Wine Tips

Say cheese, wine this festive season

The holidays are here with lots of excuses for entertaining and disregarding caloric intake. Cheese is basic party fare, and we are fortunate to have abundant choices in our grocery stores. Years ago, Island residents had to travel to The Wedge, a cheese store in the University district, to get such now-common cheeses as Brie and Jarlsberg Swiss. Old-time Island residents will remember the Mercer Island Cheese Co-op, which started in 1974 to satisfy local demand for better cheeses. In its heyday, there were 250 members. Cheese was purchased in bulk from The Peterson Company, a cheese importer in Auburn. Members placed a monthly order and were assigned a month to cut and wrap the cheese

Now every grocery chain routinely stocks popular cheeses like Jarlsberg and Brie, but many also have a broad selection of other imported cheese. Cheeses from England and the many kinds of French goat cheese are now available to us right here. Aggressive importing and marketing by The Peterson Company is part of the reason why.

Speaking of local, there is no cheese more local to Islanders than that produced at Beecher’s Cheese. Owner Kurt Beecher Dammeier, who lives on Mercer Island, named the store after his grandfather. The milk for this artisan cheese comes exclusively from two herds, one in Duvall and another in Monroe. Artisan cheese is defined as a product handcrafted in small batches.

Beecher’s store is located in the space formerly occupied by Molbak’s in Pike Place Market. The cheese-making process can be viewed through its windows. But while we can visit Beecher’s in the Market, we also can buy its cheese here at the grocery store. There are several: Flagship, a gruyere/cheddar blend; Marco Polo, seasoned with Madagascar peppercorns; No Woman, flavored with Jamaican jerk; Ling Ling, spiced up with Chinese black bean; and various cheese curds seasoned with different spices. I am happily eating Marco Polo while writing this article.

Another fine artisan cheese is Point Reyes from California. This blue cheese producer is only 5 years old, and the only one in California producing an artisan blue cheese. The cheese maker for Point Reyes was the master cheese maker at Maytag Dairy in Iowa for 10 years. Maytag blue cheese is a staple across the country in supermarkets and restaurants.

The following is a list of cheeses with their wine match:

Royal Windsor from England. Stilton, which is the only blue-veined cheddar-based cheese, is layered with port and brandied cheddar. This one is great for entertaining because its layers are so beautiful and festive. Pair with cabernet sauvignon or port.

Huntsman from England. Double Gloucester layered with Stilton is another visually appealing treat. Pair with a Washington syrah or a dark beer like Guinness.

St. Andre, L’Explorateur or Delice de Bourgogne from France. All triple-cream cheeses. Bries are either single-cream (at least 50 percent butterfat) or double-cream (at least 60 percent butterfat). Triple-cream is a decadent creamy cheese with at least 75 percent butterfat. Team it with a dry rosé, New Zealand sauvignon blanc or champagne.

Fontina Val d’Aosta from Italy. This cheese has been widely copied and may be best known by its impostors. Danish “fontina” and other imitators aspire to the richness and quality of the Italian product, but nothing comes close. It is a wonderful melting cheese and can be used for fondue as well as a table cheese. Its texture is semi-firm and supple with a rich, herbaceous and fruity flavor. Match with Chianti or Italian pinot grigio.

Cotswold from England: Natural cheddar blended with chives and onions. This is a favorite of mine for grilled cheese sandwiches. Match with merlot or cabernet sauvignon.

Italian Gorgonzola: Don’t even begin to mention Italian Gorgonzola and its domestic counterpart in the same paragraph. The Italian cheese is creamy and spreads nicely on apple and pear slices. Legend has it that an innkeeper in the town of Gorgonzola had too much cheese. The extra cheese turned moldy, but the innkeeper served it anyway. His customers loved it so much that he had to increase production and allow time for the cheese to become moldy. Pair with a Chianti classico riserva.

Goat cheese from France: It can be soft or hard. Match with a French Sancerre or New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

Borough Market Cheese from England: Named after the wholesale produce market just below the Thames River in London, this is a selection of cheddar-like cheeses. Pair with a syrah or English ale.

