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Try this cheesy ‘dating game’ By Paula Bandy Nov 09, 2022 12:15 AM A A As the holidays approach, our thoughts turn toward parties, pairings, tastings, dinners and, in general, merry gatherings. Let’s add a delicious game to all this frivolity. David Gremmels, President of Rogue Creamery, delighted me at a recent cheese and wine pairing with his own Dating Game of Cheese. “Cheese and wine pairings are like dating. We can score it,” he said. And so we did. 0 = Nope. Saw each other, but it’s not going to work. 1 = Hmmm ... Yeah, I’m interested, but the other one isn’t. 2 = Both interested. “Just magic, and you don’t want to leave the pairing alone. You want to keep eating the cheese, pairing with the wine,” he describes, “eating the cheese, swirling the wine around. It’s the aha moment when you’ve really found the spark.” Our “date night” tastings included locally made and locally available wines, paired with hand-warmed Rogue Creamery cheeses. Gremmels explains, “Hold the cheese lightly in hand to bring the temperature up. Break it to release aromatics and to get that almost pastry-dough nose and hint of sweet cream.” Starting with a slightly chilled Kras Štoka 2021 Teran Rosé from the Adriatic Sea region of Slovenia (available at Kimball’s Artisan Wines in Jacksonville), we found this dry and flavor-filled wine very approachable. On the nose, fragrant candied cherry leads into a whiff of cotton candy mingled with rose petals. These aromas follow subtlety into a Lambruscoesque taste that’s juicy, with a nip of strawberry, tinged with salinity and minerality. Our first date was with Touvelle Original. This was a 1. The Touvelle brings out the fruitiness in the wine, but the Teran Rosé, although presenting some layering of texture in the cheese, was rather flat on the taste. Date No. 2, La Di Da Lavender Cheddar was a 2! The cheese brought out the herbaceous notes of the wine, with rose petal indulgence especially on the finish. The rosé in turn heightened the floral notes of the lavender while deepening the creaminess of the cheddar. Flowers always are good on a date! We were in curiosity mode on Date No. 3 with Echo Mountain Blue. Those profiles of salinity and minerality in the indigenous coastal rosé were magic with another 2 pairing. We were actually surprised by it. This blue is a super fudgy cheese, savory with stone flavors and a petrichor aroma. With this wine Gremmels says, “This is a cheesemaker’s dream. By heightening the creamy, buttery texture on the front, followed by the layers of calcium phosphorus crystals that just dissolve, you can imagine the regional pebbles from the Slovenian coast. There’s a hint of a sea breeze on the finish where it peaks, and you get acid from the cheese, tannins from the wine, and you want to reach for more.” Each enhanced the other for a rather perfect date. Next up was Awen Winecraft grenache blanc, a white grape varietal that originated in northern Spain. It has a luscious, herbaceous quality, touch of stonefruit, melon and fruit notes that paired surprisingly well with Date No. 4, Rogue’s Mary Cheddar. A play on words, this cheese showcases the pungent, piney flavor of rosemary. This full-bodied white wine stood up to the strong cheese flavors with balance and was almost playful in tempting the fruit-forward notes of wine with the green notes of the cheese. A surprising 2. If you’re a Hopyard Cheddar fan, you’ll love it with the slightly chilled grenache blanc. The bitter hops bring out the brioche in the wine. Together, they blend to create a woodsy flavor, with subtle ripe pear and almond. Astringent yes, but with herbaceous notes that balance each other’s sharpness. Magic came through again on Date No. 5 with a 2. Cheers to all your holiday dates! Reach Paula Bandy at [email protected] and connect with her on Instagram at @pbthroughthegrapevine