Manchego: A Spanish Classic

The story of Don Quixote takes place in La Mancha, a hot, arid plain in south central Spain. The novel mentions cheese 13 times, and the cheese on Don Quixote's mind was Manchego (Mon-CHAY-goh), one of Spain's iconic cheeses.

Brown Ale for Thanksgiving

I'm back to blogging after taking some time off to prepare for the Craft Beer Institute's Cicerone certification exam - just in time to talk about beer to serve with Thanksgiving dinner.

I know what you're thinking: Thanksgiving is a special celebration so you should pull out the wine, right? 

Don't think that you have to, because there is historical precedent for serving beer instead. Do you think that the Pilgrims ran down to the corner store for a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau? No, they did not. They drank the beer that they had brewed. 

Honor the Pilgrims by serving beer!

There are plenty of great beer choices for Thanksgiving dinner, but I'm going to suggest something that isn't terribly sexy, esoteric, or beer-geeky: Brown Ale.

Grenache is for Autumn

Happy First Day of Fall!

As the seasons change, what we eat changes, and so the wine we drink will change too. Grenache is a perfect autumn wine – its a nice transition from lighter wines drunk on the patio during the summer to fuller bodied wines best enjoyed sitting by a fireplace during winter.

Grenache (Greh-nosh) is thought to have originated in northern Spain, and from there transplanted to southern France and the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. There is also a school of thought that Grenache is indigenous to the islands and was brought to Spain after the Spaniards invaded in the 13^th Century.

In more recent history, Grenache has been transplanted in Australia, California, and Washington. 

Emmental, the original Swiss cheese

It's hard to imagine a drawing of cheese that does not involve a few holes.

While Swiss cheese has become a generic term, there are actually several different tasty types of Switzerland-made cheese that deserve your attention.

Emmental (EM-mawn-tall) is one of the world's classic cheeses. It's the Swiss cheese that all other Swiss cheeses are patterned after.

Oktoberfest!

Munich, Germany's Oktoberfest is the world's most famous and imitated beer festival, and it's name has become synonymous with the style of beer served there: Märzen (Mayrt-zen).

Before refrigeration, it was difficult to brew beer during Bavaria's hot summer and the quality of the beer suffered. In 1553, Bavarian law decreed that beer could only be brewed between September 29th and April 23rd. Beer was brewed in March (Märzen in German) to be stored in cellars and caves for drinking during the summer.

Rich, Ripe, Juicy Zinfandel

Zinfandel has been a cornerstone of California winemaking since the 1850s when it was planted by immigrants who came looking for gold. Since it's time for your Labor Day barbecue, it's a good time to take a look at this quintessential California wine.

Zinfandel makes a deep purple wine with big, bold flavors of blackberry jam, raspberry, strawberry and plum with spices like black pepper and cinnamon.

Its a classic wine to pair with barbecue!

Carmina Burrata

Burrata (Boor-RAH-tah) is a silky, creamy, fresh cheese originating from the Puglia area of Italy.

Burrata was originally made from water buffalo milk, but today it is usually made from pasteurized cow's milk.

The soft, elastic exterior is white and glossy, and the pure white interior is creamy and soft. It has a buttery texture and a fresh, milky flavor.

Burrata is Italian for buttery, which is a perfect description of the texture of this cheese's interior.

If you are a fan of creamy cheese, then you are going to love burrata!