Wine, etc.: Meet wine's best friend By Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr
The thought of attending another wine-and-cheese party makes us want to scream. We have some scars on our palate from those loud parties where crowds armed with toothpicks stab chunks of Crackerbarrel cheddar while trying hopelessly to carry on some profound conversation. Conversation with hunks of cheese and cracker in your mouth is not profound.
Except for port and Stilton, we always thought the wine-and-cheese pairing was overrated - then we met Stacey Zier who gave us an entirely new perspective.
Stacey is the owner and operator of Tastings Gourmet Market and Artisinal Cheese Center in Clocktower Plaza on Forest Drive. One recent afternoon, she brought over an extraordinary array of Italian cheeses to pair with a couple of amarones - an Italian wine we recently featured in a column. We anticipated a disaster - did she really think an amarone could stand up to cheese?
Then, it did. Of course, we weren't talking about Crackerbarrel. We were eating some terrific cheeses, many with complex flavors: Alta Langa Rochetta, a soft mix of different milk, Pecorino Toscano and Pecorino Vechio -both sheep's milk - Gorgonzola Picante, Asiago Classico, an herbal Vento d'Estate and Torta de Canarajal from Spain. The last pairing was perhaps the best and certainly the most surprising. It stood up well to the big Italian amarones.
The difficulty in pairing wine with cheese is the overpowering flavors of the cheese. It is not a time for wimpy wines, which is why those large wine and cheese parties are so heinous. The creamy texture of soft cheese, for instance, can conflict with a strong cabernet sauvignon. So you have to know a cheese's texture as well as its flavors.
The cheese tasting experience, we discovered, is much like wine. You examine the cheese's appearance, aromas, texture, and flavors.
Stacey studies cheese, so she knows a thing or two about the subject. We are delighted that she joins us in writing a column on this page.
Before opening her cheese market in September 2006, Stacey was trained at L'Academie de Cuisine in both French Culinary techniques and French Pastry. She traveled extensively abroad and met some of the best cheesemakers in the United States. She has also participated in countless cheese workshops and participated recently in the American Cheese Society Conference where she tasted more than 700 cheeses in five days.
"I began to focus on cheese because every cheese has a story to be told," she recently told us. "Every artisan and farmstead cheesemaker has a passion for their cheese and animals."
Like wine, consumers want to learn more about cheese and are willing to experiment - as evidenced by the people who stream into Stacey's store for something new. We're looking forward to learning a lot from her.
Masi
If you missed our recent column about those amarones that go so well with cheese, here are some new ones we recently tried from the respected Masi producer. Masi makes several single-vineyard versions that emphasize the personality of each vineyard.
Amarone is made in an ancient method of drying the grapes on bamboo racks in September and pressing partially dry grapes in February. With nearly 40 percent less juice, the cost of the wine is considerably more. But the flavors are intense and the texture soft.
Ask Stacey to pick some cheeses to go with these great wines:
Masi Campolongo di Torbe Amarone Classico 2001 ($135). Lots of elegance in the blend of corvina (70 percent), rondinella and molinara. Classic rasin aromas followed by sweet flavors of cherries, cocoa and spice. Soft texture but deceiving tannins make this a delicious wine for current or long-term drinking.
Serego Alighiei Vaio Armaron Amarone Classico 2001 ($75). Varietal cherry aromas with intriguing violets and rosemary notes. Plum and mocha flavors add to the enticing package.
Masi Costasera Amarone Classico 2004 ($80). Raisins and prunes dominate the armoas with cherries, mocha and cinnamon on the palate. Long finished, velvet texture.
Masi Mazzano Amarone Classico 2001 ($135). Vanilla and plums stand out in the bouquet of this unbelieveable wine. Full bodied yet soft on the palate, it has layered fruit of plums and cherries. Long finish.
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Do you have a question or suggestion for a topic? Write to the authors in care of this newspaper or e-mail tmarquardt@capitalgazette.com.
