Happy New Year to you all! We're starting off the new year with a great local cheese, a winemaker who gives back, and a tasty demo.

This Friday at the French Market we will be doing a demo with Potter's Crackers. Stop by from 3:30p-6:30p to sample some of these fantastic, handmade, locally produced, seasonally inspired treats. Great on their own, or when paired with all types of cheese. Driftless from Hidden Springs Creamery in WI is one of our favorites.

For our pairing this week we are featuring the Little Bloom on the Prairie from Prairie Fruits Farm in Champlain, IL. Leslie Cooperband is the cheesemaker behind this beautiful Camembert style goats milk cheese. Smooth and creamy with a snow white rind, this cheese has elements of earthy mushrooms and green pastures with just enough "goat".

For the wine, Jan suggests the, 2008 Ransom "Junehog" from Ransom Winery in Willamette Valley, OR. A sustainable, hand-crafted blend of Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc, this semi-sweet wine is full of tropical fruit flavors. A fantastic complement to the earthiness of the cheese.

So what's up with the fish on the label? The fish is a depiction of a now extinct species of Salmon. The profits from every bottle of Junehog go to wild salmon recovery and education efforts. A tasty wine and a great cause.