Wine Pairing Weekend - #winePW - happens on the second Saturday of the month. And this month - February- Christy of Confessions of a Culinary Diva is hosting. Since it's Valentines' Day, we're talking about Valentine pairings. Click to read her invitation: here.
While I was trying to figure out what I wanted to share, I was approached to create some Valentine wine pairings and inspiration struck.* In the week up to our #winePW event, I shared a different recipe and wine pairing every day. Other bloggers also shared bonus posts this month. What a line-up!
Jade from Tasting
Pour
Jeff from Food
Wine Click
Martin of Enofylz
Wine Blog
Nancy from Pull
That Cork
Kirsten of The
Armchair Sommelier
Jennifer from Vino Travels
David of Cooking
Chat
Michelle from RockinRed Blog
Sarah from Curious
Cuisiniere
Cindy from Grape Experiences
Lori from Draceana Wines
Diana from Wine Pass
Valerie of Girls
Gotta Drink
Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Cherry-Glazed Chicken with Hahn’s Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
- Barley Stuffed Acorn Squash & Zesty Crayfish with Landmark Vineyards’ Overlook Chardonnay
- Wild Boar Mushroom Pot Pies with Landmark Vineyards’ Overlook Pinot Noir
- Seared Venison Medallions with Justin’s Cabernet Sauvignon
- Rosé-Cured Salmon with Balletto Vineyards’ Brut Rosé
- Epoisses, Crackers, & Cremant de Limoux
Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Valentine’s Day Steakhouse Dinner at Home
- 50 Oysters a Day & Other Tales of Seduction
- Pick a Picpoul de Pinet for Your Valentine
- Smokin’ Duck & Pinot
- Valentine’s Take-In Dinner
- Apple of My Eye Pork Chops & Pinot
- Lobster, Corn Fritters & Balletto
Chat with Us and Looking Ahead...
Join us for a live Valentine's Wine Pairing Twitter chat
at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, February 13, using the hashtag #winePW. And get
ready for the March #winePW, where we will share our Open That Bottle Night
experiences. Check out the upcoming and past Wine
Pairing Weekend events on this page.
Before the more well-known sparkling wines - Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava - there was sparkling wine in Limoux, France. In the early 1500s, monks at the St. Hilaire Abbey were producing a semi-sweet sparkling wine from blanquette, the white Mauzac grapes of the region. And like most monastic breweries and wineries, those initial bottles were likely produced by accident.
In fact - well into the 1700s - the bubbles from a secondary, in-bottle, fermentation were even considered a flaw in the wine. Now, they are the goal. Crémant is made by bottling the wine with liqueur de tirage - a syrup made of extra yeast and a small amount of sugar. That sugar is digested by the yeast, creating a bubbly, dry wine.
I poured the Antech Crémant de Limoux Cuvée Emotion 2012. And it was pure deliciousness.
On My Plate...
I fully intended to hand-roll some crackers for this wine-cheese course, but time got away from me. Yes, it happens! So, instead, I'll share some cheese pairing tips for sparkling wines. My rule of thumb: match the weights...
Light & Lively
I'm talking here about fruity, light sparklings such as Proseccos and Cavas. Pair those Mediterannean pours with some blended milk cheeses. One of my favorites is La Tur out of Italy's Piedmont region. It even looks Valentine-y; swaddled in its ruffled paper doily, a petite round of La Tur looks like a creamy, delicious pastry.
The only pairing that I couldn't come up with a catchy, two word description is the one I chose to pair. I always like to pair Washed Rinds with Rosés.
This is sort of a beauty and the beast kinda thing. Époisses de Bourgogne is a cheese made in the village Époisses, and it is a pungent unpasteurized cows' milk cheese. You read pungent, right?!? It downright stinks. But that creamy intensity is mellowed by the light red fruit of a rosé. And the Antech Crémant de Limoux Cuvée Emotion 2012 was just the ticket.
Light & Lively
I'm talking here about fruity, light sparklings such as Proseccos and Cavas. Pair those Mediterannean pours with some blended milk cheeses. One of my favorites is La Tur out of Italy's Piedmont region. It even looks Valentine-y; swaddled in its ruffled paper doily, a petite round of La Tur looks like a creamy, delicious pastry.
Earthy & Buttery
To me, a full-bodied Champagne is often earthy - yeasty, creamy, and on rare occasion a little bit mushroom-y. So, to match that earthiness, I select a yeasty, creamy, mushroom-y cheese such as a camembert. My favorite is a camembert out of Vermont called the Blythedale. It's soft, luscious and has a delicate earthy aroma of forest
mushrooms,
The only pairing that I couldn't come up with a catchy, two word description is the one I chose to pair. I always like to pair Washed Rinds with Rosés.
This is sort of a beauty and the beast kinda thing. Époisses de Bourgogne is a cheese made in the village Époisses, and it is a pungent unpasteurized cows' milk cheese. You read pungent, right?!? It downright stinks. But that creamy intensity is mellowed by the light red fruit of a rosé. And the Antech Crémant de Limoux Cuvée Emotion 2012 was just the ticket.
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*Disclosure: I did receive sample wines from Benson Marketing Group for the purpose of creating pairings and developing recipes. But no additional compensation was received and opinions are completely my own.
Great tips for cheese pairing!
ReplyDeleteWe had this cheese for the first time when we were in Burgundy and then found some back in the states to pair with wine we brought back home. I like the memories it brings. Thanks for the pairing.
ReplyDeleteI had the Antech Emotion as part of a weekly sparkling wine series I did a few years ago. Great value!
ReplyDelete