A Vineyard Walk through Les Celliers de Sion, Valais, Switzerland

wineandcheesefriday September 2, 2022 2 Comments

When we arrived in Sion, we were surrounded by vineyards! What a pleasant surprise. Although we wouldn’t be renting a car there, we were determined to find a way to make our way over to the grapes. They are ripening now and it’s the perfect time to go see them.

I searched on Trip Advisor and found an excursion that included a walk through the vineyard and lunch. Just what we were looking for! Les Celliers de Sion (The Cellars of Sion) were only about a 20 minute walk from our AirBnB and although it was warm, we agreed it was close enough to make it happen. Read More…

Categories: Other Wine and Cheese Experience, Wine Tasting Tags: Tags: AOC Valais, Bonvin, Cornalin, Europe 2022, Fendant, fondue, gnarly vine, grape rollercoaster, grapes, Guerite Brulefer, harvest, Les Celliers de Sion, lunch in the vineyard, off the path, Pinot noir, red grapes, red wine, Rose, Sorbet the Must, Swiss Wine, Syrah, tasting notes, The Bacchus menu, The Cellars of Sion, The Cube, Varone, vineyard trail, vineyard views, vineyard walk, white grapes, white wine, wine barrel, wine tasting, wineandcheesefriday

Best of Wines and Cheeses in Costa Rica

wineandcheesefriday September 19, 2020 No Comments

During our time in Costa Rica (much longer than we expected) we’ve been finding some really nice wines and cheeses. This trip we’ve had more purchasing options since we’ve been traveling around the country more. This has allowed us to find brands and shops that we never visited before. We’re also aware that it isn’t crucial to refrigerate cheese immediately so we’ve been fine taking the chance of driving home with it for a couple hours without thinking twice. Read More…

Categories: Cheese Tasting, Wine Tasting Tags: Tags: 9 Lives blend, Adobe Winery, Agustinos Winery, Albariño, Argentina wine, BM Supermercados, Bocatto díSole, Bottega Wine Shop, Brie, burrata, Ca d'Archi, chardonnay, cheese, cheese soaked in wine, Chilean wine, Cono Sur Winery, Costa Rica, costa rican cheese, Crescenza blanco, dinner wine, Dominical, Escorihuela Gascon, farmer's market, french cheese, Gato Negro, grenache, Gruyere, Indomita, italian wine, L'Epicerie, La Feria, Le Chaudron cheeses, Legado Muñoz, maduro caprino, Martin Codax, morabia, Ocio, Ojochal, Pedregoso Lacteos, Pinot noir, quesos biamonte, quesos QM, red blend, Reserva wine, reserve wines, Rose, San Huberto Winery, San Jose, Sauvignon blanc, Spanish wine, sparkling wine, Syrah, tomme, Trapiche Wines, unicorn wine, wine, wine and cheese, wineandcheesefriday

Finally Got Our Hands on a Bottle of Ocio Wine by Cono Sur Winery!

wineandcheesefriday April 3, 2020 4 Comments

We’ve been drinking Cono Sur wines, since we first found them in Ecuador in 2016. After trying a few bottles then, we became fans. Then I found out about the #conosurwinetalk chat on Twitter, . It was there that I first heard about Ocio. People from around the world would come together for that chat so many of the different labels by the brand would be mentioned. I remember hearing about the upper level wine during one of those first chats and thinking, “Wow, that sounds like some nice Pinot Noir! How can I get my hands on a bottle?” Read More…

Categories: Wine and Cheese Pairing Tags: Tags: $100 wine, anniversary, Bottega Wine Shop, burrata, Chilean wine, Cono Sur Winery, conosurwinetalk, fresh baked bread, Fudebiol Centro Biologico Las Quebradas, Gouda, Horno Casero, Ocio, Pinot noir, proper wine temperature, red wine, San Jose CR, smoked salmon, unicorn wine, wine chat, wine picnic, wineandcheesefriday

Introduction to Hard Cheeses at the Art of Cheese in Longmont, CO

wineandcheesefriday September 27, 2019 2 Comments

When we chose to come out to Longmont, CO, we had no idea that there would be a cheese school 15 minutes from our rental. What an amazing bonus for our stay here! Neil and I have “dipped our toes” into cheesemaking but just handful of times so when we found out we could attend Cheesemaking classes, we figured it was our duty as cheeselovers. Our friend Jinnee was in town when the class occurred, so we all attended together. Jinnee said, “I love hanging out with you guys, we always eat so well!” Read More…

Categories: Cheese Tasting, Other Wine and Cheese Experience Tags: Tags: Aging Cheese, bacteria, cheese, cheese additives, cheese class, cheese curds, cheese tasting, cheesemaking, Cheesemaking Recipe, Cheesemaking School, Colorado Cheesemaking School, dairy goats, farm tour, goats, Guido's Cheese, homogenize, How to make cheese, Longmont CO, milk, Parmesan style cheese, pasteurize, Pinot noir, raw milk, rennet, salt, The Art of Cheese, trip to the farm, Viewpoint Wines, waxing cheese, wine and cheese, wineandcheesefriday

JAQK Cellars Pinot Noir with Chocolate Lab

wineandcheesefriday August 23, 2019 No Comments

We purchased this wine and cheese in North Carolina about six weeks back but it just so happens to be a Pinot Noir pairing just after Pinot Noir Day! We found the wine from JAQK Cellars at World Market, a great place to buy wine! This is actually a brand that I first heard about in San Francisco over six years ago while job hunting. The cheese comes from Looking Glass Creamery, which we previously visited with our friend Doris. We figured the intensity of the cheese would pair nicely with a Pinot Noir, let’s see how we did! Read More…