Holiday wine pairing recommendations:

When we were in Champagne, France, we stayed at Maison Mumm. For dinner, every course was served with a different Mumm’s champagne. When in doubt, a sparkling wine or champagne will complement any dish.

Veuve Clicquot from France $38

Gloria Ferrer brut or blanc de noirs from California $16

Domaine Ste. Michelle from Washington $9

Cristalino from Spain $7

Prime rib

Hedges Three Vineyards from Washington $15

Red Diamond cabernet sauvignon from Washington $9

Canoe Ridge merlot from Washington $18

Snoqualmie syrah from Washington $7

(I initially didn’t plan to recommend only Washington state reds, but Washington does produce wonderful reds!)

Ham

Columbia Cellarmaster riesling from Washington $7

Martini and Rossi Asti Spumante $10

Sokol Blosser Evolution $14

Turkey

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau from France $9

Rodney Strong pinot noir from California $14

Dee Hitch can be reached at rockypointlane@aol.com.

Here is a clever gift idea for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, charity events or corporate get-togethers. Northwest Cellars blends wines and adds personalized labels. I met Bob Delf, owner of Northwest Cellars, at a wine event (where else!) and immediately ordered two wines for our home — one with a photo of the grandkids we labeled as Cousins’ Blend and the other, with a sketch of our house, we named, Chateau Hitch, which we refer to now as our house wine. Delf has three wines available for personalized packaging: a Washington cabernet/merlot, a Washington viognier/chardonnay and a sparkling wine from Oregon.

I assumed that Delf purchased finished wine from wineries, but he actually blends his own. He has acquired wine from such highly regarded wineries as Kestrel and from such worthy appellations as Red Mountain. When I expressed my admiration for the wines after sampling them, he replied modestly, “I’ve always been a wine geek.”

Here’s the procedure: Pick out a label shape. Select your wine from Delf’s three choices: cabernet/merlot, viognier/chardonnay or sparkling. Send your design ideas to him. I went to Sudden Printing and had my suggestions scanned and e-mailed to Delf. His design team added the wording and e-mailed the proposed finished label back to me. After my approval, the wine arrived in less than a week. The costs are a onetime $65 for label design and $14 per bottle for the red and white and $21 for the sparkling. The minimum order is only a case (12 bottles). Because of Washington State liquor laws, the wine must be picked up at a retail store which sells wine. Check Delf’s Web site at northwestcellars.com for more information.

Another good gift or stocking stuffer is a stain-removal product called Wine Away. People swear by this wine stain remover produced in Walla Walla. Look for it in your grocery store’s section for cleaning supplies. It is priced under $10.

Here is a clever gift idea for the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, charity events or corporate get-togethers. Northwest Cellars blends wines and adds personalized labels. I met Bob Delf, owner of Northwest Cellars, at a wine event (where else!) and immediately ordered two wines for our home — one with a photo of the grandkids we labeled as Cousins’ Blend and the other, with a sketch of our house, we named, Chateau Hitch, which we refer to now as our house wine. Delf has three wines available for personalized packaging: a Washington cabernet/merlot, a Washington viognier/chardonnay and a sparkling wine from Oregon.

I assumed that Delf purchased finished wine from wineries, but he actually blends his own. He has acquired wine from such highly regarded wineries as Kestrel and from such worthy appellations as Red Mountain. When I expressed my admiration for the wines after sampling them, he replied modestly, “I’ve always been a wine geek.”

Here’s the procedure: Pick out a label shape. Select your wine from Delf’s three choices: cabernet/merlot, viognier/chardonnay or sparkling. Send your design ideas to him. I went to Sudden Printing and had my suggestions scanned and e-mailed to Delf. His design team added the wording and e-mailed the proposed finished label back to me. After my approval, the wine arrived in less than a week. The costs are a onetime $65 for label design and $14 per bottle for the red and white and $21 for the sparkling. The minimum order is only a case (12 bottles). Because of Washington State liquor laws, the wine must be picked up at a retail store which sells wine. Check Delf’s Web site at northwestcellars.com for more information.

Another good gift or stocking stuffer is a stain-removal product called Wine Away. People swear by this wine stain remover produced in Walla Walla. Look for it in your grocery store’s section for cleaning supplies. It is priced under $10.