Category: Champagne

Summer Wine and Cheese Pairings

Wine and Cheese are a classic combination – both are products of fermentation. Both may be consumed fresh and young, or in their more abstruse forms when they have aged and matured.  Here are basic pairing guidelines that have been proven favorable:

1.Pair wine and cheese of the same region together, i.e., Chianti with Parmesan;
2.Pair salty cheese with sweet wines – a good pairing is Stilton with Port;
3.Pair creamy, soft-ripening cheeses with full-bodied, tannic red wines such as Red Bordeaux with Brie;
4Pair acid with acid – this may not be obvious, but acids in food usually cancel out acids in wine. A famous pairing is Sauvignon Blanc with goat cheese;
5My Favorite: Pairing rich cheese with Champagne  or sparkling wines, such as French port de salut or chevre;
6When offering several cheese choices, whites fair better than reds. Particularly soft and creamy cheeses leave a layer of fat on the palate and this interferes with the flavor in reds, rendering them monotonical;
7.Most of the sweeter whites complement a full range of cheeses. The spicy zing of Gewürztraminer or the peachy zip of Riesling is ideal if you’re going for wide-reaching appeal;

8.Parmigianino or Romano cheeses pair well with most wines; and
9.If you’re a cheese adventurist and you like to eat the stinkiest of cheeses, indulge in a big red like a Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Liz Palmer
Food and Wine Writer
June 23, 2009

In Memory of  Ken

5 SUMMER MUST HAVES WINES

IT IS TIME to break out the summer wines. The desire to find a crisp and refreshing quaff to drink on your boats or for the patio has me scrambling to the cellar and the local wine store. The thought of drinking a glass of heavy red wine right now feels just that – h e a v y.  So what are we left with?  I turned to a customer insights specialist at LCBO for a prediction of the top five wines under $10 that will be top sellers this summer, and they came back with the following list. I have prepared personal tasting notes and food pairing suggestions.

 Barefoot Cellars White Zinfandel $9.95 (California Rose)

Liz’s tasting notes:  tropical aromas of pineapple and citrus. Flavors of strawberries and pears intensify the smooth, crisp finish – this wine is a perfect accompaniment to sweet or spicy foods

Misterio $7.95 (Argentina Malbec)

Argentina’s signature red variety.  Liz’s tasting notes: The nose has aromas of dark berries, has lots of plummy flavour, undertones of vanilla oak with supple tannins – serve with grilled steaks, and other grilled meats  

The Beach House $9.95 (South Africa Sauvignon Blanc Semillon)

Liz’s tasting notes:  Wow – what a find! Dry, crisp with delicious citrus notes yet smooth and very easy drinking – matches with seafood, salad, chicken, fish, white meat, or drink as a aperitif
Cono Sur Viognier $9.95 (Chile White)

Liz’s tasting notes:  Intense aromas of lush peach, melon and floral orange blossom on the nose.  Medium acidity, with a touch of mineral.  Food, or no food!. Overall quite a good everyday New World Viognier – great wine to serve chilled and to pair with salads, spicy dishes, seafood, white meats, and fruit-based desserts

 Ogio Primitivo $8.85 (Italy Red)

Liz’s tasting notes:  Aromas of spicy black cherry, plum, vanilla and lilacs. Spicy, mineral and black fruit flavours – an excellent match for pasta dishes

 Many other fantastic summer wines are available such as Muscadet and Vouvray from the Loire Valley, Pinot Gris from Oregon and Gewürztraminer from Alsace. Try lighter red wines slightly chilled or trying tawny port over ice with just a little soda water as is fashionable in the town of Oporto in the summer. The ultimate guideline as to the best summertime wine will be your own!

                                                                                                                             by Liz Palmer

Apprentissage Sommelier
liz.palmer@rogers.com

Think Pink: It’s Spring – Let’s Talk Rosé

 Rosé season is back – YES!   When our boats get cleaned and launched, our gardens get attention, baseball returns and the BBQ season has started up, it’s time to uncork Rosé.

Rosé makes a surprisingly good food match. They are not wines to dwell over too long.  Qualities you should be looking for in good rosé are its crispness, freshness, fruitiness, and good balance.   How does Rosé get its colour? The distinctive pink hue comes from red grape skins being crushed and left in contact with the macerating white juice long enough to gently tint the wine, then removed. Countries that produce: France produces a third of the worlds rosé, the other two-thirds come from Italy, Spain, Chile, United States, Canada and China. 

Liz Palmer
Apprentissage Sommelier