They call me the Big Cheese. Have Stink, Will Travel.
And so when Clark College in Vancouver, WA, dangled their bait, I bit. Now I’m doing a three-week class on pairing cheese and wine, and Buster, there ain’t a tougher gig in town.
First up; goat cheese. Pretty simple, eh? Pah! We’re not talking grocery store ‘chevre’. There are a whole slew, a kaleidoscopic mash-mash of goat cheese styles, enough to give you whiplash. Fresh, cheddar, aged, semi-soft, Gouda, Brie; how you gonna round up a snerkle of wines to pair with all of this? That’s why they called on me.
I didn’t need to, but I consulted the experts. They confirmed what I knew, with any young goat cheese, Sauvignon Blanc, preferably from the Loire region. For those in-between, the semi-softs -Chardonnay, fruity reds. But then I ran into a stone wall. What about aged goat cheese? The recommendations were all over the place, but one grabbed my attention –a good tannic red, like Cotes du Rhone. I was dubious. But, that’s how I got where I am today, by getting in the ring with the big boppers.
So I rounded up the usual suspects, strapped them into their chairs, attached electrodes to their nostrils, and set to work. First, the wines: Henri Bourgeois, 2007 Petit Bourgeois Sauvignon Blanc, $12. This was the obvious one. If it didn’t pair well with the cheeses, I was gonna drop my cement-booted body off the Fremont Bridge.
Then a little scarier, the Fire Road, 2008 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $10. Sure it’s Sauvignon Blanc, but not Loire SB. Did it have the cahones to stand up to the cheese? Only one way to find out.
And then a ringer, the Wallace Brook, 2007 Willamette Valley Chardonnay, $10. This label is the little step-child of Adelsheim. And David likes Burgundian styled Chardonnay, doesn’t he? I hadn’t had the wine, so I wasn’t sure. But the limb was there, and I went out on it.
As for our staunch big red, I chose E.A.R.L. Burle, 2007 Cotes du Rhone, $12, a knuckle-cracking red.
Now, rather than wrangle with a Rubik’s Cube of cheese/wine pairing, I limited the cheeses to these: River’s Edge Fresh Chevre -no pesto, hazelnut, whatever. Straight Chevre. Then from central Oregon, the Semi-Hard Tumalo Farms Classico. Why not semi-soft? Beats me.
And finally, from the Loire, an aged little beast, Le Mini Chevrot.
We tasted the wines first, and all were good.
Then we tasted them with the cheeses. The Wallace Brook had a little more oak than I hoped, but it surprisingly went arm and arm with the cheeses, especially the Tumalo. And, while everyone liked the Fire Road by itself, some thought with the cheeses it turned a little sappy.
But, no doubt about it, the experts were right –twice. That Li’l Bourgeois wine was fine with all the cheeses, but awesome with the fresh chevre. And more incredible, Earl the Burle with that aged cheese was superb, the class favorite. Aged goat cheese is more firm, and takes on an earthy tang, while approaching nutty and caramel flavors, and the Earl was the perfect match.
After that, it was free-for-all time. I pulled out a goat cheddar, Gouda, a fondue, and goat cheesecake, and we merrily sipped, and nibbled the night away.
Next up– the Big Stink for sure, with washed rind cheeses. Epoisses, Taleggio, Munster! O, I can already smell the barnyard.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
You're Breaking My Buds!
We got bud-break, Houston! And wouldn’t you know it, right on Earth Day. Talk about symbolic.
All it took was a weekend plus a couple days of warm-to-hot weather, and the vines began pushing harder than a pig through a lipstick tube. On Tuesday I strolled though my little vineyard and the white buds were swelled-up like crazy, each sporting a tiny reddish tip. By Wednesday noon, the cocoons had broken open, and those red tips had become the start of unfurling green leaves. Bud-break.
The nice thing about this bud-break is it looks fairly uniform. Usually you get one bud here, another way over there, then two days later, a couple over here…but almost every vine is popping with soon-to-be leaves and shoots.
First question…is this late? No, pretty much average. The earliest I’ve seen bud-break is April 3rd, and the latest –last year- the first week of May. So April 22nd is looking pretty sweet right now.
Time to celebrate with a refreshing white wine (I agree, not the smoothest transition), and the Mirth, 2007 Chardonnay, $8. Mirth? Well, that’s David O’Reilly, of course, the label-making machine (Sinnean, O’Reilly, Owen Roe, Sinister Hand, etc.).
It’s a blend of about half and half Oregon and Washington grapes, and as such, has a bit of multiple personality disorder. On the one hand rich, on the other, lean. No quality disorder, though, as it’s an exceedingly pleasant wine, with green apple, lemon and pear aromas, and fairly lean, almost crisp (cautious remark for no oak) texture, with citrus, green apple flavors, and notes of peach. Lovely stuff, and at a recession-ready price.
