NOTORIOUS WINE & CHEESE
TASTING
PRESENTED BY Natasja Mallory completed a Master’s Degree in Food Service Management at New York University, and worked for the prestigious Union Square Hospitality Group with Top Chef Tom Colicchio and restaurant entrepreneur Danny Meyer. Tasja was the first woman to lead the food and wine department of the prestige Lavinia Group in Spain and also worked for Caves Augé in Paris. Fluent in Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese, Tasja is an educator and judge for the European Taster’s Guild.
Helen Gregory has worked for wine and spirits leaders such as Moët Hennessy USA, Rémy Cointreau and Robert Mondavi Winery, and has led global marketing campaigns for the European Union, Vins de Bordeaux, Wines from Spain and many others. A lifestyle entrepreneur, Helen founded a food, wine and travel communications agency in 2001, and writes a monthly column for Fra Noi Magazine and Style & Design. A graduate of Princeton University with a B.A. in Politics/Economics, Helen completed her business studies in Paris and speaks French, Spanish and Italian. HELEN GREGORY
Wine & Lifestyle Expert
NATASJA MALLORY Cheese & Wine Expert
TASTING PLATE OVERVIEW GROUP
GROUP
Alcoholic Wines + Pasteurized / Unpasteurized Cheeses
Non-Alcoholic Drinks + Pasteurized Cheeses
+
+ Brie de Nangis
Le Gruyère AOP Alpage
Essex Manchego DOP
48th St Cave Aged Reserve Cheddar
Brie de Nangis
Blumenkäse
Esquirrou Ossau-Iraty
48th St Cave Aged Reserve Cheddar
MILK
PASTEURIZED OR NOT? Pasteurized cheese is made with milk that has been heated to 161 F for 15 seconds or 145 F for 30 minutes to kill any potential pathogens. Cheeses made with unpasteurized (raw) milk cannot be sold in the US unless aged for 60 days or more.
HOW STILL WINE IS MADE GRAPES
FERMENTATION Add Yeast. Sugar (the grape must) + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2
AGEING & BLENDING
STEP
01 STEP
02
REMOVE SKINS AND PRESS Skins are removed. Press wine is transferred to ageing.
Options: Wooden barrels, stainless steel (unoaked).
HARVEST
STEP
03 BOTTLING & STORAGE
Grapes are crushed and delivered to the winery
At the winery and in your cellar STEP
04
TO ADD BUBBLES…
HOW SPARKLING WINE IS MADE STEP
04
CHAMPAGNE IS WINE + BUBBLES STEP Sparkling wine is easy to drink, but hard to make! It requires two fermentations; one to make wine and the other to capture CO2 and make bubbles.
05
SECOND FERMENTATION Finished wines are blended. A mix of wine, sugar and yeast is added, and the bottle is sealed. Voilà! Second fermentation takes off inside the bottle.
AGEING & RIDDLING After fermentation, the yeast die and form a sediment (lees). The bottles are gently riddled (rotated) from a horizontal to a vertical position. The yeast collects in the neck.
STEP
06 DISGORGEMENT & DOSAGE The neck of the bottle is frozen; the bottle is uncapped – the yeast shoots out with the force of the trapped CO2. Sugar and wine is added to refill and balance the acidity in the “house style.” STEP
07
CHAMPAGNE LE MESNIL (GRAND CRU BRUT) Origin / designation Le Mesnil sur Oger Champagne, France
Varietal 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs
Alc % 12.5
Tasting Notes • • • • • •
A wonderful example of a grower Champagne Made on a boutique scale from vineyards around a single village 100% white Chardonnay grapes (hence the name “Blanc de Blancs”) grown in a Grand Cru vineyard Vineyards face east and soak up the morning sun White chalk soils are a signature of the region, and support even ripeness Look for fine bubbles, and delicate floral aromas, with notes of minerality and toasted brioche bread
Process A blend of multiple vintages: 2014 (90%), 2013 (5%) and 2010 (5%). Bottled in April 2015 and aged for 4 years.
CONSTANT DISRUPTIONS 2017 PINOT NOIR Origin / designation Sonoma County, California
Varietal 100% Pinot Noir
Alc % 12.5
Tasting Notes • • •
A transparent, fresh, and vivid expression of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from winemaker Shane Finley A bit jammier than French Burgundy, the wine shows off cherry, dried fruit and jams (exactly what we like to “disrupt” the cheese board!) Bright acidity (that’s the tart cherry and mineral note on the end) balances out the rich fruit
Process 100% Pinot Noir from the cool Sonoma Coast, made from whole cluster grapes that are gently pressed. Only one gentle pump over daily for minimal extraction. Fermented at cool temps with native yeast. No new oak.
FONSECA BIN NO. 27 RESERVA PORTO Origin / designation Vinho do Porto, Portugal
Varietal Various (Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tempranillo)
Alc % 20
Tasting Notes • • • • •
A wine of depth and character, Fonseca Bin No. 27 is a classic Port originally reserved for the Fonseca family Commercially released for the first time in 1972 (the same year that RBG founded the ACLU Women’s Rights Projects!) This rich and fruity blend packs in blackberry, cassis, cherry, plum and spice. Full-bodied with a smooth, velvety texture, it’s a decadent ready-to-drink dessert wine. Pair with sharp cheddar or blue Stilton.