Categories: Wine and Cheese Pairing Tags: Tags: cheese, chocolate lab cheese, chocolate rind, funky cheese, funky wine, High Roller Wine, JAQK Cellars, Las Vegas, Looking Glass Creamery, North Carolina cheese, Pinot noir, pinotnoirday, San Francisco, wine, wineandcheesefriday, World Market

Savor the Flavor 2018

wineandcheesefriday December 28, 2018 No Comments

We came up with the idea for the Savor the Flavor entry at the end of 2017, https://wineandcheesefriday.com/savor-the-flavor/, to showcase some noteworthy wines from the year. We’ve decided to continue the tradition for 2018. One of the ways we were able to really Savor the Flavor this year was by using our Vacu Vin. Have you ever tried these? They are wine vacuums/pumps that suck the air out of the bottle in order to preserve them longer. We were able to keep one of the bottles for two weeks! Can’t say I was ever able to do that in the past. Read More…

Categories: Wine Tasting Tags: Tags: Anton Bauer, Artesa, austria, Barbaresco, cabernet sauvignon, California, carneros, Castello di Verduno, dinner wines, italy, Josh Cellars, lodi, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, merlot, piemonte, Pinot noir, Rose, Santa Cruz Mountains, savor the flavor, Scratch Wines, Syrah, Vacu Vin, wagram, wineandcheesefriday, yeswayrosé, zinfandel, zweigelt

Holman Ranch Tasting Room, Carmel by the Sea, CA

wineandcheesefriday November 30, 2018 No Comments

We first learned about Holman Ranch during a #PinkSociety #PinkParty (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23PinkSociety%20%23PinkParty) in June. I was fortunate to try out their Susan’s Saignee Rosé during the chat. As I swirled and sipped the wine, I found out more about the 400 acre ranch in Carmel Valley. One of the questions was about the tasting room in Carmel by the Sea. Not only are there many tasting rooms to enjoy in this town, it’s also “by the sea” and beautiful. Well, I was convinced to include Holman Ranch’s tasting room in Carmel by the Sea in our Sideways Wine Tour. We left Paso Robles, driving along route 101 up the California coast, and along the dark and windy roads until we arrived at our cabin in Carmel By the Sea. Read More…

Categories: Wine Tasting Tags: Tags: California wine, Carmel Beach City Park, Carmel by the Sea, Carmel Valley, Holman Ranch Estate Vineyard & Winery, Instagram, Jarman, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, Pink Party, Pink Society, Pinot noir, Sideways Wine Tour, twitter chat, wine, wine tasting, wineandcheesefriday

Hitching Post 2 and Buellton, CA

wineandcheesefriday October 12, 2018 No Comments

You’ve heard that we went on a Sideways Wine Tour of California and this entry will be a continuation of that series. Have you been to Buellton, CA? Any superfan of Sideways probably has and this was actually our second trip out there. No trip would be complete without visiting The Windmill Inn (now called Sideways Inn), The Hitching Post 2, and maybe you’ve even gone to see those pesky ostriches that nipped at Jack? Read More…

Categories: Other Wine and Cheese Experience, Wine Tasting Tags: Tags: Akvavit, Andrew Murray Syrah, Bit O' Denmark Restaurant, Buellton, Highliner, Hitching Post Restaurant, Little Denmark, Lompoc, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, Ostrichland, Pinot noir, Sanford and Benedict, Sideways, Sideways Inn, Sideways Wine Tour, Solvang, The Windmill Inn, Wheels N' Windmills, wine, wineandcheesefriday

Pali Wine Co, Wine Ghetto, Lompoc, CA

wineandcheesefriday October 5, 2018 No Comments

We began our Sideways Wine Tour in the Wine Ghetto, Lompoc, CA. First stop was Pali Wine Co., thanks to a recommendation from our AirBnB host, Edward. He was previously part of the wine industry and happily suggested Pali wines. I’ve heard of the Wine Ghetto but was open to places we should taste in the area. He told us about it since we wanted to try some local Pinot. Read More…

Categories: Wine Tasting Tags: Tags: California, Lompoc, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, Pali Wines Co, Pinot noir, Sideways Wine Tour, Tower Hill, wine, Wine Ghetto, wine tasting, wineandcheesefriday

Languedoc Day 2018

wineandcheesefriday May 26, 2018 No Comments

During a set of recent Instagram posts, I found out that Neil and I have tried quite a few Languedoc wines. This came as a bit to a surprise to me. We know that we always enjoy trying new wines but who knew that we’d been gravitating to a specific French wine region? I’d say part of the reason we were unaware of these wines all carrying a similar trait is because Old World wines are labeled pretty differently than New World wines. Read More…

Categories: Wine and Cheese Holiday Tags: Tags: Blanc de Demoiselles, cabernet sauvignon, carignan, Château d’Oupia, Corbières, Côtes Catalanes, Domaine La Bouysse Carignan, Domaine LaFage Nicolas Grenache Noir, Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup “Cuvée Sainte Agnès", France, grenache, Grenache Blanc, Languedoc, Languedoc Day, Le Vin de Merde, Les Jamelles Pinot Noir, macabeo, Maison Nicolas Cabernet Sauvignon, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, marsanne, minervois, mourvedre, Pic Saint Loup, Pinot noir, red wine, Roussillon, Syrah, Vin de Pays d'Oc, white wine, wine, wineandcheesefriday