I hope there’s plenty around in July when after a couple hours of pulling shoots and leaves under a blazing sun, I can sit on the back deck and cool down with a couple sips of this perfectly refreshing wine.
All it took was a weekend plus a couple days of warm-to-hot weather, and the vines began pushing harder than a pig through a lipstick tube. On Tuesday I strolled though my little vineyard and the white buds were swelled-up like crazy, each sporting a tiny reddish tip. By Wednesday noon, the cocoons had broken open, and those red tips had become the start of unfurling green leaves. Bud-break.
The nice thing about this bud-break is it looks fairly uniform. Usually you get one bud here, another way over there, then two days later, a couple over here…but almost every vine is popping with soon-to-be leaves and shoots.
First question…is this late? No, pretty much average. The earliest I’ve seen bud-break is April 3rd, and the latest –last year- the first week of May. So April 22nd is looking pretty sweet right now.
Time to celebrate with a refreshing white wine (I agree, not the smoothest transition), and the Mirth, 2007 Chardonnay, $8. Mirth? Well, that’s David O’Reilly, of course, the label-making machine (Sinnean, O’Reilly, Owen Roe, Sinister Hand, etc.).
It’s a blend of about half and half Oregon and Washington grapes, and as such, has a bit of multiple personality disorder. On the one hand rich, on the other, lean. No quality disorder, though, as it’s an exceedingly pleasant wine, with green apple, lemon and pear aromas, and fairly lean, almost crisp (cautious remark for no oak) texture, with citrus, green apple flavors, and notes of peach. Lovely stuff, and at a recession-ready price.
I hope there’s plenty around in July when after a couple hours of pulling shoots and leaves under a blazing sun, I can sit on the back deck and cool down with a couple sips of this perfectly refreshing wine.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Fill in the Blancs
A peek inside my recycling bin tells me I’ve been tasting a lot of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc lately.
And that’s not a bad thing. Wonderfully lean, tart and tasty, these wines remain among the best values on the market. I first got major exposure to them in 1999 when I attended VinExpo in Bordeaux. Now, I’d had a few New Zealand Sauv Blancs prior to that, here and there, at a restaurant, or tastings, but at VinExpo I had the chance to taste back-to-back from about 15 different producers in one fell swoop. Very eye opening.
What struck me then was how consistent the wines were, both in quality and flavors. Sure, there were identifying characteristics, as some were leaner, brighter, fruitier, while others were bigger, flashier, more substantial, but certain elements, like grapefruit, and a lemony zing, were all present and accounted for.
Having actually spent quality time in New Zealand since then, sampling countless examples of Sauv Blanc, I’ll stand by that opinion –only to note that, yes, you can find some dogs, bottom-feeders, that don’t make their way across the equator.
One odd note, even taking into account the exchange rate, we typically paid as much if not more in New Zealand as we would for the same wines here in the states. I was told the reason is that the government taxes the bejeebers out of wine in-country, but then gives all sorts of incentives to export them.
A good example is Monkey Bay, which you can generally get on sale for under $10 in the states. In New Zealand we paid 16 or 17 New Zealand dollars, or about $12 U.S. In other words, save the air fare and buy your Sauv Blanc here.
A classic is the Nobilo, 2008 Regional Collection Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $9. This is in the lean, bright, refreshing category. And a great price (Freddies).
The Fire Road, 2008 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $10, is a new one to me. I found it to be on the earthy, grassy side, more like a Loire Sauv Blanc. Which is to say, quite good, and a perfect food wine.
And don’t forget Monkey Bay. Somehow my last bottle got recycled already, but I always enjoy it.
Christian Mom Runs 7k/50mins
How a Christian Mom runs 3k a week to get in shape for the big race…
BethsRunny.com
“My Wrinkles Are Gone”
He left with a young blonde, the old coot...
CougarsRUs.com
1 Fat Stomach Rule Works
I added 47 pounds of bulky fat just in time for the play-offs…
callforpizza.com
And that’s not a bad thing. Wonderfully lean, tart and tasty, these wines remain among the best values on the market. I first got major exposure to them in 1999 when I attended VinExpo in Bordeaux. Now, I’d had a few New Zealand Sauv Blancs prior to that, here and there, at a restaurant, or tastings, but at VinExpo I had the chance to taste back-to-back from about 15 different producers in one fell swoop. Very eye opening.
What struck me then was how consistent the wines were, both in quality and flavors. Sure, there were identifying characteristics, as some were leaner, brighter, fruitier, while others were bigger, flashier, more substantial, but certain elements, like grapefruit, and a lemony zing, were all present and accounted for.
