The Joy of Cheese Presents Alpine Nation

With the holidays closing in, there's only one set of Joy of Cheese tastings in November (and no public events in December) so we're closing out the year with alpine cheeses. There will be three segments to this tasting: American Alpine cheeses (I know that geographically, the actual Alps don't extend across the Atlantic ocean, but one taste of some new Americans like the Leelanau Aged Raclette and you'll see that the cheese making wisdom does). The second subset of the tasting is on the soft cheeses of Switzerland; it's an interesting country with influences of German, Italian and French cheesemaking mixing together. And lastly we'll end with a series of unique and rare Alpine style cheeses from Switzerland.
The tastings will be held WEDNESDAYS November 12th and 19th at 10 Degrees, 121 St. Mark's Place, in the East Village. Tickets are $40. You can make reservations via e-mail at thejoyofcheese AT Gmail or you can buy tickets in advance with a slight discount via www.brownpapertickets.com.

-MJ

The Joy of Cheese Presents the October Tasting Schedule

Big Cheeses for Big Wines
October 14 and 21 at 7ish at 10 Degrees, 121 St. Mark's Place

It's hard to pair cheeses with the big red wines that become all the rage during autumn and winter. Some cheeses conflict with the deep flavors of the wine; others are simply overwhelmed by the wine. October 14 and 21 (yep, just two Tuesdays), we will taste and discuss twelve or so cheeses that are distinctive enough to pair well with rich red wines. Expect great cheese from Portugal, Sardinia and of course, Georgia (yeah, the state). As always there will be mystery cheeses, fruit and dark chocolate.
Tickets are $40 at the door and there is a 10% discount via www.brownpapertickets.com after October 2.

When in Rome...
October 19th at 1:30 and October 22nd at 6:30 at Nectar Wine Bar, 2235 Frederick Douglass Blvd.
We will survey 12 or so of the very best Italian cheeses. Expect cheese from some of the finest Italian producers and affineurs such as Madaio, Guffanti, Cravero, and Cora. We will present ten of the cheeses in five pairs and each pair will be accompanied by a sample size of a wine from the superb Nectar Wine Bar collection and a description from Nectar manager Beth Baye.
Tickets are $50 and available either at the door or via www.brownpapertickets.com after October 2nd.

Feel free to hit me with questions at thejoyofcheese AT gmail

-Martin

The Joy of Cheese September schedule

We're back and everything is okay.
There will be two tastings in September. On the 9th, 16th, and 18th at 7:00 at 10 Degrees will focus on classic English cheeses and their contemporary counterparts. England has exerted an enormous influence on American cheesemaking traditions, and we will delve into the reasons for that. However the current wave of exceptional cheeses from England and America are sort of engaged in an interesting dialogue which we will also discuss.
10 Degrees is located at 121 St. Mark's Place in the East Village. Tickets are $40 but there is a 10% for purchasing them in advance at Brown Paper Tickets dot com.
On the 21st at 1:30, and the 24th at 6:30, at Nectar Wine Bar, 2235 Frederick Douglas Blvd., we will turn our attention to the cheeses of Spain, Portugal and Colorado (yep, that Colorado). This will be a survey course of the fine cheeses of the Iberian peninsula plus a quick detour into Colorado where some of the best cheeses take their cues from Spanish cheesemaking traditions.
Tickets for the tasting are $50 but that includes sample sizes of five wines chosen specifically to accompany these cheeses. Again advance tix are available at Brown Paper Tickets dot com.

More info? contact me at thejoyofcheese at Gmail.

-MJ

The Joy of Cheese calls an audible

The Joy of Cheese changes the schedule

Due to a family medical emergency, there will be no tastings the week of August 18-22.

This means that the tastings scheduled for August 19 and 21 at 10 Degrees and August 20 at Nectar Wine Bar are cancelled.

The tastings will resume August 26^th at 10 Degrees with our survey of great Italian affineurs.

From the department of Coming Soon, we have a tasting that pits classic English cheeses v. the new wave of Great British cheesemaking on September 9, 16, and 18 at 10 Degrees.

Then at Nectar Wine Bar on September 21 and 24, we will survey the cheeses of Spain, Portugal and Colorado (un hunh, that Colorado).

More on those in the next dispatch.

-MJ

The Joy of Cheese plans a busy busy August

In the five weeks between now and Labor Day weekend, there will be eight Joy of Cheese tastings. Rather than spam you anymore than I already do, this is our August schedule.

