled in Wensleydale; cheese has been made here since 1150 AD; this one is infused with cranberry. – cow’s milk

 

4.            Spicy Gorgonzola Blue (Italian) – Originating from Milan; this is silky, savory and luxurious makes white chocolate seem brash and salty. Adding fruit or even a fruit-tinged beverage might be essential or a robust beer; unbelievably versatile… Pears, Apples, drizzled honey (tempers the sharp inflections), walnuts! – cow’s milk

 

5.            Manchego  (La Mancha, Spain) – where Don Quixote hailed. This cheese has hay and nutty flavors with a semi-firm compact distinct buttery texture not too strong or creamy that can be aged anywhere between 60 days and two years; great after taste…great with tapas and small plate like chorizo cheese –Sheep’s milk

6.            Goat Cheese Log (French)  – This snow-white, tangy cheese has been made for years, especially in the Loire valley in France; stored in a coolness it softens when exposed to heat to reveal a wonderful tantalizing savory treat that’s tart and fresh often with garlic and/or herbs with amazing results.
7.            The Camembert wheel (French/seasonal) – from Normandy is a soft creamy cow’s milk cheese with a bloomy edible rind; fuller and creamier…not to be confused with Brie that’s from Ile de France – Cow’s Milk
8.            Grana Padano (Italy) – One of the most popular cheeses in Italy; an artisan semifat hard cheese that’s fragrant, dry, grainy and delicious; made in copper kettles. It competes and is similar but less crumbly than it’s relative the king of cheeses Parmigiano Reggiano.


…selected Table Crackers, Baguette or Bread. Butter. A selection of sliced prosciutto and Serrano/lomo ham or chorizo, pork rinds along with fig, honey, raspberry, Red/black currant jellies or jams. Presentation on
a wooden cutting boards or on long serving platters pair-able with wine. Pick your favorite wines. Mix and match.


These are just a few of the ideas. Go ahead and experiment. It’s so good!

 

…Enjoy!!!





One of Wines great companions is Cheese…Cheese makes you Happy! Here are some Easy Tips for Selecting Cheese and Accompaniments…

By in Cheese, French Wine, Italian Wine, Wine and Food Pairings, Wine Chatter and Blather

One of wines great companions is Cheese…Cheese makes you happy! A natural feel-good food. Even though these days, it has a bit of a decadent reputation where health, nutrition and weight loss are concerned.

Cheese is actually quite good for you.

Arguably, in our modern minds: far too much emphasis placed on diets and “low fat” options.

Here in America you can just look at the fortunately-slender and cheese-obsessed nation of France and wonder.

In fact, three of the world’s biggest cheese-consuming countries – France, Italy and Greece – have some of the lowermost rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease in the Western world.

Go Figure…

Probably the more you mess with food the worse it is for it…

Cheese is an excellent non-meat source of protein. It is packed with calcium. It’s also loaded with Vitamin D, which helps our bodies to absorb that calcium, along with folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, and Vitamins A, B2, B12, and K2. All that good stuff that can’t be denied.

Factoid: When consumed together with calcium, vitamins K2 and D3 are especially good at protecting your bones, brain and heart. Cheese has all three.  ..

How about that!.. Great News…Spread it!

So here are some Easy Tips for Selecting Cheese and Accompaniments…

Try to include a variety of textures and flavors. Most cheese belongs to one of four basic categories: aged, soft, firm, or blue.

 For a good variety, choose at least one from each group…

Here are some basic cheese examples:

  Aged: Aged Cheddar, Goat Gouda

  Soft: Camembert

  Firm: Manchego, Parmigiano-Reggiano

  Blue: Gorgonzola Dolce, Stilton

 
Another way you can try is by selecting cheeses by the type of milk used (cow, goat, sheep). This is where it can get interesting and experimental. It will ensure a range of different flavors on the plate.By the way, try to serve at least one familiar cheese that you know for sure…

How Much do I buy?

Well…plan on buying 3 pounds for 8 people, 6 pounds for 16, or 9 pounds for 24. Another way to think about it is to plan on buying 3 to 4 ounces per person.

What Accompaniments?  What else can we eat with Cheese!?!

Offer a selection of breads, including sliced baguette,  and crackers in all different shapes and sizes.   

Note: It’s a good idea to vary the taste and texture among the breads as well as the cheeses.

Other accompaniments include jarred jellies and preserves; or honey, chutneys, and spicy mustards. You can also add roasted red peppers and maybe prepare caramelized onions, which is a complement to most cheese plates…

Think also of what sweet and salty items often match up  well. Try cured meats such as prosciutto and salami. Nuts and pistachios are good…Also, dried fruits such as figs or cherries, pears are really good.

Here are some serving tips:

Separate strong-smelling cheeses from the milder ones…

If you want to serve a pungent, stinky cheese, place it on a separate plate so it doesn’t overpower more delicate ones.  Four or five choices are enough; more often than not these ‘really’ are the stars of the show and they pair up great with wine.

