Celebrating an American Holiday with Two Bay Area Darlings: Cowgirl Creamery + Donkey & Goat Winery #WinePW

This month the Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers - on the invitation from Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm - are focusing on their Thanksgiving table. You can read Wendy's invitation: here. If you're reading this early enough, join us on Twitter on Saturday, November 11at at 8am Pacific time. Just follow the hashtag #WinePW and jump in whenever you wish. Here's what the crew posted this month...

• Culinary Adventures with Camilla is Celebrating an American Holiday with Two Bay Area Darlings: Cowgirl Creamery + Donkey & Goat Winery.
• Wine Predator enjoyed American Wine, American Meal: Duck with Napa's Duckhorn Merlot.
• L'Occasion is sharing 5 American Wines for Thanksgiving.
• Cooking Chat will be sharing Roast Turkey Breast with Cranberry Merlot Sauce.
• A Day in the Life on the Farm will be discussing Holiday Leftovers; Mediterranean Chili with an American Wine.
• Pull that Cork is Celebrating Thanksgiving and Mercer Wine Estates.

I chuckled when I saw that she called my Thanksgiving tradition out as 'adventure.' It's true: I don't remember the last time we had a turkey on the table. Or rather the last time I roasted a turkey; my mom and dad will roast one because they love the leftovers. But, they happily devour whatever creative madness I put on the table! This year, I'm toying with the idea of a Persian menu. But it may be Moroccan since I just received a gorgeous tagine.

But, for today, I am sharing a pairing that would be the perfect start to Thanksgiving and we're celebrating the American holiday with two Bay Area darlings. I usually start off a feast with a cheese platter. So, I picked one of my favorite cheesemakers - Cowgirl Creamery - and paired it with a wine from one of my favorite vintners - Donkey & Goat.

On the Plate

Cowgirl Creamery has a tasting room in Point Reyes and a shop in the Ferry Building in San Francisco. But I love that I can get their cheeses at our local Whole Foods. While their Red Hawk is my favorite, R only likes the Red Hawk when we buy it in San Francisco. Don't ask me why? He says that the same cheese, when purchased here in Monterey, is too pungent. Nonsense! I say. There's no such thing as cheese that's too pungent. Is there?

So, the Cowgirl Creamery cheese on which we can all agree - all the time - is their Mt. Tam. Named for Mt. Tamalpais, it's an elegant triple cream that has hints of white mushroom. I served it with a full cheese board with other cheeses, crackers, olives, and fruits.

In the Glass

Donkey & Goat has a tasting room in Berkeley. I don't get up there often enough, but I love it and their wines. I mean, who doesn't love playing bocce with a glass of wine in hand?!

I uncorked the Blanca Pinot Gris. Grapes from this bio-dynamic vineyard were foot-stomped and left to soak for 5 hours before pressing to neutral French Oak barrels. I love its pale orange hue. And it has an intriguing combination of tart, tropical notes with tannic green tea. It has a playful acidity that makes it very friendly with rich cheeses.