Joy of Cheese (Uptown) Presents The Old World Cheeses of Nectar Wine Bar

This tasting will present the five old world cheeses of Nectar plus seven (or more) delectable new ones from leading affineurs overseas. In addition, Nectar’s manager Beth Baye will present five wines specifically chosen to match the five pairings of cheese.

The tastings are Sunday afternoon August 10^th at 1:30 and Wednesday evening August 20^th at 6:30.

The setting is Nectar Wine Bar is at 2235 Frederick Douglass Blvd (8^th Ave). 212-961-9622.

Tickets are $50 (the price includes the wine) and are available via Brown Paper Tickets, http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/39761 or make reservations by e-mailing me at thejoyofcheese@gmail.com or thejoyofcheese@yahoo.com

The Joy of Cheese (Downtown) Presents La Dolce Formaggio

Which may not be grammatical but true fans of legendary Italian Director Frederico Fellini fans won’t care. This tasting will present the 12-14 examples from the work of the three leading Italian affineurs, Luigi Guffanti, Gianni Cora and the fine craftsmen and craftswomen or Casa Madaio. It’s just the thing for summer-ey dry sparkling wines.

The Tastings are at 7:00 Tuesdays August 19^th and 26^th as well as Thursday August 21^st.

The setting is 10 Degrees, 121 St. Mark’s Place in the East Village.

Tickets are $40 and you pay for your wine as you go, but the tastings take place during two-for-the-price-of-one happy hour. You may buy advance tickets (and get a 10% discount) at Brown Paper Tickets via this link, http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/40386. Or you can make reservations by e-mailing me at thejoyofcheese@gmail.com or thejoyofcheese@yahoo.com.

Also there are a few settings left for the August 5^th edition of our July series Classic French Cheese vs. Le Nouveau Fromage (imagine an adventure movie starring cheese), and there are an abundance of them for July 29 and 31. These tastings are at 10 Degrees. If you’re new to The Joy of Cheese, a small tasting is the introduction. Advance tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets, http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/36983

And of course feel free to reserve at the yahoo or gmail addresses.

I hope to see you over some cheese!

-MJ

The July tastings

There are two sets of Joy of Cheese tastings in July.
The first is Sunday afternoon July 20 at Nectar Wine Bar, 2235 Frederick Douglass Blvd. nectar is a fabulous new wine bar opened last month by the folks who made Harlem Vintage into one of Manhattan's leading wine boutiques. The Joy of Cheese is in charge of the cheese program there, and I'll be conducting a survey tasting on the new world portion of the menu, Constant Bliss, Kunik, Bayley Hazen Blue, Pleasant Ridge Reserve and the Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. We will introduce five cheeses that represent the next step beyond these superb cheeses and of course there will be two mystery cheeses and dark chocolate at the finish.
In addition, there the cheeses will be paired with a flight of wines from the Nectar wine list.
Tickets are $50 and available via www.brownpapertickets.com

Then July 29, 31 and August 5 we return to our downtown homebase, 10 Degrees, 121 St. Mark's Place, to conduct Classic French Cheese vs. Le Nouveau Fromage, a tasting that will contrast what the French think of as basic cheeses (their Kraft) with what new and exciting cheeses from the leading French affineurs.
Tickets for this event are $40 at the door, $35 via www.brownpapertickets.com

-MJ

The Joy of Cheese Presents the Midwest v. the South, a comparative tasting

The Joy of Cheese Presents the Midwest v. the South

American hand crafted cheesemaking has little of the way in appreciable roots in either the Deep South or the Midwest (though large scale cheesemaking has deep roots in Midwestern states), however, both regions have played host to ambitious cheesemakers who in the last decade have begun producing exceptional cheeses. Which region is doing better? Let’s hold a taste-off and find out.

In the third of a six month series of comparisons and contrasts called Taking Sides (which isn’t entirely accurate, you can choose to like both), we will investigate the cheeses from the Midwest and the South. In this manner, I hope we can begin to gain a sense of the flavor properties that each region exerts on a cheese.

The final lineup isn’t known right now, but my plans include cheeses from Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, southern Indiana, Minnesota and of course, Wisconsin

There will be dark chocolate (probably from a foreign country), fruit (west coast) and two mystery cheeses. I am happy to answer questions about these cheeses and about cheese in general

The tastings are Tuesdays June 17^th and 24^th and Thursday June 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 (but it’s 2-4-1 Happy Hour till 8).

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

The Joy of Cheese blog is up at http://thejoyofcheese.blogspot.com

Next tastings: July 29^th, 31^st, and August 5^th Taking Sides part four, the cheeses of France in some comparative setting.

-MJ