There is a wine tasting room in downtown Murphys, CA called Lavender Ridge
and they serve complimentary cheese with their wines. Like most tasting
rooms in Murphys, there is a $5 tasting fee per person, but Lavender
Ridge does not charge an additional fee for the cheese like some places
do. Every time we visit Murphys we stop by this tasting room because it
introduces us to different cheeses and they sell the cheese in the store! Pairing wine with cheese is always fun before or after dinner or for a party. Wine and cheese pairing parties are a fun way for people to try new combinations. Each person brings a bottle of wine and a cheese that they think would pair well with their wine. Sometimes we find that we favor certain cheeses over others due to which region and animal they come from. Artisanal is a website and lists different cheeses with the region and animal they come from. There are lots of resources out
there on pairing wine
and cheese and they often all say that it comes down to the acidity of
the wine and the fat content of the cheese.Sometimes it is a matter of finding a store that has these wines and cheeses available. If you can't find a certain cheese, ask the store's cheese monger or an employee in the wine section for alternatives. Here is a nice guide that the Wine Inquirer provides:
| Appenzellar: | Gewurtztraminer, Riesling |
| Blue d’Auvergne: | Port |
| Triple Cream Brie: | full Chardonnay |
| Brillat-Savarin: | Sparkling wine |
| Camembert: | full Chardonnay |
| Chabichou du Poitou: | a Loire white, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pouilly-Fume |
| Cheddar(Farmhouse,aged): | Port, Beaujolais or Pinot Noir. A white or red where tannins and acidity are not too strong. |
| Compte: | Beaujolais or light Pinot Noir for reds |
| Double Gloucester: | Port |
| Dry Jack: | Cabernet |
| Epoisses: | White Burgundy (a rich Chardonnay is a good substitute and often less pricey) |
| Feta: | Greek white (Assyrtiko or Moschofilero) |
| Garrotxa: | Rueda white, Garnacha rose, light tempranillo |
| Gruyere: | Alsatian Riesling, Beaujolais |
| Le Chevrot: | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Livarot: | dry or off dry Riesling |
| Manchego: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Manchester: | Chinon blanc (from Savennieres) |
| Parmigiano-Reggiano: | Sparkling red before dinner, Port after |
| Aged Gouda: | Red Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Piave: | Fruity reds from the Veneto region such asa Valpolicella |
| Roquefort: | Sauternes; for reds try a Banyuls or Madera |
| Shropshire Blue: | Port or Sauternes |
| Stilton: | Port or Sauternes |
| Valencay: | Sauvignon blanc or naked (unoaked) Chardonnay |
Here is a great chart that indicates certain wines and their level of sweetness (click on image to enlarge):
These Italian pairings listed below we tried and were really great. However, this was in 2011, so you may have to look for more a recent vintage. In bold is the region or varietal of wine:
- Bortolotti Prosecco NV (sparkling wine/dry - Veneto):
Paired with Robiola Bosina (soft - Piemonte) - Luisi Moscato d'Asti 2010 (sparkling wine/sweet - Piemonte):
Paired with Gorgonzola (blue cheese - Lombardia)
- Gini Soave Classico 2010 (white wine - Veneto):
Paired with Pecorino Toscano Fresco (semi-soft - Tuscany)
- Ruffino Orvieto 2010 (white wine - Umbria):
Paired with Piave Vecchio (hard - Veneto)
- Cavallotto Dolcetto d'Alba 2009 (red wine - Piemonte):
Paired with Provolone (semi-soft - Lombardia)
- Castello d'Albola Chianti Classico 2008 (red wine - Tuscany):
Paired with Taleggio (soft - Lombardia)
If you are looking for party cheese recipes, here are
some ideas that combine cheeses and the fun part is trying different
wines with these combinations. This is nice for a larger group and is
more unstructured that just pairing one wine with one cheese. Party Cheese Balls
If you want to make the cheese balls the day before a party, roll the cheese into balls and refrigerate them (only up to 24 hours or they start to become less fresh). Coat them right before guests arrive, no more than 1 hour before the party.
Cream cheese and cheddar cheese ball
- 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
- whip cream cheese until fluffy
- 1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (add more if needed)
Shape into 1 large ball or several mini sized balls. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
Salmon cream cheese ball
- 1 (8oz) pckg cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp Sour Cream
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 4oz of Smoked Salmon, chopped
- 1 tsp dill, optional- Combine ingredients in a food processor bowl and process for 30 seconds to 1 minute until a chunky texture. Season the cheese mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for two hours.
- Shape the mixture into a ball and press down gently to form a larger cheese ball. Place the cheese ball on the center of a plate or platter and surround with crisp veggie slices.
Coating ideas
- finely chopped nuts
- dried cranberries
- chives
- bacon pieces
- herbs
- spices (such as paprika, ground white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder)
- I find that spicy things (cayenne, hot pepper flakes, hot sauce, etc.) don't pair as well with wines high in alcohol or acidity
Dipping ideas
- bagel chips
- veggie sticks
- sturdy chips (kettle chips)
- crackers
Leaning Tower of Cheese
This is a great recipe! It makes enough for a group up to 10 people. You may need to double it for larger groups. This pairs well with Rieslings, Chardonnay, or Barbera.
- 1.5 oz. sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 5 slices provolone cheese
- 4 oz. pesto
Bring a small pan of hot water to boil. Turn off heat. Put the sun-dried tomatoes in water, cover, and sit for 5 minutes. Drain and finely chop.
In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and garlic together. Line a medium bowl or loaf pan with a large piece of dampened cheese cloth. Layer with 1/3 of the provolone cheese. Spread with 1/2 the pesto. Pour in 1/2 the cream cheese and garlic mixture. Layer with 1/2 the sun-dried tomatoes. Layer with 1/3 provolone, remaining pesto, remaining cream cheese and garlic mixture and remaining sun-dried tomatoes. Top with remaining provolone cheese. Pull cheese cloth around the layered mixture and gently press into a bowl to mold and remove excess oil. Chill in the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours. Remove cheese cloth and turn upside down onto a large dish to serve.
Blue Cheese and CeleryKalaf family recipe. This pairs well with Sauvignon Blanc or a Viognier.
- Blue Cheese (Stilton, Danish, etc)
- cream cheese
- splash of white wine
- celery
- paprika (or chopped pecans)
In a bowl, crumble the blue cheese into fine pieces with a fork. Add small amounts of cream cheese and taste as you go along. It is roughly 3 parts blue cheese to 1 part cream cheese, depending on how strong of a flavor you like the blue cheese. Add a splash of white wine to make it creamy. Cut celery into bite size pieces. Find a nice plate to put the celery filled cheese on. Put cheese filling in each piece, a plastic knife works best because it is flexible. When finished, sprinkle paprika lightly over the top (or chopped pecans).
