The "marriage" between Cheese and Wine

Wines have been growing in popularity over the last few years, partially because people are starting to realize the pairing potential of wine with many food types, specially with cheeses, since they have all the aromas and flavours to be combined with different kinds of wine.

Wine and cheese behave a little like people. They are as varied as the regions they hail from and are both products of their environment. They also respond to each other in relationship, bringing out the best attributes in one another, and, like people, once in awhile you find that magical combination.

So, how to match cheese and wine? It´s not an exact science, and personal preference plays a big role.

If the cheese is going to be the focus of interest, it’s best to use less complex wines to allow the personality of the cheese shine. If you want to try with white wine: Sparkling wines, Pinot Gris (or Grigio), Riesling, and Gewürztraminer. For the red wines, fruit forward Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Syrah (or Shiraz) pair well with many cheeses. Good acidity and fruit create a more cheese-friendly wine.

You can follow a couple of tips to know how to match your wines with cheeses: The combinations Like Cheese/ Like Wine; a young cheese works well with a young wine, a full-flavored cheese with a full-bodied wine, and an aged cheese with an aged wine.

Opposites can attract as well. The saltiness of one cheese is balanced by the sweetness of a wine. Blue cheeses are typically paired with dessert wines very effectively for this reason. Another pair of opposites to look for is creamy, fatty cheeses, and acidic wines.

Regional pairings work naturally well together. A Spanish Rioja works well with many of the local goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses as our Cheese from Albarracín.

Once the cheese and wine are selected, what now? According to Max McCalman, one of the most famous experts on cheese; it is important to first taste the cheeses and wines separately, to help us understand the individual character of each. The next step is to take a bite of cheese, and a sip of wine, creating a little sauce in your mouth. Let it swish around, pause to savor the flavour, then swallow. When it starts to work as a complimentary match that suddenly head south in your mouth, congratulations. That happens when you find a combination that works, the flavours blend beautifully and one partner amplifies the finest qualities of the other.

If you want to go further in experiences we have the perfect combination for you: Try our wine cheese in our online store, you will not regret.

Keep experimenting and enjoy the journey! 

Quiche with cheese and shrimps recipe

Quiche with cheese and shrimps recipe

PREPARATION

Dough:

Scramble the eggs until the mixture has a unique colour. Add the milk, the sugar, the salt, the oil (or butter) and last the backing powder and mix all together very well.

Add the flour and stir it all until the dough is uniform and has no lumps. Let it settle during 40 minutes.

Spread the dough and locate it on an oven tray previously oiled, if possible, the tray will have elevated borders so the dough will be able to hold the stuffing. Prick the dough and let it settle for a while again.

Stuffing:

Boil the shrimps and peel them. You can fry them a little with garlic if you wish. Let them chill.

Cut the cheese into cubes.

Mix very well in a container the cream, the milk, the eggs, the cumin, the salt and the black pepper.

Mix also the cheese cubes with the shrimps on the dough, once everything is there; pour the liquid over the stuffing and at the end spread out the grated cheese. Finally the quiche must be in the oven at a temperature of around 375 ºF during 40 minutes.

To enjoy this recipe to the utmost, we recommend you to try to do it with one of our first quality cheeses. You can get them through our online store.

Enjoy your meal!

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

o   1.1 lb flour

o   0.55 lb (8.8 oz.) milk

o   1.4 oz. Baking powder

o   A pinch of sugar

o   A pinch of salt

o   5 cl olive oil / 2.1 oz. butter

Stuffing:

o   2.2 lb peeled shrimps

o   1.1 lb Cheese from Albarracín (Blue Label for mild flavour or Red Label and/or Gold Label for a more intense flavour)

o   4 cl olive oil

o   0.55 lb (8.8 oz.) cream

o   4 eggs

o   A pinch of cumin

o   Black pepper

o   Salt (to order)

o   1.76 oz. grated Cheese from Albarracín (the same as used before)

The Foundation that keeps our cultural heritage: Santa María, (Albarracín, Teruel).

The Santa Maria Foundation in Albarracín is a non-profit organisation and an innovative project in which the outstanding and wonderful cultural heritage of Albarracín is managed.

The Foundation was created in 1996, promoted by several institutions of Albarracín. It´s located in the village´s old episcopal palace, which was restored thanks to a previous programme.

Its most important aims are:

• The economical and sociocultural development of the region.
• The restoration, conservation and management of the cultural heritage.
• To vitalize the cultural and historical legacy.
• The promotion of diverse cultural and educational activities.
• The establishment of collaboration sources among different organizations.

One of the most important Foundation aims is the architectural restoration. Since its beginnings many important monuments have been recovered from forgetfulness.

The constant activation of the village is due to the application of an important cultural programme, divided by different actions such as courses and seminaries, exhibitions and concerts. Since some time ago there has been a big development of an artistical creation programme designed for painting professionals on a first stage of creation and also for movable goods restorers.

At present Albarracín is also considered as a city for meetings and congresses. The infrastructures and services given by the Foundation make possible to celebrate any collective event, also supported by the numerous and very nicely furnished little hotels around Albarracín. 


Official website: http://www.fundacionsantamariadealbarracin.com

Our Spanish sheep´s milk cheeses now for sale online in Japan

We´re delighted to share some great news with our fellow cheese lovers from Japan: Our pure sheep`s milk cheeses are now available in Japan through the Online Shop of Gourmet Meat World co, Ldt.!

Please follow this link for more information.

Online shop Gourmet Meat World co, Ldt.

During the last stay of our Japanese clients in "La Sierra de Albarracín" we were invited by the owners of "El Batán" for a very tasty experience within the idylic surroundings of the old watermill near Tramacastilla in the province of "Teruel". They really did an excellent job using KM0 (local) produce including our own pure Sheep´s milk cheeses, impressing us with some true works of art carefully and meticulously crafted by their highly skilled chef and owner Maria José.

Pictures taken from the blog: Gourmet-Eat