SACRAMENTO, CA
With Negroamaro being a generous and full-bodied red wine, I decided to take a bit of a risk with this week’s cheese pairings. I chose three cheeses with distinct flavor profiles.
Wine:
Negroamaro, Montepulciano, d’Abruzzo, Rosso, Copertino, Italy 2007
Cheeses:
Beemster’s Beemster Goat
Queso Tetilla, imported from Spain by Tony’s Fine Foods
La Fromagerie’s Pecorino Ubriaco
From right to left: Beemster’s Beemster Goat, Queso Tetilla imported by Tony’s Fine Foods, La Fromagerie’s Pecorino Ubriaco
Beemster’s Beemster Goat is a beautiful goat cheese from Holland that has been aged for four months. It is smooth with a bit of a crumble and has a clean, sweet taste. Though not my favorite pairing, it paired nicely with the Negroamaro and highlighted the depth of flavor in the wine.
Queso Tetilla is a Spanish cheese imported by Tony’s Fine Foods. It comes from the Galician region of Spain and is made from cow’s milk. It is soft and smooth with slightly bitter and tangy flavors. It was definitely my favorite pairing of the day. The flavors of both the wine and the cheese really shone through.
La Fromagerie’s Pecorino Ubriaco is a pure sheep’s milk cheese that comes from Italy. It has a very fruity and floral flavor. It was delicious on it’s own or with crackers but was the worst pairing with the Negroamaro. The fruity tones of the cheese did not balance with the deepness of the wine.
Be sure to check back for more wine and cheese pairings.