Just for starters, for me…the hard cheeses pair up with a Bordeaux, Napa Cabernet or a Chianti.
A Brie or triple cream cheeses with an un-oaked Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. For those Blue Cheeses, try a sweeter wine like a Tawny Port, late Harvest Riesling and Ice Wine.

Set out a separate knife for each cheese, mainly the soft varieties. Soft cheese spreads well with a butter style knife; the firm cheeses might require a paring knife; and aged cheese often requires a cheese plane with a handle to slice slivers, but I like to them in small chunks myself.

Remember Cheese tastes a lot better when approaching room temperature so remove the cheese from the refrigerator an hour before serving. Cold cheese stifles the flavors and aromas

Enjoy!

 

 

It’s Time to be a Cheese Aficionado!

By in Cheese, Wine and Food Pairings

A lot of us don’t even think twice about going to the local gourmet shop on a Friday evening for complimentary wine tastings or even asking someone for help at the local wine store. It’s time to start thinking the same way about cheese. Time to be a Cheese Aficionado!

Now cheese can get very pricey. So when you are looking at cheeses that can cost upwards of $15 -$20 a pound, you want to make sure that you’re going to like what you’re buying. The only way to know for sure is to taste. It is so worth the journey.

With the massive selection of specialty cheeses available these days; don’t limit yourself to the basic 4 or 5 cheeses (Monterrey Jack, Sharp Cheddar, Swiss etc…) you see prepackaged on the shelves.

Trying a new cheese whenever you visit the cheese shop can help you grow and coach your enjoyment to uncover a delight for cheeses you would certainly miss….and we’re talking intense delight!

In the same way, if you think you are limited to hard cheeses, take a walk on the wild side and try a younger softer cheese. Even if you think you are not a fan of blue cheese? There are a lot of different nuances and flavors. Maybe you’ll find one you like. Not sure about very pungent cheese? Go ahead and ask for a sample.

Believe me, there are so many different types of cheeses from all over the world that you really need to find a cheese expert to help teach you, get an idea what you might like, chart your course; and steer you in the right direction.

I get my Cheeses from a place called Vintage Wine Cellars and Massaro’s in Tampa FL…but Fresh Market, Whole Foods and also Trader Joe’s has some great choices.

Listen, any worthy cheese monger (the guy or gal with that hat and the apron) will be happy to let you sample the stuff and talk to you. Do not be afraid. Just say “Can I try that?” …and don’t forget to pick up a bottle of wine too. Now that’s a whole other story.

7 Types of Cheeses, the basics…

By in Cheese, Wine Chatter and Blather

These are basically 7 types of cheeses. Here’s a way to think about them when you pick them out.

The 7 Types of Cheeses

Fresh Cheese (FC)- No rind and moist. They are ready to eat quickly. Milky, refreshing and acidic, lemony and nutty undertones.

Aged fresh Cheese (AFC)- Fresh yet aged with nice molds, yeasts and controlled to grow rind. Found in rounds, logs, pyramid shapes. They are aromatic, creamy sometimes wrinkly with ash, spices or wrapped in leaves.

Soft White Cheese (SWC)- White crust a little runny, wild and earthy mushroom buttercup flavors rich texture. Can be peppery and a little grainy.

Semi Soft Cheese (SSC)- Two types: Dry Rind and Washed Rind. Dry ripens slowly and Washed rinds soften quicker and gets supple with age. Both can range from nutty to floral and barnyard to meaty taste and aromas.

Hard Cheese (HC) – Have a rough or polished rind and gets interesting flavors. Usually come in wheels, can be either cows, goat or sheep milk, Gets complex and crunchy as they mature which can be grainy, dry and oily at the same time.

Blue Cheese (BC) – Customarily blue molds with a sticky to crusty rind. Ranges from dense, herbaceous and buttery to sweet caramel or sharp, salty and spicy. Blue cheeses can be crumbly and damp with a metallic tang. Often display veins of blue and commanding aromas.

Flavor Added Cheeses (FAC)- Varied kinds where ingredients are meshed, naturally smoked, or rind is flavored. Majority is broken up and reformed with added ingredients, sweet dried fruits, seasonings, nuts, seeds, herbs, creative blendings. They are deli counter standouts.

Thinking of them like this is pretty helpful to me. So I thought I’d pass it on…

Spreadable Cheese and Good Wine

By in Cheese, Wine and Food Pairings

There’s nothing better than spreading good cheese on a cracker or a baguette; especially with fois gras or any kind of pate’. Having some jams and jellies and figs along with spreadable cheese works well too, it’s just sinful.


There are some places in town such as Datz on Macdill , Bin 27 and Mise en Plas on Kennedy that can fix you up an excellent tray of exotic cheeses and the lot. Those establishments are good place to experiment with wine and cheese in a setting outside the home. Sometimes that’s all you need. A couple of bottles of wine and a couple of cheese platters are great for sharing and very filling.


It is totally in good taste to ask your server to help you select. Even if they don’t know that much about the cheeses, they should be able to distinguish for you whether it’s a fresh cheese, soft white cheese, semi-soft cheese, hard cheese or blue cheese. That’s where the fun begins.