Process Bin No. 27 is made from estate-grown reserve grapes from the Douro Valley, fortified with grape spirit. Made in the tradition of vintage ports, it is ready to drink upon release without additional aging in your cellar.
NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS
Martinelli’s Organic Apple Sparkling Cider
Leitz EINS-ZWEI-ZERO Riesling
Maine Root Blueberry Soda
Riesling
Blueberry
Rheingau, Germany
United States
Tasting Notes
Tasting Notes
Tasting Notes
Made from American apples; picked, pressed and pasteurized for a crisp and refreshing taste.
The Leitz EINS-ZWEIZERO offers an original Riesling character that is clean and fresh with notes of lime and citrus on top of a mineral base. The finish is dry and long.
Maine Root Blueberry soda is made with seasonal, wild blueberries, carbonated water, organic cane sugar and spice. Caffeine free.
100% Fresh Apple Juice Monterey Bay, California
BRIE DE NANGIS (PASTEURIZED) Country / region Brie, France Milk Type Cow Rind Bloomy White Rind Treatment/Age Pasteurized; Aged up to 6 weeks Tasting overview Brie de Nangis is made by the Rouzaire family in the Brie region, just southwest of Paris. One of the milder, more buttery bries; creamy and smooth, with a pleasant, earthy flavor. Try it with with jam, honey and dried fruits. The fluffy, pillowy rind comes from a penicillin mold.
+
OR
LE GRUYĂˆRE AOP ALPAGE (UNPASTEURIZED) Country / region Switzerland Milk Type Cow Rind Washed Treatment/Age Unpasteurized; Aged up to 8 months
+
Tasting overview Gruyère is the classic cheese of the Swiss Alps; creamy and nutty, with some sweetness. Alpage is a special designation (or AOP) that translates to mountain pastures. Highly seasonal, the cows are only milked in summer, when the herd grazes on wildflowers and grasses. The curds are cut into small, pea-sized pieces then placed in round springform molds. The natural rind is washed with salt/brine.
OR
BLUMENKÄSE (PASTEURIZED) Country / region Switzerland Milk Type Cow Rind Washed Rind with flowers & herbs Treatment/Age Pasteurized; Aged up to 8 months
+
Tasting overview Made using pasteurized organic milk in a mountain style,” like Gruyère, the cheese has grassy, fresh pasture notes balanced by sweet, creamy caramel. The cheeses are turned and lightly washed throughout maturation, to maintain moisture. The blend of herbs and wildflowers added to the rind give this cheese a beautiful appearance, fragrance and taste profile.
ESSEX MANCHEGO DOP (UNPASTEURIZED) Country / region Spain Milk Type Sheep Rind Natural Rind (Dry Brushed) Treatment/Age Unpasteurized; Aged 8 months
+
Tasting overview Essex Manchego is a raw sheep’s milk cheese sourced from a family farmstead in La Mancha, the official DOP (quality) area. Handmade with unpasteurized milk, this is one of the only Manchegos made from a single herd. Full-bodied and rustic, it also has hints of nutmeg. Traditionally paired with membrillo (quince) or fig jam as a classic tapa.
ESQUIRROU OSSAU-IRATY (PASTEURIZED) Country / region Aquitaine (Basque), France Milk Type Sheep Rind Washed Rind Treatment/Age Pasteurized; Aged 8 months
+
Tasting overview By legend, this was one of the world’s oldest cheeses, made by the god Apollo’s sheepherding son in the Western Pyrenees. Beneath the amber, mold-dappled rind lies an ivory paste that is very rich, with toasted wheat aromas and nutty, grassy-sweet flavors. The sheep milk curds are warmed before being pressed into wheels, making this a superb melter.
48TH ST CAVE AGED RESERVE CHEDDAR (PASTEURIZED) Country / region USA Milk Type Cow Rind Natural Rind (Dry Brushed) Treatment/Age Pasteurized; Aged 1 year Tasting overview
+
Made by Hemme Brothers Creamery in Sweet Springs, MO, then aged by The Better Cheddar in Kansas City. The “green cheddar” is brought to KC, coated with lard, then aged for one year in an underground cellar. The 40-pound blocks are turned and dry-brushed to develop an even rind from ambient mold in the room. If you detect a slight crunch, you’ve found “cheese crystals,” natural protein blocks that build up with age, adding to complex flavor and texture.
OR
TEST YOUR PALATE
ACID AND FAT
ACID AND FAT
SWEET AND SALTY UMAMI UMAMI
SWEET AND SALTY
SWEET AND MORE SWEETNESS
SWEET AND MORE SWEETNESS
www.gregoryvine.com
@gregoryvine
Helen Gregory helen@gregoryvine.com (646) 621-3559 Natasja Mallory natasja@gregoryvine.com (347) 909-8002
420 Nichols Rd. Kansas City, MO 64112
85 Broad Street, #17-102 New York, NY 10004