The August Tastings

The Joy of Cheese Presents Cheese for a Summer Evening

That’s a riff on a movie title and the first few people to correctly identify the film get extra cheese at the tasting.

Anyway, we all know about summer wines; they’re bright, dry, spicy and above all, often chilled to take the edge of the heat. What cheeses match them? You might want to avoid a deep, dense Gruyere but why not a lighter Alpine make like Tarentaise or Seelisberger? A classic grassy English Farmhouse Cheddar probably has too much heft but what about a variant like Doddington or Mrs. Kirkham’s Lancashire? Many chevres are perfect for summer wines but which ones are best?
These questions and more will be addressed at the next Joy of Cheese Tuesday Tasting at 10 Degrees, 121 St. Mark's Place. We’ll rumble through at least 12 and probably 14 or 15 cheeses that match warm weather wines. Our selections will likely include most of the above as well as wonders like Hoja Santa from Texas, Myrtlewood from Georgia and Bra Duro from Italy.
This should be a lot of fun. These are cheeses that should pair well with almost every white wine on the menu and the rose. If you insist on drinking red wine or beer, I won’t take umbrage.

The tastings are scheduled for August 14th and 21st as well as Thursday August 16th

As always the tastings run from just after 7 until around 8:30 at 10 Degrees, the wonderful wine and high end spirits bar at 121 St. Marks Place in the East Village. Admission to the tasting is $30 and you pay for your drinks as you go.

Reservations are a must. Contact me at thejoyofcheese@yahoo.com
The Joy of Cheese blog is up at http://thejoyofcheese.blogspot.com

Next tasting: Cheeses of Spain and Portugal September 18, 25, and 27.
-MJ

The Next Tastings

Where to from here?
The Joy of Cheese tasting sked for remainder of 2007

August 14, 16 and 21: Cheeses to pair with Summer Wines

September 18, 25 and 27: Cheeses of Spain and Portugal

October 16, 18 and 23: Cheese to match Autumn Wines

November: A Man Called Rolf: The Joy of Cheese Rolf Beeler celebration

December: Our greatest hits: the most loved cheeses from the 2007 tastings.

The Joy of Cheese presents Mostly Mons

The Joy of Cheese Presents Mostly Mons

Move over Mozart, July is time for great French cheese, and those cheeses are typically aged by affineurs.

The July edition of the Tuesday Tasting series at 10 Degrees will hold a post-Bastille Day celebration with a survey of great French cheese and the focus is on the work of affineurs like Herve Mons, Chantal Plasse and Pascal Bellevaire. We will explore the extraordinary range of cheeses handled by these three and we will do some A-B comparisons of cheeses from affineurs and those not. Expect at least 12 and probably 16 or 17 great cheeses from all over France.

This should be a lot of fun. These are cheeses that should pair well with almost every white wine on the menu and several of the fruitier reds.

The tastings are scheduled for Tuesdays July 17^th and 24th as well as Thursday July 19^th.

As always the tastings run from just after 7 until around 8:30 at 10 Degrees, the wonderful wine and high end spirits bar at 121 St. Marks Place in the East Village. Admission to the tasting is $30 and you pay for your drinks as you go.

Reservations are a must. Contact me at thejoyofcheese@yahoo.com

Next tastings August 14, 16 and 21: Cheeses for Summer Wines

-MJ