Sexy Ass Sauvignon Blanc. Cheese & Wine Feature

Featured Wine:

2010 Russiz Superiore Collio Sauvignon $24.99

Ronnie and I share a real passion for the white wines of Northern Italy and while I have several that drive me wild from Friuli, Collio and Alto Adige, it is this Sauvignon Blanc, (Just called Sauvignon there) that makes my heart pound away in my chest. The floral and ultra-tropical notes remind me of the wines from Loire Valley’s famed Dagueneau, the texture and length do as well. A big wine loaded with guava, grapefruit, lemon rind but the floral notes are the thing that take your mind away from this just being Sauvignon Blanc and elevate this to remarkable white wine. Quite simply one of the best Sauvignons we have in the store and one you owe it to yourself to try.

Featured Cheese:

Taleggio Italian Cow’s Milk

It’s very rare to walk into The Wine Country and not find Taleggio in our cheese case and there’s a reason for that, we love it! A fairly pungent washed rind cheese from Northern Italy that has a lovely creamy, fatty texture, salty, fruity and an almost mushroom like meatiness to the flavor, this is another one of those cheeses that was built for wine. It melts wonderfully and should you wish to wow your guests and or spouse, try melting it atop a pizza with some sautéed mushrooms and once pulled from the oven or grill, sprinkle a handful of lemon and olive oil dressed greens.

Pairing:

While Taleggio loves to be paired with red wine, (one of the few cheeses that is great with most reds) I wanted to share this pairing to feed the inner wine geek in many of you. The fullness of the wine keeps it from being buried or overpowered by that thick, creaminess of the cheese so textually the two play nice with one another but it’s the flavors, together, that kind of spin your top. The tropical notes in the wine dig into the fruitiness of the cheese and pull it forward, taming some of the more meaty flavors which is lovely but the finish, oh man, the finish goes a little wild, in a good way. You are left with this freshness from the wine but the finish has been changed into something savory, almost truffle-like, with a blast of fresh cut herbs. Pretty untamed pairing and sometimes, well sometimes that is just what you need.