In order to properly taste the next cheese we had some rice cake. The Gypsy Rose cheese is the second cheese we tried and it is found on the left in the photo. It has a washed rind and gets a pink color naturally. I found this cheese to have a strong odor; some of the smell comes through but it is not overwhelming. The Gypsy Rose had a hint of saltiness and reminded me of Parmesan, maybe it could be grated over pasta. Neil thought it was sharp, dry, and crumbled in his mouth. He would like to try it on a cracked wheat cracker.
This weeks Wine and Cheese Friday is one for all the “locavores”. We are very excited about the local wine and cheese this week; both produced about an hour from us.
Our Cabernet Sauvignon this week is from Napa Valley. At Maria’s new job they sell a half dozen different Cabernet Sauvignon wines so she wanted a chance to try one and really think about it.
This week our cheese is from California and our wine is from France. We had such a good time learning about French wines at Wine Riot we decided to try one out.
On Saturday night we arrived at Wine Riot with a plan of attack. There were around 40 different wineries represented from all over the world. We decided to visit the South African wines table first and then make our way through Europe, and finish out with the USA. This was a bit ambitious considering there were classes, a photo booth, temporary tattoos and don’t forget about our grilled cheese we had been dreaming about.
Over the weekend Neil and Maria had the opportunity to experience Wine Riot, a great wine tasting/education event sponsored by Second Glass. (http://secondglass.com/wineriot/) Wine Riot occurs in 6 states throughout the year so keep your eye for an event near you!