Wine And Cheese Surprises in Silicon Valley

wineandcheesefriday January 25, 2019 No Comments

When we arrived in San Carlos, CA, for Labor Day weekend, there was no question in anyone’s mind that we’d be enjoying lots of wine and cheese in the days to come. Our friend Kristy, a new mom, had been counting the days until we arrived since her wine drinking had been on hiatus during her “mommy to be” days. She planned a grand wine and cheese feast to start out the festivities with 4 cheeses and a bottle of rosé. Maria and Neil were ready! Such a delicious evening! Read More…

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

Sensory Surprises

wineandcheesefriday December 27, 2017 No Comments

Did you ever purchase a wine, only to find out it tastes or smells much different than it’s label states. Or think, this is cheap and it can’t be good. Or maybe you think Cabernet Sauvignon is always dry and it’s not really for you? These wines were all Sensory Surprises for us. It was pretty funny too, how almost all the senses were affected. We hope you enjoy reading through these wines that we tasted throughout the year. Read More…

Categories: Wine Tasting Tags: Tags: aldi, box wine, cabernet sauvignon, Lake Erie, malbec, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, new zealand, oregon, red wine, Rose, Sauvignon blanc, sensory surprises, white wine, wine, wine with friends, wineandcheesefriday, zinfandel

Wilson Winery, Dry Creek Valley, CA

wineandcheesefriday July 10, 2015 No Comments

It’s been over a year since we visited any Sonoma vineyards so we took a trip out when Benno and Nora were here. We had a chance to visit a few places that day but today’s entry will be about Wilson Winery. (http://wilsonwinery.com) We heard about Wilson Winery from the lady at the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce and saw that they had food available too so we planned to have lunch there that day. This was our first time visiting the Dry Creek Valley region of Sonoma so we were excited to taste another area’s terroir!

Categories: Wine Tasting Tags: Tags: dry creek valley, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, Sonoma, terroir, Wilson Winery, wine, wine tasting, wineandcheesefriday, zinfandel

ZinZig Rematch

wineandcheesefriday June 19, 2015 No Comments

We played Zinzig about a year ago (http://mferraro73.tumblr.com/post/90778737878/zinzig-and-gjetost-neil-and-i-were-invited-to ) and couldn’t wait to have a rematch! The funny thing is that we really didn’t remember how to play. After another look at the rules, we were off. This time for an added challenge we all chose to bring a Zinfandel wine.

Categories: Other Wine and Cheese Experience Tags: Tags: Baron Herzog, blind tastings, frogsleap, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, wine trivia, wineandcheesefriday, XYZIN, zinfandel, ZinZig

Zinfandel and Aged Gruyere

wineandcheesefriday August 29, 2014 No Comments

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?

Categories: Wine and Cheese Pairing Tags: Tags: aged Gruyere, bevmo, cheese, jammy, lodi, MariaFerraroBeardsley, SpinachAroma, SwirlTheWine, wine, wineandcheesefriday, zinfandel

Zingaro and Muenster

wineandcheesefriday April 26, 2014 No Comments

We purchased this wine in August during our trip to Castello di Amorosa in Napa, CA. (http://mferraro73.tumblr.com/post/59728142614/first-trip-to-napa-8-27-neil-and-i-took-our) We tried this wine back then but other than a pretty cool ambiance in the Castle, we really didn’t remember the specifics of the wine. The description on the bottle says that it is a Zinfandel created in the Primitivo style. And if you’re wondering, Zingaro means gypsy.

Categories: Wine and Cheese Pairing Tags: Tags: CastelloDiAmorosa, cheese, grilled cheese, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, Muenster, Primitivo, scratch and sniff, wine, wineandcheesefriday, zinfandel, Zingaro

Zinfandel and 3 Cheeses; Brie, Asiago & Smoked Jack

wineandcheesefriday March 21, 2014 No Comments

This week we had a friend in town so we wanted to try something a little different. Steve, a fellow wine lover, is also a cheese lover and couldn’t wait to be a part of WineAndCheeseFriday. Because we all love cheese, just about as much as wine, I figured we could each have our own cheese to rate with the wine.

Categories: Wine and Cheese Pairing Tags: Tags: asiago, Brie, cheese, MariaFerraroBeardsley, smoked jack, wine, wineandcheesefriday, WinerySF, zinfandel

Zinfandel and Pecorino Romano

wineandcheesefriday December 13, 2013 No Comments

We purchased a Zinfandel while we were wine tasting in Sonoma a month ago (https://wineandcheesefriday.com/sonoma-trip-with-geoff-and-sabrina/) and decided to redo a Zinfandel pairing. During the last pairing, we really liked the cheese but found the wine not to be of great quality. (https://wineandcheesefriday.com/zinfandel-and-pecorino/)

Categories: Wine and Cheese Pairing Tags: Tags: cheese, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, Pecorino Romano, wine, zinfandel

Zinfandel and Gorgonzola

wineandcheesefriday July 30, 2013 No Comments

We purchased this wine during our recent trip to J. Keverson in Healdsburg. (https://wineandcheesefriday.com/healdsburg-fun/). This pairing is one of the final ones from the list we found in The Fun Book for Couples.(http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0740738372) The last time we paired a wine with Gorgonzola cheese we could only find “crumbles” so we were excited to find a chunk of it this time.

Categories: Wine and Cheese Pairing Tags: Tags: cheese, cherry cola, Fun Book for Couples, gorgonzola, J.Keverson, Maria Ferraro Beardsley, wine, zinfandel