Having actually spent quality time in New Zealand since then, sampling countless examples of Sauv Blanc, I’ll stand by that opinion –only to note that, yes, you can find some dogs, bottom-feeders, that don’t make their way across the equator.
One odd note, even taking into account the exchange rate, we typically paid as much if not more in New Zealand as we would for the same wines here in the states. I was told the reason is that the government taxes the bejeebers out of wine in-country, but then gives all sorts of incentives to export them.
A good example is Monkey Bay, which you can generally get on sale for under $10 in the states. In New Zealand we paid 16 or 17 New Zealand dollars, or about $12 U.S. In other words, save the air fare and buy your Sauv Blanc here.
A classic is the Nobilo, 2008 Regional Collection Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $9. This is in the lean, bright, refreshing category. And a great price (Freddies).
The Fire Road, 2008 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $10, is a new one to me. I found it to be on the earthy, grassy side, more like a Loire Sauv Blanc. Which is to say, quite good, and a perfect food wine.
And don’t forget Monkey Bay. Somehow my last bottle got recycled already, but I always enjoy it.
Christian Mom Runs 7k/50mins
How a Christian Mom runs 3k a week to get in shape for the big race…
BethsRunny.com
“My Wrinkles Are Gone”
He left with a young blonde, the old coot...
CougarsRUs.com
1 Fat Stomach Rule Works
I added 47 pounds of bulky fat just in time for the play-offs…
callforpizza.com
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sponsored Links
“I lost 250 Pounds of Ugly Fat”
It’s fast, easy, and it really, really works!
quitwatchingrachelray.com
1Trick for Hard Stool
Nobel prize winning bartender designs ergonomic barstool...
betterbutts.com
I’m Glad I Have Yellow Teeth
After getting hit-on by creepy guys all the time with my bright white teeth, I used…
BritishTeeth.com
It’s fast, easy, and it really, really works!
quitwatchingrachelray.com
1Trick for Hard Stool
Nobel prize winning bartender designs ergonomic barstool...
betterbutts.com
I’m Glad I Have Yellow Teeth
After getting hit-on by creepy guys all the time with my bright white teeth, I used…
BritishTeeth.com
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The World in a Plastic Cup
Well, thanks to DeWayne-O, I’ve had a chance to actually hold Kindle in my hand and scroll through Part I of my book, A Ruminant on Spudders Crest; A Year of Growing, Making and Enjoying Wine, and it looks pretty dang good. There are some trifling oddities; Tab problems, with indents a little out of whack here and there. But part of the joy of this book is that it’s not exactly ‘in whack’.
So all you Kindlers out there, if you have four bucks rattling around in your pocket, you might want to shell out for the opening salvo of my serialized book, which will be released in four parts through 2009.
Now, how about some whining. Specifically, I’ve been thinking a lot about stemware lately. You know how some wine snoots get all exercised about glasses, how you can’t drink any wine unless it’s in the exact glass to match it. Well, I say phooey on that. And so do the folks at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. LeAnne and I recently caught ‘Wicked’ there, and as we arrived a bit late (traffic!) we hardly had time for a glass of wine before the curtain went up.
We were delighted to discover wine is allowed in the auditorium -with one little caveat. It’s gotta be in a sippy cup. A plastic cup with a snow-cone top and a straw hole. O well, us winos will do anything for a hit. LeAnne had a nice Italian Pinot Grigio, and I a Korbel sparkling wine (can you imagine the howls of laughter at the Riedel company?) Well, we had the last laugh, as we strolled to our seats sucking on straws.
In rapid succession after that, on a four day trip to San Diego, we had more wine out of plastic cups than out of stemware. Beginning on the flight down (Alaska), with the Stone Cellars by Beringer, NV California Chardonnay, $5, and you know, doggone it, it wasn’t bad. The plastic made the wine seem all the more elegant.
Every touristy thing we did in San Diego -zoo, Petco Park, Seaworld, even around the hotel pool- we were confronted with plastic cups. The San Diego Zoo (which is pretty awesome) has a number of eating establishments spread around the sprawling compound, most of which serve wine. We paused between the monkeys and tigers (not literally between them) for a quick pick-me-up in way of a simple Pinot Grigio served in environmentally friendly plastic cups, made from 100% plant material. I‘d like to see the trees they grow them on.
We caught the final exhibition game at Petco Park, between the Padres and Angels. What an excellent baseball stadium, and they serve decent wine. I had enough Merlot to keep me warm on what turned out to be a rather chilly evening. Padres lost, 7-6.
