After coming up with the idea for our “Savor the Flavor” entry in 2017, it’s become an annual tradition for WineAndCheeseFriday! Neil and I love to see the evolution of aromas and flavors over the life of a bottle of wine and this is our way to showcase them to all of you. Throughout the year, we actually earmarked a handful of wines that we thought would be perfect for this entry so without further ado, here you go.
Have you been searching for the perfect gift for the wine and cheese fan in your life? We’ve hand selected a variety of options that we think would be terrific! Is there someone who loves cheese but prefers beer or spirits? We’ve got ideas for them too. What about a person who loves to bring wine and cheese on picnics? Won’t you give our gift guide a peek to see if you find something they’d love? They are all available for sale from our affiliate partner Etsy. We hope you find what you’re looking for!
Have you noticed that all of our November WineAndCheeseFriday entries have been tied to cheddar cheese? After learning all about cheddaring at The Art of Cheese we set out to find more cheddar cheese opportunities. At first we thought we’d create two cheddar cheese pairings each with a red or white wine. Then we found out our trip to Rogue Creamery would have a connection to cheddar cheese too. It only made sense to purchase some cheddar cheese while we were there and create a pairing with all our Oregon goodies, too.
I tasted my first blue cheese from Rogue Creamery, back when we lived in San Francisco, CA. There was a terrific corner cheese shop that carried it as well as having events where Rogue’s sales representatives would come in to educate and give out samples. Being new to the West Coast then, I just figured Oregon was close by and I could take a quick trip out to see their facilities. Well time passed and we moved away from CA before I ever had a chance to get out to Oregon. I loved those blue cheeses and had this draw to go see where they were made.
We headed to Central Point, OR on a hunt for cheese back in October. We knew we’d be going to Rogue Creamery as that was the main point of our visit. They are located in the Artisan Corridor that also included Ledger David Cellars and Lillie Belle Farms Handmade Chocolates. Today’s entry will focus on all the treats we purchased from that tasty corridor, the most delicious rest stop in the world!
My second class at The Art of Cheese was the Cheesemaking Bootcamp. We covered brining your cheese, piercing a blue cheese, aging your cheese with rubs, washes and leaf wraps, an introduction to alpine and swiss cheeses as well as the process of cheddaring. For your sanity, and mine, we’ll be limiting todays entry to the cheddaring process and the cheeses we tasted that day. Did you know that there’s a separate process involved to make cheddar cheese than other cheeses, well you’ll get to learn all about it today!