say cheese, plate.
March 14th, 2009 § 1 Comment
Thursday evening, after an afternoon of working the check-in desk at an event on Miami Beach to unveil the new Bordeaux vintage, I rushed from the Gansevoort South down to Pinecrest for a class I didn’t want to miss. Phew. “Cheese 101,” taught by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic Jamie Futscher (the wine and cheese buyer for Sunset Corners,) hadn’t yet begun when I arrived a few minutes late. So I grabbed a seat front and center, and took in the scene.
The small classroom of 12 or so attendees were passing around a ripe Rabiola and plates piled high with fresh french baguette rounds. Each of us had a tray with eight different pieces of cheese in front of us.
- Top (from left to right – how we tasted): Selles-Sur-Cher, La Tur, Stanser Schafkase, Gres de Vosges; Bottom (also from left to right): Mahon, Beecher’s Flagship Reserve, Roomano Gouda, Jasper Hills Bayley Hazen Blue
Before pouring the first bottle, Jamie covered the basics. Like wine, there are different categories of cheese, ways to describe what you are tasting and pairings that further enhance its intrinsic flavors. For someone who’s had her fair share of cheeses, I wasn’t a beginner but knew the universe was vast and, to be quite honest, a little intimidating. Despite varying levels of exposure to gourmet cheese, every person in the room intently participated, sharing their own opinions, asking questions and soaking up every last drop of information Jamie put forward.
I only have time for a summary today, but maybe you’ll find the highlights below helpful the next time you’re standing befuddled in front of the cheese counter, like me. I plan to continue to post about cheese in the future, since these takeaways barely scratch the rind.
THERE ARE 8 GENERAL TYPES OF CHEESES: Fresh Cheese, Bloomy Rind, Semi-Soft Cheese, Surface-Ripened, Semi-Hard, Hard, Blue Cheese and Washed Rind (Stinky.)
THERE ARE 3 GENERAL TYPES OF MILK THAT CHEESE IS MADE FROM: Cow, Sheep and Goat. Jamie had heard of Elk cheese, too, but it’s very rare.
PASTEURIZED VS. UNPASTEURIZED: Did you know that it is 100% legal to bring unpasteurized cheese into the U.S. as long as it’s more than 60 days old? I didn’t! That said, some of the best unpasteurized cheeses are young, so we’re still missing out to some extent.
AFFINEUR: Some cheeses improve with age and ripening. And it doesn’t necessarily happen with the cheesemaker. An affineur is a person who collects cheeses from small, artisnal cheesemakers and carefully ages them to perfection. The “Stanser Schafkase” we tried was aged by an affineur.
LESSONS FROM GOLDILOCKS: Always serve cheeses at room temp, so you can enjoy the nuances of flavor that aren’t present if they’re too cold. Too warm is also not recommended.
YOUR PERFECT DIY CHEESE PLATE: The most versatile wine I tried at the class, one that brought out the best in all eight cheeses, was a Saint M Riesling (Germany.) It’s a drier riesling with just a hint of sweetness. Jamie recommends pairing it with a selection of cheeses of different milks and different textures. Also, her favorite accompaniment is fresh bread (either baguette or raisin walnut can pair well.) She shys from crackers with too much seasoning, especially if you’re eating really good quality cheese, so you can taste how the cheese and wine play together without distraction. She also recommends having three or four cheeses on a plate at a time. With some Marcona almonds and something sweet like a fig spread. Too many cheeses are overwhelming. Too little make for a one-dimensional experience.
“get thee to a nunnery…”
March 13th, 2009 § 1 Comment
When Hamlet utters these words to Ophelia in the eponymous Shakespearean tragedy, it is interpreted as an expression of his conflicted state, an inner turmoil over a father slain, a revenge plotted and a love uncertain. (Nunneries were once known to operate as both convents and brothels, believe it or not! How’s that for dramatic irony?)
