Perfect Pairings

This year I was tasked with putting some serious effort into the Union Wine Co. FIELD NOTES   This is a part of their site that tells employee stories, showcases recipes and cocktails as well as a few cool How To’s…

This is one of those posts.  Check them all out in the above link.

Perfect Pairings

Here at Union,  we love to support and collaborate with other fellow artisans in our community.  

Our favorite cheesemonger,  Steve Jones,  of Cheese Bar and Chizu,  has been honing his skills for 15 years and just release his very first book:  

CHEESE BEER WINE CIDER,  which is a field guide to pairing specific cheeses with their appropriate 'adult beverage' counterparts.   We thought this would be a great opportunity to have Steve formally taste our main three canned wines,  the Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Rosé,  and choose a cheese pairing that he thought would go well with each.

That way,  if you are going to be doing some entertaining in the next few weeks…. or if you just want to have an indulgent spring picnic,  you will know the best cheese to accompany your favorite cans.  So without further ado….

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PINOT NOIR paired with SUMMER COMTÉ.

Comté is a cow's milk cheese from France’s Massif du Jura region.  It has a very earthy taste (think mushrooms cooked in brown butter) but also has a slight sweetness which pairs quite well with our Pinot Noir.    There are various styles of Comté, but this one gets its name from the season it is produced,  when the cows are dining on the lush and verdant summer grasses.

ROSÉ paired with 1605 MANCHEGO

This very popular aged Spanish sheep's milk cheese comes from the windmill-dotted La Mancha plateau immortalized in Don Quixote. (The producing farm,  1605, actually takes its name from the year the book was first published!)  Much like the terroir of its origin,  Manchego is dry, pale and very sheepy.  As it ages,  the cheese’s nuttiness and buttery qualities increase,  making it absolutely delicious,  and a perfect pairing to our Rosé.

PINOT GRIS paired with JACQUIN BUCHERON.

Bucheron is from what is called the Bloomy-Rind Family.   A French goat's milk cheese,  it has its origins in the Loire Valley which is accepted as the home of chèvre.   The Jacquin Family has been making cheese in the Loire Valley for four generations.   Bucheron, from the French word for “log”, has two distinct parts:  a gooey section that has started to break down just below the rind, and a more traditional dryer,  white chèvre filling the center.  The contrast between the salty cream of the buttery ring and the lemony, goaty center make not only for a complex flavor,  but a great pairing for the Pinot Gris.

Co-written by Steve Jones and Adam Lindsley  (with photographs by your humble narrator, David L. Reamer….)  you can order a copy of 

CHEESE BEER WINE CIDER at Powells Online or keep an eye out for copies at your local bookstore or wine shop.  

And big thanks again to Steve Jones for taking the time to share his knowledge and palette for this little culinary experience. A good time was had by all!

Photography & Text by David L. Reamer.  (@dlreamer)