A semi-white cheese like Camembert will have a creamy interior with a mushroomy taste and melds well with several wines like a Chardonnay(Burgundy or California) or a Cabernet Sauvignon(Bordeaux or California) even California Zinfandel. How about Spanish Tempranillo! A Brie may yield similar flavor notes. Feeling frisky? A hard cheese like Cheddar would be a great partner with the same wines. It’s great to experiment and pay attention. It’ll just make you say “sheesh that’s cheese!” it tastes darn good and the flavors can be out of left field.


Your local Publix has a spreadable cheese made in France that apparently went through almost a year of back and forward taste testings to get it right for the American market. So you can imagine there was a lot of compromise and debate on what’s good and not. French cheese is sometimes hard to get over here in the states for the masses to enjoy. It’s called Creme de Saint Agur. Check it out and try it with some grapes, figs or blackberry jam. Glop in the bread and crackers! It’s a fine place to start if you want to jump in with both feet in a general way.

Jefferson 4th of July barbecue and wine pairing

By in Cheese, Wine and Food Pairings

Thomas Jefferson once famously said, “No nation is drunken where wine is cheap and none sober where the dearness of wine substitutes arden sprits as the common beverage…” He cared about the social pace of fine wine dining but he wanted to make a less formal atmosphere at his parties. He was determined that a mellow atmosphere with good wines added up to a more cordial acceptance of his suggestions for running the country.

As we gear up for the 4th of July holiday, barbecue and good friends come to mind as well as great wine. Grilling requires mature, full reds with tannins and heavy dark fruit. While grilling, use intense heat to seal all the juices in the meat and form a crusty outside whether it red meat, sausages or chicken. Since grilling uses high heat it’s fast. Think Red Zinfandel or a young Bordeaux from Cotes de Castillon. Since BBQ is is genarally heavy it matches well with heavier rustic wines. Think Oaky rich and fruity whites as well, like a Washington Reisling. The intense smokey flavors bounce on the palate. Put out some figs, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon and seedless grapes along a healthy serving of Camambert, Stilton, Spanish Manchego and Irish Cheddar and you have the makings of a great holiday spread.

Yes, cheeses are great too at the barbecue! Try the Camambert with the Bordeaux and watch your eyes roll back. Then try it with the cheddar and so on. Induldge! Invite your friends and family over and make sure you talk about the wine and how it all works because it does. Your holiday gang will appreciate it and to think this thought bubble all started with musing about Thomas Jefferson and a great real old book from the past called Jefferson and Wine by the Vineferas Wine Growers Association; nevertheless have great fourth!

Spanish Wines and Chorizo Sausages are a great pairing

By in Cheese, Tampa Bay Wine Pairing, Wine and Food Pairings

Spanish wines are all the rage these days. They are well liked not only because they are rich in tradition but their value to quality ratio is just out of sight! All over the Spanish countryside there are all kinds of terrific red wines that stand up to the greatest wines of Bordeaux and the Rhone of France and of course Napa Valley, California.

We all know that Spanish food is very tasty, colorful and very diverse and so are the wines. Sausages are a major staple. There’s lots of good ones especially all those flavorsome Chorizos.

One killer is Sobrasada; a soft semi soft Chorizo with pork, garlic, vinegars, sea salt and paprika. It’s usually spread on crunchy bread and toasted until it melts. Grilled onions only add to this incredible sausage. Sobrasada has a smooth texture and smoky flavor that is hard to match.

Another great one is Butifarra. It looks a little like Bratwurst but Oh boy! It sure has a lot more flavor, probably the most popular sausage. Any restaurant in the countryside, usually serves Butifarra in one form or another.

Often you will find these sausages grilled, accompanied with white beans, mushrooms, onions, apples or sliced into hearty soups or yellow rice dishes. It’s great with eggs and Swiss cheese for breakfast.
Speaking of Cheese; these Chorizo and Spanish sausages pair well with Manchego cheese and blue Roquefort. There’s also a goat cheese called the ‘Drunken Goat’ which is regularly available that is dunked in red wine that is a perfect compliment.

When you serve these sausages some of that great Spanish wine is a must. Rioja has its Tempranillo. It’s sort of the national wine, arguably their greatest grape. It’s juicy, dusty, spicy with loads of strawberry, leather and tobacco notes. Ribera del Duero and Toro have their versions that are concentrated with bigger cherry, spicy and earthy flavors.

Priorat also has excellent wines that are Garnacha based that go well with the sausages that are incredibly rich, rustic, full bodied with fruit cake, licorice and plum flavors that compare to France’s Chateauneuf-du-Pape or even Pomerol wines.


Try to seek out these great Spanish wines to serve with the sausages and cheese that are among the best in quality and value. They are high scoring on many best of lists and give a great representation of what is awesome about Spanish wines these days. Las Rocas Vinas Viejas (from San Alejandro), Marge(from Priorat) and Termes by Bodegas Numanthia (from Toro). Another really good one is Lan, a Rioja Tempranillo in a classic style old world style. So dig in and enjoy!
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