Chances are we have all been invited to a wine and cheese party. Not only is it a relatively simple way to entertain friends, neighbours or even clients - a glass of wine and a chunk of cheese are a classic pairing. With a wide variety of wines to choose from along with an array of soft, creamy, hard and even blue cheeses, there is a different taste sensation waiting to be enjoyed.
Which wine goes with which cheese?
The best way to figure this out is to experiment. My rule of thumb is the flavour of the cheese guides you to determine whether you may enjoy a light wine or a full bodied wine. Cheeses with mild taste such as young Cheddar, Feta, Goat Cheese, Parmesan, Havarti and Brie would be best with a glass of crisp white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris or light bodied red wine such as Pinot Noir or Gamay. When you bite into a chunk of cheese with bold aromas and tastes such as Gouda, Gorgonzola, blue cheeses, Stilton or older cheeses that are hard and crumbly, be sure to have a glass of heavier white - oaked Chardonnay, Fumé Blanc - or full bodied red wines – Merlot, Shiraz, red Zinfandel or red blends. With a great cheese and wine combo, you are in for a delicious treat!
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What is a Wine & Cheese with a TWIST?
Go beyond just having wine and cheese on hand and have winemakers and cheese makers at the event too. Maybe even a cheese Sommelier!
“It is so fascinating to meet the people who make the wine and cheese we all enjoy.” comments Amanda Jackson who regularly attended Savvy Company’s wine tastings and cheese classes and now organizes them at Savvy Company. “Adding the people who make the wines provides more learning and a great atmosphere, they always have interesting stories and want to share their knowledge with you. After all, they produce their own wines for us to enjoy.”
Savvy Company is hosting two Wine & Cheese with a TWIST events that will take place in small venues and there will be a limited number of tickets available to make sure that each ticketholder has plenty of opportunity to chat with each of the winemakers who are coming from their boutique wineries in Prince Edward County and Niagara. We invite you to join us in Rockcliffe Park on Tuesday January 29th or Westboro on Wednesday January 30th.
See the full list of Ontario wines that will be showcased those 2 nights.
And more winemakers are coming to Ottawa at these events:
LCBO’s Taste Ontario! – Monday February 11 at the National Art Gallery $65. To buy tickets call the LCBO on 1-800-266-4764
California Wine Fair - Friday, April 5th at Westin Ottawa. Tickets go on sale February 1st on www.calwine.ca
Don’t be shy...ask winemakers ANY questions!
Winemakers are some of the most interesting people and they enjoy meeting the people who buy their wine. Here are some conversation starters:
How was this year’s harvest?
In the fall of 2012, Winemakers in Ontario broke records and started picking grapes earlier than ever – in some cases 3 to 5 weeks earlier than they have in the past 40 years.
What is happening at the winery right now?
With the cold snap this week, many have started to pick the grapes left on the vines for icewine
How did you become a winemaker?
Be ready to chat for awhile with this question! They may bend your ear for a bit with the story.
What is your favorite drink after work?
Watch out, the answer might be beer!
Some SAVVY wine tasting tips...
At these fun walk-about wine tastings, it can be overwhelming with so many bottle of wines open to try.
Be selective – You don’t have to try every wine. Decide ahead of time to taste a certain grape varieties (Riesling, Merlot, etc) then discover the differences from winemaker to winemaker.
Spitting is OK – Sommeliers do it all the time! By spitting, you’ll be able to taste more wines during the event. At each table, wineries will always provide a spittoon. If it is not there – don’t be shy & ask for it!
Dumping your wine is fine –Remember that this is a wine TASTING. There is no need to finish all of the wine in your glass. When you’ve tasted enough, it’s perfectly ok to pour the remaining wine into a spittoon. Rest assured that the winemaker won’t take it as a signal that you didn’t enjoy the wine, rather it’s a sign you’re ready to move on to taste the next wine.
Refresh with water - take a break from sipping wine and have a glass of water. This will give you a chance to relax and reflect on the great wines that you have and the water will refresh your palette.