Tastings This Week

Wine tastings and discounts and salumi!

For our French Market customers, this Thursday (5/6) we are having a free wine tasting from 5-7pm. In addition to tasting some delicious wines, our wine buyer Jamie will be on hand to answer any wine queries you may have.

Are you loopy for the Loop location? Friday (5/7) from 5-7pm we're having our free wine tasting at our Lake St. store. Tasty treats to help you start the weekend right!

Do you love Lakeview? Thursdays in the month of May we are extending a discount to our Broadway store customers. Here's how you can make it work for you: Purchase cheese and wine on one receipt you will get 10% off your total purchase. That's it. The discount is only valid on Thursdays and only at our store on Broadway.

Is encased meat your thing? If so, you're going to want to be at our Lake St. location this coming Saturday (5/8) from 3-5pm for a demo with the talented artisan salumi makers at Creminelli. Can't decide if you want to try the wild boar or the truffle? Make your mouth and your tummy happy by tasting both!

We would like to wish Cesar Bon Voyage as he takes off today for a two week tour in Europe. Meeting up with Daphne and Marcel for some Comte talk (and tasting), tasting wines of France and Spain and a possible detour to Morocco. We can't wait to see your pictures and hear all your stories!

We Can-Do Cantal!

Week number two of the bad almost-pun title. I'm just feeling a bit squirrely I guess. This week we are introducing two brand new products to our shelves.

First up is the Cantal Entre Deux. Brought from the Auvergne Mountains to our friend Soyoung at Andante Dairy. She then selects extra aged wheels for us. Made from the milk of French Salers cows this raw milk cheese is usually aged for 4-6 months. Ours is 10 months old. It has a Cheddar like quality but with a lingering creamy mouth feel. The flavors are earthy, bacon fat, pine nuts, brown butter and a little bit custardy. Absolutely delicious!

Pour a class of the 2007 Powers Merlot from Washington State. Dark fruit with cherries and cassis, and tobacco heightened by sweet violets. Aged in French Oak for 13 months softens the mouthfeel without making the wine "too oaky". The wine is very jammy and the cheese has a bit of a pine nut quality.

Cheese is Goud-a

I can't believe I'm trying to pun on Gouda. I'm slightly embarrassed, but clearly not enough to change the title.
On Saturday 4/24 from 1-4pm at our Lakeview store the fine folks from Oakvale Farmstead Cheese will be stopping by to demo their fantastic cheese-Oakvale Gouda. We have paired their cheese with red and white wine in the past, this Saturday we'll be trying it with some locally made jams from Quince & Apple. Delish!

We've got a new pairing for you too. Kirkham's Lancashire from Great Britain. Brought to our shores by the fine folks at Neal's Yard Dairy.

This cheese is made with curds from three different days. Historically Lancashire was made in this fashion because the cheesemaker didn't have a large enough herd to yield the amount of milk in one day that could create a large wheel. Following his mother's recipe, Graham Kirkham is better control the acidity of the cheese, and by rubbing butter on the clothbound cheese (a less air tight seal than wax) the tangy, lemony, yogurt like flavors and crumbly texture are able to develop.


Each store is also pairing a jam from our Italian line. Our favorites are the pear ginger and the pumpkin and citrus marmalade. Both of these jams from a small producer that Cesar met on his travels last year complement the cheese perfectly. The pear and ginger highlight the lemony aspects of the cheese, and the pumpkin citrus really brings out it's buttery flavors. Each store has a different jam to sample out. Come in an get a taste!

Our weekly pairings wouldn't be the same without a nice beverage to sip along side and this week Jamie has suggested a new sparkler for us-Mont Marcal Brut Cava from Spain. In response to Spain's shortage of water supply in many winemaking regions the people of Mont Marcal reuse and re-purify the water for their vineyards. Their Cava is made in the Champagne method. Light delicate bubbles, crisp freshness with aromas of brioche, apples, citrus and tropical fruit. Enjoy!