In light of all this, why then is Seaworld so wine unfriendly? Well, it’s owned by the Busch Entertainment Group, so most of the refreshment stands sell only ‘Select Anheuser-Busch beverages’. Which is to say: Bud. No wine. I thought this was California, for crissakes. While we had a great time getting drenched on the Journey to Atlantis and Shipwreck Rapids, we had to search almost all 186 acres to find wine at the Calypso Bay Smokehouse. And then it was Gallo. Nothing says high-falutin’ like Gallo in a plastic cup.
At least the mimosas we had while relaxing around the pool at the wonderful Hotel Solamar were served in plastic Champagne flutes.
Finally, I had a chance on the flight back to PDX to do my own private wine tasting. Because we were stuck in the last row (24), we were also the last to get our select non-Anheuser-Busch beverage service. To save time and trouble I bought two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon and weirdly enough got two different brands. So, by instinct (and profession) I held my own little wine tasting in seat F. With plastic cups.
The Delicato, 2005 California Cabernet Sauvignon, $5, is slightly sweet and has that fake oak -staves, chips, or sawdust- flavor. And while I wouldn’t toss it out the window at 40,000 feet, I wouldn’t let it near my Riedel Bordeaux glass.
The Stone Cellars by Beringer, NV California Cabernet Sauvignon, $5, is by contrast extremely fruity, almost pretty, but with a bit of depth and complexity, and solid tannins. Very glass worthy.
See there, now the whole trip is a write-off. Cha-ching!
So all you Kindlers out there, if you have four bucks rattling around in your pocket, you might want to shell out for the opening salvo of my serialized book, which will be released in four parts through 2009.
Now, how about some whining. Specifically, I’ve been thinking a lot about stemware lately. You know how some wine snoots get all exercised about glasses, how you can’t drink any wine unless it’s in the exact glass to match it. Well, I say phooey on that. And so do the folks at Portland’s Keller Auditorium. LeAnne and I recently caught ‘Wicked’ there, and as we arrived a bit late (traffic!) we hardly had time for a glass of wine before the curtain went up.
We were delighted to discover wine is allowed in the auditorium -with one little caveat. It’s gotta be in a sippy cup. A plastic cup with a snow-cone top and a straw hole. O well, us winos will do anything for a hit. LeAnne had a nice Italian Pinot Grigio, and I a Korbel sparkling wine (can you imagine the howls of laughter at the Riedel company?) Well, we had the last laugh, as we strolled to our seats sucking on straws.
In rapid succession after that, on a four day trip to San Diego, we had more wine out of plastic cups than out of stemware. Beginning on the flight down (Alaska), with the Stone Cellars by Beringer, NV California Chardonnay, $5, and you know, doggone it, it wasn’t bad. The plastic made the wine seem all the more elegant.
Every touristy thing we did in San Diego -zoo, Petco Park, Seaworld, even around the hotel pool- we were confronted with plastic cups. The San Diego Zoo (which is pretty awesome) has a number of eating establishments spread around the sprawling compound, most of which serve wine. We paused between the monkeys and tigers (not literally between them) for a quick pick-me-up in way of a simple Pinot Grigio served in environmentally friendly plastic cups, made from 100% plant material. I‘d like to see the trees they grow them on.
We caught the final exhibition game at Petco Park, between the Padres and Angels. What an excellent baseball stadium, and they serve decent wine. I had enough Merlot to keep me warm on what turned out to be a rather chilly evening. Padres lost, 7-6.
In light of all this, why then is Seaworld so wine unfriendly? Well, it’s owned by the Busch Entertainment Group, so most of the refreshment stands sell only ‘Select Anheuser-Busch beverages’. Which is to say: Bud. No wine. I thought this was California, for crissakes. While we had a great time getting drenched on the Journey to Atlantis and Shipwreck Rapids, we had to search almost all 186 acres to find wine at the Calypso Bay Smokehouse. And then it was Gallo. Nothing says high-falutin’ like Gallo in a plastic cup.
At least the mimosas we had while relaxing around the pool at the wonderful Hotel Solamar were served in plastic Champagne flutes.
Finally, I had a chance on the flight back to PDX to do my own private wine tasting. Because we were stuck in the last row (24), we were also the last to get our select non-Anheuser-Busch beverage service. To save time and trouble I bought two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon and weirdly enough got two different brands. So, by instinct (and profession) I held my own little wine tasting in seat F. With plastic cups.
The Delicato, 2005 California Cabernet Sauvignon, $5, is slightly sweet and has that fake oak -staves, chips, or sawdust- flavor. And while I wouldn’t toss it out the window at 40,000 feet, I wouldn’t let it near my Riedel Bordeaux glass.
The Stone Cellars by Beringer, NV California Cabernet Sauvignon, $5, is by contrast extremely fruity, almost pretty, but with a bit of depth and complexity, and solid tannins. Very glass worthy.
See there, now the whole trip is a write-off. Cha-ching!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
