Handmade Red Wine Truffles

handmade red wine truffles

Each year around the holidays Neil and I look forward to making cookies but this year we didn’t have an oven where we were staying. We had to get creative with what else we could make and have it be comparable to our tasty peanut butter Hershey Kiss cookies. We found this recipe for chocolate wine truffles on Pinterest and it seemed like just the treat. We had the correct cooking set up as well as access to the ingredients here in Costa Rica. Also it would be just the thing to bring to our holiday get together with chocolate and wine lovers!

Argentinian Rosé and Nutty cheese

Argentina Rosé and Nutty cheese

Would you imagine that people are drinking Rosé during this time of the year? Well Neil and I are still in Costa Rica and if we can find rosé in the store, we’re happy to drink it! We’ve never tried this one and it was a Syrah, which we enjoy. We also don’t drink Argentinian wine all that often so we were curious to find out it’s flavor profile. Those of you that are regular readers know the Costa Rican cheese brand, Le Chaudron, as it was just used in last week’s entry too! We actually picked it up during the same trip to L'Épicerie. Now onto the pairing of Argentinian Rosé and Nutty cheese.

Negroamaro and Caprice

Negroamaro and Caprice

This was our second time visiting the specialty grocery store, L'épicerie, in Ojochal. We had such good luck with wine and cheese we purchased from there a few months back that we had to plan another trip! (https://wineandcheesefriday.com/best-of-wines-and-cheeses-in-costa-rica/) As we entered we had wine and cheese on the mind. What would we find this time around? Would there be more wines from other countries that our local distributors don’t carry? And what kind of cheese would we find?

Best of Wines and Cheeses in Costa Rica

Best of Wines and Cheeses in Costa Rica

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.

Toro de Piedra Carmenere wine and Morabia cheese

Toro de Piedra Carmenere wine and Morabia cheese

Today’s entry is being written poolside in Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica. We did this pairing in Quebradas, Costa Rica, just outside of San Isidro de General, our "home" for the past 8 months. For a change of scenery we decided to come out to Puerto Jimenez for at least a month. I’ll take the opportunity to sit outside, listen to the waves and birds and get some work done!

Pata Negra Reserva Tempranillo and Rosenburg blue cheese

Pata Negra Reserva Tempranillo and Rosenburg blue cheese

After trying a few bottles of Pata Negra Tempranillo, we decided to have one for an official wine and cheese pairing. We’ve tried multiple vintages and styles so we wanted to share it with all of you! The cheese we chose was from Denmark, and we pretty much jump at the chance to have blue cheese, when we can find it. We actually figured out during the pairing that the last time we’d had blue cheese was with our family during the holidays. No wonder we were craving it so much. We present to you the pairing of Pata Negra Reserva Tempranillo and Rosenburg blue cheese.