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

correction on dates

the June tasting series is on the 17th, 19th, and 24th, not 22nd, 24th and 29th as mentioned below.

The corrected May announcement is below

The Joy of Cheese Presents East v. West

American hand crafted cheesemaking has roots in both the East Coast and the West Coast. 30 years later, which coast does it better? Let’s hold a taste-off and find out.

In the second 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 pairs of cheeses from each coast. In this manner, I hope we can begin to gain a sense of the flavor properties that each region exerts on a cheese.

There will be several interesting contrasts including goudas from Oregon and Connecticut , bloomy chevres from California and Massachusetts , and washed rind cheeses from Virginia and (hopefully) Washington state.

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

The tastings are Tuesdays May 13^th and 20^th as well as Thursday May 15^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

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

Next tastings: June 17^th, 19^th and 24th Taking Sides part three, the cheeses of the American South versus those from the Midwest ..

-MJ

The Joy of Cheese Presents East v. West, a comparative tasting

The Joy of Cheese Presents East v. West

American hand crafted cheesemaking has roots in both the East Coast and the West Coast. 30 years later, which coast does it better? Let’s hold a taste-off and find out.

In the second 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 pairs of cheeses from each coast. In this manner, I hope we can begin to gain a sense of the flavor properties that each region exerts on a cheese.

There will be several interesting contrasts including goudas from Oregon and Connecticut , bloomy chevres from California and Massachusetts , and washed rind cheeses from Virginia and (hopefully) Washington state.

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

The tastings are Tuesdays May 13^th and 20^th as well as Thursday May 15^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

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

Next tastings: June 22^nd, 24^th, and 29^th, Taking Sides part three, the cheeses of the American South versus those from the Midwest ..

-MJ

The Joy of Cheese Presents Taking Sides vol. 1, a comparative tasting

The Joy of Cheese Presents Goat v. Sheep

For nearly two years, The Joy of Cheese has engaged in survey courses of cheese from different regions and different styles of cheese making. Now, we’re going a tad deeper. .

In the debut 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 pairs of similarly made cheeses from the same region with one key difference. One cheese in each pairing will be made of sheep’s milk and the other will be of goat’s milk. In this manner, I hope we can begin to gain a sense of the flavor properties that each region exerts on a cheese.

For instance we will feature a firm goat and a firm sheep from the French Pyrenees. We will also have leaf-wrapped fresh goat and sheep cheeses from Tuscany. There will be two blues from Devon England, two fresh cheeses from nearby, and so on and so forth.

There will be dark chocolate (only one), fruit and two mystery cheeses (which will not be compared against one another). I am happy to answer questions about these cheeses and about cheese in general.

The tastings are Tuesdays April 22^nd and 29^th as well as Thursday April 24^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

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

Next tastings: May 13^th 15^th and 20^th Taking Sides part two, the cheeses of the East Coast versus those from the West Coast..

-MJ