Please rest assured, the intent of my allusion is neither to baffle nor to signal impending doom. There are a few reasons why evoking Shakespeare works to preface this post. Most literally, we’re going to be talking about nuns. And figuratively, like most brilliant works of classical art, this English Master’s plays have stood the test of time, only to grow stronger with age. Especially their power to transport us to the romantic old world of the past in which they are set. Of lords and serfs. Nobles and peasants. Where castles aren’t just relics of a forgotten time to which your travel agent coordinates a visit. It’s where the history of religious orders and their tradition of winemaking first began. And when the vines were first planted. It is in this mindset that I’d like to share what I learned about the Monastero Suore Cistercensi della Carita.
Relatively new to the game, considering the Catholic religion dates back nearly 2,000 years, the Monastero was founded in Vitorchiano just north of Rome in 1709, 93 years after Shakespeare’s death, during the period immediately following the Italian Renaissance, or Rinascimiento. Translated from the convent’s website - yes, they have a website, which put my waning Italian to the test - ”Mother Claudia De Angelis saw the human and spiritual poverty in her city and thought to create a ‘pious place of charity,’ founding the basis for an extraordinary spiritual adventure that lasts until today, with new means and new possibilities, but with a substantial and resolute faith to the past.”
It figures that for Importer Rosenthal Wine Merchant, it has also always been about preserving the time-honored traditions of their suppliers. I spoke on the phone Thursday with Blake Johnson, who has been with Company Founder Neal Rosenthal for 15 years, about the sisters’ wine and how it came to be marketed state side with the help of Area Vintner Giampiero Bea. He also touched on the Importer’s philosophy, of which you can read more in Rosenthal’s new book, Reflections of a Wine Merchant (Amazon, $16.32 when I last checked.) Having read the reviews, I think it would be an excellent read, especially while traveling to the terroir itself – or just dreaming of it while enjoying a glass of one of the nuns’ new releases, now available locally at Sunset Corners.
Click here to listen to how the nuns began bottling their wine
On respecting the land and the product
On the style of the nuns’ wine
2007 Monastero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium ($29.99 a bottle at Sunset Corners)
Grapes: Verdicchio, Grecchetto, Malvasia and Trebbiano
Characteristics: Bright with crisp acidity; dry wine and driven by its minerality; light in color with a pale yellow tint; sturdy and full-bodied, with hints of chamomile and lime blossom.
2007 Monastero Suoro Cistercensi Rusticum 2007 ($39.99 a bottle at Sunset Corners)
Grapes: Blend of 55% Trebbiano, 20% Malvasia, 15% Verdicchio, and 10% Grecchetto
Characteristics: Powerful with lots of character; deep golden color, carries 13.5% alcohol; haunting combination of honey and walnut flavors.
Helpful descriptions courtesy of Michael Bittel of Sunset Corners. Email Michael at mbittel@sunsetcorners.com for more information on the wines and what foods to pair with them, and he will be happy to help you.
excuse me while I slip into something a little more comfortable
February 24th, 2009 § 1 Comment
I finally went to pick up the 2007 Sinister Hand today, which I found out now can come with a fancy accessory. I’m not talking about a top-of-the-line corkscrew or wine glass identification rings. No, ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about clothing apparel for your bottle. In this case, a guayabera. Of course this really comes in handy if your vino is a blush (which it most likely is not,) but other varieties could be prone to shyness and modesty, too.
I have always associated this popular men's shirt with Cuba, but apparently Mexico also claims the garment's origin.
Matthew Perry (again, not who you think) at Wolfe’s on the Mile tells me the pint-sized replicas, including the tiny straw sombrero, are the brainchild of young entrepreneur Oscar Cepero who popped into the store one day shopping his wares. He sources the product himself from China, and apparently they are flying off the shelf like hot cakes. They add a surprising cute-factor, a case of bottle personification recalling the likes of Mr. Potato Head. And you and your company can partake in a laugh or two, even before the drinking begins, making it a recession-appropriate party favor. So will haute bottle couture be next? I won’t be holding my breath.
$8 at Wolfe's Wine Shoppe on the Mile.
