Over the weekend we traveled out to Seattle, WA to get acquainted with the Pacific Northwest. Not only did we find beautiful weather and scenery but there was also wine there! On our first day we took the ferry out to Bainbridge Island and were delighted to happen upon a couple wine shops.
We purchased this Lodi Zinfandel during the BevMo 5cent sale. (http://www.bevmo.com) I have heard that Lodi is the Zin capital of CA so I had to check it out! According to the Lodi website, http://www.lodiwine.com/vineyards/old-vine-zinfandel, the wines are known for their “intense red and black fruit flavors of cherries, raspberries, and blackberries.” The BevMo description of this wine recommends pairing a strong cheese so I figured the Gruyere would fit the bill. We’ve used this cheese once before at the very beginning of WineAndCheeseFriday and I remember it being a little too intense for me. (http://mferraro73.tumblr.com/post/46997403195/pinot-noir-and-gruyere-sunday-march-24-things) Let’s see if my palate has changed?
For this week’s entry, we’ll comment on some of our favorite entries this year. I’ve been enjoying the “new flavors” and noticeable reactions that have happened in a couple of our past entries; these are the ones I chose for my selections. Neil has had a couple where he exclaimed about the pairings, so I chose these entries for his favorites. They are listed in order of Maria’s Favorites, entries 1-3 and Neil’s Favorites, 3-5, with the overlap being Entry 3.
Since we are the Wine and cheese couple, we are always on the look out for new wine experiences. Over the weekend we visited Lake Tahoe for some much needed R & R. While we were there, we found a winery with bocce ball, definitely a place worth checking out.
While we were in France, we figured we should try some of the famous French Wine And Cheeses. Here’s what we got a hold of while we were there.
Neil and I just returned from our first trip to Europe filled with photos and notes about wine and cheese. We chose to have a wine experience on a train from Paris to Milan. The scenery was beautiful, passing vineyards and countryside. It only seemed appropriate that we have some wine and cheese. I went to the dining car to see what was available, choosing the half bottle of white wine and cheese plate.