This weekend I was beyond excited for the annual wine and cheese party hosted by our local bar in town. It’s not very often wine and cheese gets featured here in small town North Dakota.. And let me tell you, there was a full house! I mean, everyone loves wine and cheese on a Saturday afternoon, right!? I love having the ability to try new things without purchasing a whole bottle or in the case of cheese, an entire block or wedge only to find out I don’t like it. And the wine and cheese party did not disappoint! I walked away with a few bottles of new wines I love and blocks of cheeses that were completely new to me! Since I figured I’m not the only one who loves wine and cheese, I’d share with you some of my favorites of the day.
Wine
I am mostly a red wine gal, but I figured to make the best of the experience and try both white and red wines. Here are a few of my favorites.
The Velvet Devil Merlot
Normally I am not a Merlot gal. Maybe it’s because my mom exposed me to way too much Two Buck Chuck Merlot when I first started drinking wine or I haven’t really given Merlots a chance. To me Merlots have always been super harsh and dry. This one wasn’t. A friend a mine tried it first and said she enjoyed it, so I gave it a go. It was surprisingly mild, not too dry, and rather fruity. I will absolutely be adding this wine to my long list of favorite red wines.
Root 1 Carmenere
I have never heard of a Carmenere before but I LOVE Root 1 wines. Their Pinot Noir and Cabernets are fantastic so I figured I’d give this one a go! A Carmenere originated in Bordeaux, France where it was used to produce deep red wines. Now, the grape variety is barely found in France and is one of the most produced varieties in Chile! This wine was nice and mild, somewhat fruity, and had hints of smoky, spicy flavor. It was one of my favorites out of the whole tasting.. I ended up taking two bottles home. It really is a middle of the road red that would pair well with anything really.
I am not a big fan of sweet or particularly harsh white wines. Chardonnays are no-gos for me usually. I can drink a Pinot Grigio, some Rieslings, and a rare Moscato. Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine that I rarely come across on wine lists, but I do enjoy it when I find it. This 242 was just wonderful. It was clean, crisp, and refreshing. Not too fruity or sweet and not too harsh. I really, really enjoy it and ended up taking a bottle home to enjoy whenever I am in the mood for a white wine.
A Moscato I like is rare for me.. Too sweet and I feel like I am drinking syrup. My group of lady friends I usually drink wine with introduced me to this Allegro. It’s wonderful. It’s not too sweet and surprisingly I enjoy it very much. It’s amazing how a Moscato can differ from one to another! This wine is fruity, slightly bubbly as a Moscato is supposed to be, but has a clean, crisp finish.. Not syrup-y like many other sweet wines I’ve tasted. This is a great wine that is easy to drink and like-able by people with different tastes.
Cheese
At first I was skeptical about rice IN cheese. But this cheese was AMAZING! The nutty texture of the rice paired so well with the gouda. The gouda was nice and mild and the wild rice is the perfect complement to it. I would have never thought to put wild rice in cheese, but I seriously loved this cheese. It will be added to the regular wedges of cheese that I stock in my fridge.
Although this cheese has butter in the name and literally means “butter cheese”, it doesn’t have butter in it. This cheese originated in Germany and still a popular choice. It has a very butter-like texture, hence the name. It has a very mild flavor that would really pair well with anything. We bought a few blocks and even the kids were eating it later on in the evening.
English Cheddar Cheese with Caramelised Onion
This cheese was SUPER interesting! It was an amazingly creamy texture but it tasted EXACTLY like caramelized onions! I LOVE onions and especially caramelized onions so this cheese was right up my alley. This was either a hate it or love it cheese. I’d imagine this melted over a burger or a sandwich would be simply AMAZING. I am unsure where to find this retailed online, I did some Google Searches and came up with no results.
Baked Cheese with Jalapeno Peppers
This cheese was seriously AMAZING! It is a baked cheese that you simple warm through. The texture is wonderful, simply wonderful. I loved the jalapeno of this one. It is not too spicy at all. I am not a super big fan of jalapeno but this cheese had the perfect balance. This was went quick at the wine and cheese party and the one block we bought we ended up eating entirely later that evening. It was absolutely a crowd pleaser!
Are you a wine and cheese lover!? Please share your favorites with me! I am always looking for new finds!
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This sounds like so much fun. Do you have these parties at someone’s house or do you go somewhere. I notice you said you took two bottles home so maybe you go somewhere? I think there would be a really fun idea to do with some girlfriends.
http://www.crystalcattle.com
Author
It was a blast! Our local small town BAR hosts it!! She orders in all the wine and cheese and then sets it up all nice in the back room of the bar! That way she is able to sell all the bottles you liked and want to purchase! I thought it was such a neat idea for a small town!
Have you tried Justin and Chumeia wines? Both make awesome reds (Cab) and are out of the Central Coast region. I’m supposed to have some Justin wines arriving today.
Author
I will have to check this out!! Thank you!!
What? No Hilmar Cheese? They ship ya’ know! LOL
Author
I wasn’t in charge of the cheese ordering 😉 I will absolutely look it up though!