During Columbus Day weekend, in order to practice wine tasting before heading to Raven Hollow Winery, we paired Chardonnay and Brie. (https://wineandcheesefriday.com/raven-hollow-winery-westfield-ma/) This was an introduction to wine tasting for Jackie and Karen and a refresher course for Betty. Although Karen had only gone to one other wine tasting, she knew that she liked the flavor of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay so we figured it would be a fun way for her to get acquainted with the techniques of wine tasting. Neil and I taught them about the 5S’s of wine tasting and how to take your time with the wine to really notice the dominant flavors and aromas. Karen also decided to read the back label to see what flavor hints they might offer.
As a Halloween treat, we will be pairing Stingy Jack Pumpkin wine and Fromage blanc. A few weeks back, while visiting the Big E Wine and Cheese Barn (http://www.thebige.com/ese/), I found this pumpkin wine. How could I resist, I am here to celebrate all things related to Fall. Do you recognize this cheese? We made it last week with my niece and nephew, http://mferraro73.tumblr.com/post/131751540308/making-goat-cheese-with-lexi-and-alex-as-you-may. This is another team wine and cheese tasting so please welcome my two brothers Tom and Vin, along with their better halves Liz and Koren and my mom, Betty, to taste with us.
Neil and I are currently visiting New England for some fall foliage traditions and family time. Over the weekend, we hit the country road that lead to Kosinski Farm in Westfield, MA. (www.kosinskifarms.com) Not only did they have a farm stand, pumpkins, pastries and lunch, but there was also a winery on the property. We had learned about Raven Hollow Winery (www.ravenhollowwinery.com) in the “Autumn Drives” article in the local Pennysaver newspaper.
We purchased this wine a few months back while wine tasting in Sonoma. (https://wineandcheesefriday.com/hawley-wine-tasting-healdsburg-ca/) We couldn’t pass up such a delicious wine, especially one that is the final vintage from that vineyard. As we’ve mentioned before, we choose cheeses based on which wines we have waiting at home. We tasted this cheese during our tour of Cowgirl Creamery, https://wineandcheesefriday.com/cowgirl-creamery-tour-and-point-reyes/. Knowing this cheese had some funk, we thought a Pinot Noir would be a great match. It’s always exciting to have a local wine and cheese to pair!
We took a trip up to Washington last week to visit our friends, Jordan and Kyle in Bothell, WA. Haven’t heard of that town, well it’s right next to Woodinville, WA. (http://woodinvillewinecountry.com) Since we were in the Washington Wine Region, we felt it was necessary to do some wine tasting. Our friends said they had never gone wine tasting, just “wine drinking.” We found a wine bar near their house (http://www.thepurplecafe.com/locations.html) that carried a bunch of local wines.
When we paired the Summertime White Blend and Fiscalini Bandaged Cheddar, it was an out of the ordinary warm day in San Francisco. So warm actually, that we couldn’t even stand to sit in our apartment. We proudly present this WineAndCheeseFriday from our fire escape.