Wine and Cheese Heaven

Wine and Cheese Pairing at Crossing Vineyards

The other night I went to a wine and cheese pairing class at Crossing Vineyards in Washington Crossing, PA. The vineyard was founded by Tom Sr. and Christine Carroll and inspired by their son, Tom Jr. (the vintner), who, from the age of 10, kept insisting "wouldn't [this property] make a great vineyard?" After living in California for years working as an actor and "self educating in viticulture and enology, Tom Jr. yearned to return to his roots. He called his parents one night at 3am and said he wanted to come home and start a vineyard and winery. Today, Crossing Vineyard is award-winning, and the whole Carroll family is active in the business.

Tom Carroll Sr, headed the class, which was held in a rustic but beautiful room on the winery's second floor. The wines and cheeses were elegantly laid out on a granite table. Carroll was knowledgeable and animated, speaking with his hands - you could really feel the passion for his craft. 

Although I am well-versed in pairing wine with food, I learned that pairing wine with cheese is a much more complex process. Cheese has many subtleties in its flavors which can be brought out when paired with the right wine. We sipped four different wines with four distinct  cheeses, and discussed the nuances of each.( cheeses should be brought to room temperature for up to 2hrs. before serving to really enhance their flavors.)

The wines we tasted each came from Crossing Vineyards:

2008 Riesling - " This semi-dry wine is bright and refreshing with floral highlights and aromas of ripe, tropical fruit."(award winning!)

Apple - "This delicious, semi-sweet wine has a fruity bouquet and is filled with the taste of freshly pressed Granny Smiths, Yorks and Winesaps. The finish is crisp and clean, with hints of honey and butterscotch."

Peach - "The flavor of tree-ripened peaches delicately splashes over your taste buds in this refreshing wine... fruity, medium-bodied and sweet."

Vintner's Select Red - "Finished in oak, this Meritage-style wine combines the rich, crimson-purple color of Merlot, the tannic backbone of a young Cabernet Sauvignon and the jammy-berry flavor of a well-balanced Cabernet Franc. The finish is full of ripe red and dark fruit, with hints of chocolate and spice."

Cheese selection for the evening:

Manchego - a sheep's milk cheese from the La Mancha region of Spain. Slightly salty and nutty with a mellow finish.

Ibores - A tangy Spanish goat's milk cheese rubbed in olive oil and pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika).

Black Diamond Cheddar - Aged Canadian cheese made from raw milk. An intense, full-flavored cheddar cheese with a fresh taste not found in many other cheddars.

Beemster - A triple-aged Gouda which was developed over 800 years ago in the Netherlands. Mature-tasting with a firm body, caramel color, and intense nutty flavor with a sweet finish. 

Although I enjoyed all of the cheeses, the Beemster was my favorite and seemed to pair well with each of the sweet wines, especially the Riesling, which was my preferred drink of the evening. I thought the Black Diamond Cheddar went best with the Vintner's Select Red.

A tip for those who tend to shy away from sweeter wines - try pairing them with a cheese with a sweet notes. The cheese evens out the sweetness in the wine, leaving you with great flavor. This is also true for pairing sweet wines with desserts. For example, I plan to make an apple or peach crostata to serve with the apple or peach wine.

Christine Carroll, owner, holding an award for their Riesling won in a California wine competition. 

The winery grounds:

Entrance to the wine shop/tasting room/barrel room

I only live a couple miles from this winery and my husband and I often visit on the weekend, buy a bottle of wine and a cheese plate, and relax on the patio. They also have a tent for events and weddings, and offer an outdoor summer music concert series from June through September, as well as ongoing wine education classes.

In honor of National Dairy Month (which we are in the middle of) here are a few of my favorite cheeses:

Sole Gran Queso - a hard Spanish cow's milk cheese with a grainy texture and sharp and nutty flavor. Try it with a quince or guava paste.

Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese - a California goat's milk cheese, "creamy and luscious with a subtle tangy flavor." Pairs well with a drizzle of chestnut or truffle honey.

D'Affinois - French double-cream cow's milk cheese similar to a Brie, but sweeter. Pairs excellently with fig jam - try Dalmatia Fig Spread.

Stilton with Apricot - Tangy Stilton cheese blended with the pleasant sweetness of fruit. Pairs well with Riesling or Viogner.

Local in the Bucks County, PA/Princeton, NJ area are cheeses from Cherry Grove Farm in Lawrenceville, NJ. This all-organic farm offers raw milk cheeses made on the premises as well as free-range eggs, grass-fed beef and lamb, and whey-fed pork. So far, my favorites are their Asiago and Herdsman.