Uncorked DC: All Things Fermented

October 9, 2008 by Danielle  Send to a Friend

Had enough to drink yet? I didn’t think so. Some area wine-related news:

• The Washington Post’s semi-new guy explains the dearth of good Virginia wines on area shelves and explores some area vintners.
• Alexandria’s getting Washington’s first Pizzeria Venti, which is not a coffee drink despite the name. I include this because, you guessed it, they have a wine bar. The grand opening and wine tasting was last night. Did anyone check it out? Care to comment?
• Northern Virginia–based Neighborhood Restaurant Group (Evening Star Cafe, EatBar, Vermillion, Rustico) will open its first DC venture, a boutique-beer bar, ChurchKey. It’s not wine, but anything dealing with fine alcohol is fine by me.

Now to the real content…

Wine and Cheese Pairings for a splendid Wine and Cheese Fête

I love hosting parties. It’s in my blood. My southern upbringing says “throw the best, most splendid party and show up some yankees in the process.” My Ukrainian heritage says “feed everyone within a 25 mile radius.” My Native American half says “this drink doesn’t have a high enough proof”. Combine these, and you’ll get the recipe for a born party planner and someone who answers that eternal question, “what would a quasi-redneck, pseudo-Slavic Pocahontas look like?

This article went through three previous incarnations until now because of my party planning perfection.  There are just too many wines, too many cheeses, too many themes for one column! Here now is a list of popular wines to go with popular cheeses, and recommendations of where to go and how to find these delights that take the edge off this economy and election.

It’s the cheesiest!

Cheese is easily the most expensive part of this equation, in my opinion. You can’t shortchange on the cheese, or you’re just a half step away from a box of Franzia, a can of Cheez-Whiz, and a poor excuse for a party. You may as well play “Spore” and never talk to anyone again. Unless of course you and your friends think it would be awesome to pair high-dollar champagne with Velveeta, because it’s “so ironic” and “we don’t have to play by your bourgeois rules”.  As a commenter said last week, not sure who, it ain’t Williamsburg circa 2003. Irony is out. Classy is always in. Go buy some decent cheese.

The best place to buy cheese in DC is Cowgirl Creamery, at 919 F St NW. Conveniently enough it’s next to one of my favorite liquor stores in the city, Central Liquors. Cowgirl Creamery is amazing and unfortunately insanely expensive. For your budget (and mine), go to Whole Foods and Eastern Market. I like Whole Foods because the cheese counter (at least on P street, I can’t vouch for any others) has a wire basket full of odds and ends from cheeses they’ve sliced that day. For about $2 or less you can get enough cheese to taste some far-out variety you’ve never heard before with whatever wine you’re having at home. It’s like one big treasure hunt where I can walk away with a $1.50 hunk of Mahon to sample that evening.

Now to the wine.

I could recommend wines all day, but for a most basic wine-and-cheese pairing party I recommend you stick with four. If you’re a newbie to this more may overwhelm you, and even if you’re not you could get spend a ton of money and go overboard. I say go with one sparkling, one white, one red, and one sweet wine. You get a spectrum of flavors and won’t break the bank. Of course, you could have an entire tasting based on one alone; all sparkling wines, or all white wines (because it is fascinating to taste the difference between chevre and Sauvignon Blanc versus brie and a Burgundy Chardonnay).

SPARKLING: [If you’re on a budget (like me), I recommend Prosecco, Cava, or an American sparkling wine in lieu of Champagne. That’s hard for me to say because I adore Champagne and will be devoting quite a few future columns to it]
Brie – excellent because the bubbles cut through some of the creaminess
Camembert –another wonderful creamy cheese
Edam –only if the sparkling wine you’re serving has a slightly nutty or yeasty flavor to it. If you’re serving anything with even a hint of sweet like Prosecco, stay away!
Gouda – ditto. It can be a yeasty sparkling wine’s best friend and a cava’s worst enemy.

WHITE: Tricky, because there are so many white wines. To get a nice (inexpensive) spectrum I recommend a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio. I think the more esoteric wines are so much more fun (Soave, Chenin Blanc, and Gewurtztraminer) but the former are ones you could find in large sizes for pretty cheap and still maintain a semblance of quality.

Sauvignon Blanc:
Any goat cheese that ever existed, ever.
Cheddar (sharp)
Gruyere
Mahon

Chardonnay:
Jarlsberg (esp. Chablis)
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Pecorino
Provolone

Pinot Grigio:
Asiago Fresco
Caprino Tartufo
Ricotta

REDS: Even more to choose from. Let’s keep it basic: Merlot, Cab Sav, and Pinot Noir

Merlot:
Doddington
Gruyere
Pecorino Toscano

Cabernet Sauvignon:
Cheddar (sharp)
Comte
Gouda (aged)

Pinot Noir:
Cheddar (light)
Gouda
Gruyere

SWEET: Stinky cheese. You’ll say “gross! Roquefort smells like feet, I am NOT eating that.” Listen, I hated it too. But with a good wine, stinky cheese is to die for.
Blue cheeses: Bleu de Sassenage, Cashel Blue, Fourme d’Ambert
Roquefort

I could write endless columns about this, but unfortunately those of you who are still reading (thanks!) are probably suffering from so much eye strain you can’t see the type anymore. If you have a particular pairing question or wine recommendation, leave it as a comment. I’ll go ahead and answer a question I know will come up: there is no best wine that pairs with balls. Anything will suffice.

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