The Tasting Room

By: Ron Kapon

I have had the good luck to interview many dairy farmers in Vermont over the past several years. They are a breed of their own- working dawn to dusk seven days a week, 365 days a year. Their commute is a pathway to the barn, their transportation is a 30 year-old John Deere tractor and their office is the milking parlor. Paperwork is not their thing, and computers are typically an unwelcome intrusion in the tried and true ways they grew up with.

Most dairy farm families trace their roots back generation after generation and many old-timers were born in the same farmhouse where they still live today. They are good neighbors, steadfast stewards of the land and fiercely self-reliant individuals. I love the results of their hard work every bit as much – cheese. And that got me thinking. Why not sever my relationship with the computer for a few days and get some first-hand experience? You know, do the old fashioned thing and take a trip along the Vermont Cheese Trail. I have heard about this for years, but it never dawned on me to actually do it. I was inspired by the prospect and luxuriated in thoughts of a slow-paced trip visiting dairy farms, imbibing my favorite wines and savoring some of the best cheeses in the world. More research was in order.

My first stop was the Cabot’s Creamery Cooperative Visitors Center in Waterbury. One of Vermont’s brightest stars, Cabot has added joy to my life for decades with their “best in class” cheddars. I have used their cheese for my wine classes for the past 10 years. A trip to the creamery where milk is delivered directly from local farms and tenderly turned into edible gold was at the top of my list. It was a treat to spend a few hours with the alchemists who churn their milk into the “Extra Sharp” cheddar or delectably smooth Monterey Jack I enjoy so much. Hmm…maybe I can even score some freebies.

Read the full article here http://www.localwineevents.com/resources/articles/view/818/cheese-farms-wine-it-all-sounds-divine

The right wine can compliment a cigar. Many believe that alcoholic beverages go hand in hand with cigars. The following article will discuss which wines compliment and enhance the flavor of cigars.

Heading out to that anticipated social gathering or party? Forgot to buy a gift? Don’t worry, there is a sure fire way to make the recipient happy; buy them some wine. Wine makes a lovely and thoughtful gift for any occasion, and can be picked up at the local wine store or even supermarket while you are on your way.

The questions to ask yourself before carousing the isles are: how much do you want to spend and what type of wine do you want to buy? The answers to these questions will probably depend on how well you know the person that you are giving the wine to.

The amount of money that you have to spend should not be a problem. A respectable wine can be found anywhere from ten to twenty dollars. If you are willing to spend more, that is fine. There are wonderful selections available at the higher end. Do not forget that wine is meant to be enjoyed during festive times or simply during times of relaxation. Either way, the wine will be savored no matter what the price.

Brewmasters all over the globe have been spreading their strange-but-secret pairing: beer and cheese. We all know the classic pairing of wine and cheese, but beer has now arrived to take center stage in the cheese world.

You may think swapping out wine for beer is a surprising take on the internationally classic wine and cheese pairing, but experts say beer and cheese come together to make an undeniably perfect pair. If you think switching the wine out for beer is a new trend, think again. Cheese has been enjoyed with beer for centuries ever since it was eaten as peasants’ lunch on farms.

Garrett Oliver’s Top 10 Favorite Pairings:

1. Sharp Cheddar with Pale Ale
2. Feta with Wheat Beer
3. Mascarpone with Fruity Beer
4. American Cheese with Pilsner
5. Colby with Brown Ale
6. Gorgonzola with Barleywine
7. Gruyere with Bock Beer
8. Swiss Cheese with Octoberfest Beer
10. Parmesan with Amber Lager

Read the full article here http://www.behindtheburner.com/article/beer-and-cheese-the-ultimate-pair.html

By Hank Campbell

Everyone knows we have five senses (taste, smell, touch, vision and hearing) that we share with all animals and those help us understand the world around us.   Your sense of taste is, contrary to popular wisdom, partially inherited but obviously factors like culture and exposure make a difference, which is why the phrase “it’s an acquired taste” came into being.

Taste is a physiological aspect while flavor is something else entirely and can be influenced by tactile, thermal, painful and kinaesthesic effects.  You know what it means, but you also know it is pretty subjective.   Flavor to you may encompass a much difference range of perceptions than it does to a highly-rated chef, just like Eskimoes have all those words for snow and it encompasses multiple senses so let’s stick with taste for now.

For in depth scientific dissection of taste regarding wine and cheese and a downloadable pdf file titled ’Cheese And Wine Combinations For Dummies List‘follow this link. http://www.science20.com/science_20/science_wine_and_cheese

By Dr. Vino

Last week, NewYorker.com engaged its readers by asking which words should be eliminated from the English language. The surprising winner was “moist.”

Now that they’ve jettisoned moist, it’s time for us to have our fun. Wine tasting notes are all-to-often laden with obscure, sometimes overly precious, redundant or otherwise silly words or phrases. We started circulating a few on Twitter yesterday with the hashtag #sillywinetastingterms. A few that came up were: “dusty minerals,” “a hint of clean earth,” “vinous,” “melted asphalt,” “hedonistic” and…”liquid Viagra.”

So, have your say: which wine tasting term is officially the most useless and worthy of expulsion from our vernacular?

Read the full article here http://www.drvino.com/2012/04/26/wine-tasting-note-terms-ban/

The Tasting Room – Wine Bar Arizona – The Tasting Room of Peoria Serving Wine and Microbrews.

The Tasting room serves wines from around Arizona as well as around the world as well as hard to find microbrews and food. All of the produce used at The Tasting Room includes locally grown produce. The Tasting Room has been called the “Cheers” of the neighborhood, so come on by and introduce yourself, they would love to meet you. This is your place, a place where you and your friends can come relax and enjoy themselves, eat good food, drink great wine and micro brew’s.

See more of The Tasting Room