Red Wine with Breakfast
Every Glass Is An Adventure
What To Drink Now: Wine & Cheese
If you didn’t know, wine goes well with cheese making today extra sweet as it is National Wine & Cheese Day! It’s a day I say is better than Christmas, as life without either would be incomplete.
This morning on KXAS-TV/NBC DFW in Dallas I’ll share some of my favorite wine and cheese pairings, including some of those included in the post below. A link to the segment is here. Cheers!
Some portions of the story were included in West Hawaii Today, July 24, 2019
Wine goes well with cheese, but finding the right mix of creamy or sharp, fresh or aged, red or white can be confusing. Here is a road map to help you enjoy the tasty celebration.
Sauvignon Blanc with Goat Cheese
If you take the idea of pairing the wine and food from the same place, goat cheese, and Sauvignon Blanc are ideal. Throughout France’s picturesque Loire Valley region you find grassy, mineral silex filled Sauvignon Blanc grapes grown near happy goats grazing through the area known as the “Garden of France.” From their milk, tangy cheeses, like Crottin de Chevignol, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, and Valençay, are born. Production of goat cheese throughout Loire dates back to the 8th Century, meaning they have had lots of time to perfect it.
The region’s racy, high acid Sancerre and Pouilly Fume excels with the zesty cheese, like Pascal Jolivet Sancerre ($38) and Vincent Vatan Pouilly Fume Silex ($25). Or select refreshing options from Napa Valley , like Lail “Blueprint” Sauvignon Blanc ($40), Rombauer ($24), Robert Mondavi Oakville Fume Blanc ($40), Orin Swift Blank Stare ($40). Herbaceous, gooseberry, and citrus filled Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand will also work well with fresh goat cheese, like Whitehaven ($20), Kim Crawford ($15), and Cloudy Bay ($27).
What To Drink Now: Elegant Italian Sparklers
Over 300 grape varieties are used to actively produce wines in Italy, with another 300 or 400 grown throughout the country making small production, regional wines for towns and villages, enjoyed by locals and visitors. Thankfully, many of these beauties are imported into the US, giving us the opportunity to get a taste of Italy easily.
When we think Italian sparkling, fruity, frothy Prosecco comes to mind. Prosecco DOC sparklers, like La Marca and Zardetto, are made to be enjoyed in its youth, the wines are approachable, affordable and fun, perfect for sipping on their own or mixed with fruit juice or spirits to create flirty cocktails. Prosecco Superiore DOCG defines more of a sense of place, telling the stories of the history and terroir. The 15 communes that make up the Prosecco Superiore DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene, the most premium part of the region, just achieved UNESCO recognition as a World Heritage Site.
Ten years in the making, the declaration came thanks to the unique characteristics of the area’s rolling hillsides, creating wines with character, like Ruggeri Cartizze and Extra Dry, Perlage Brut, Adami Col Credas Rive di Farra di Soligo, and Villa Sandi Cartizze.
Dallas Uncorked
