How to Do a Wine and Cheese Tasting to Celebrate Wine and Cheese Day
We all know that wine and cheese is a match made in heaven. But which wine with which cheese? As they say, what grows together goes together, but not all cheeses from a place go with all the wines. So we chose a range of four wines from four countries in the EU (Italy, France, Portugal, and Germany) to pair with a range of eight cheeses (Italy, France, Portugal, Germany, England, Spain) just in time to share with you for Wine and Cheese Day held annually on July 25. Not only did we come up with a nice variety of cheeses but a variety of cheeses made with different milks (cow, sheep, goat) as well as cheeses from different countries with a variety of textures from fresh to aged.
If you’re building a cheese board, and you’re unsure of the wines that might be poured,
Shiraz is just another name for Syrah, the dark skinned grape from the Rhone region of France. Or is it? While in the US, we follow the French and call it Syrah, if the wine is grown in a hot climate, it will offer a flavor profile that lends itself to the typical rich juicy jammy Australian style called Shiraz. Under US wine laws, wines made from Syrah or Shiraz can call it by either name. As the third Thursday in July is Shiraz Day, we are celebrating with a Shiraz (aka Syrah) from Lieu- Dit Malackoff, Pyrenees Australia paired with a summery menu featuring a smoky meatloaf full of rich bacon!
Are you having a sparkling summer so far? With Prosecco Week, Sparkling Wine Week, and now International Cava Day on July 12, we have had lots of reasons to break out the bottles of bubbly! One of the reasons I love these wine celebrations is that they give us a moment to pay attention to a particular wine, region, or style– in this case Cava– and a chance to review what that wine is all about. Most people know that Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain, but did you know it’s made using the same method as they do in France for Champagne or Cremant but with grapes indigenous to Iberia like Xarel·lo, Macabeo, Parellada? Read more about the authorized grapes here.
I was excited to learn that Spain leads Europe in certified organic vineyards, and that the category of organic Cava grew by almost 25% last year!
Fresh from the grill: halibut and pizza with wines from Sicily #ItalianFWt
Looking for a healthy easy meal from the grill? This summer season, seek Sicilian wines to pair with pizza and halibut cooked outside! More often than not, Sicilian wines are made with organically grown grapes — winds and other weather patterns on the island in the south of Italy provide vines with the healthy conditions they need to grow. Without the disease pressure found in other areas of the world where grapes are grown, it is easier in Sicily to grow organically — so they do! They just don’t always get them certified, or post that info on the label even if they are growing grapes without chemicals.
And instead of grilling meat, how about fresh halibut Continue reading →
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” So proclaimed the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 when they adopted the Declaration of Independence almost 250 years ago when people came together in defiance of a king, to say that no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States.
Happy Independence Day! What are some of your traditions? Do they include traditional American foods like grilled burgers or hot dogs? What about wine from the US? While California cab may be considered by many to be king, we decided to do bison and beef burgers with wines from the MidWest made from unusual and indigenous American grapes and hybrids! Bonus, Sue visited these wineries, took photos (below), purchased the wines, and brought them back to share.
Albert Bichot Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Réserve with smoked deviled eggs
“We must never forget that wine is a luxury product, not a necessity,” said Albéric Bichot in 2020 (source). Albéric Bichot is head of the house of Albert Bichot, one of the four largest traditional wine merchants in Burgundy, and one that has been family business for six generations. “We can get by without luxuries, especially if they are harmful. It is totally reasonable that society expects grape growers to be accountable for the pesticides they use. In the vineyard we need a change of mindset.”
We are talking today about his Albert Bichot Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Réserve because hot on the heels of Prosecco Week (read here) is Sparkling Wine Week the first week of July! While Prosecco may be the most popular sparkling wine in the world, Crémant, a traditionally made sparkling wine from France, also offers affordable bubbles making for summer fun for a gathering with friends and family during an afternoon, brunch, or dinner. While perfectly suitable for a seafood dinner, Continue reading →
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 