In honor of our 4th Annual: Rosé Colored Glasses grand wine tasting this Saturday, June 1st, 3-6PM (bottles on bottles to try, summer is here y’all!), I want to write about rosé and cheese. This could be a very short conversation – rosé goes with almost any cheese. But to make it a little longer, I want to highlight some of our oddball cheeses. Cheeses that we love, but are slightly less popular with weird and wonderful taste profiles or funky textures or wacky smells. It is more difficult to find friends for them in the wine world but rosé, that magic drink, will do the trick! Along with descriptions of the cheeses, I’ll also describe flavors in rosé that I think would be nice with the cheese, as well as particular ones to try that’ll be open on Saturday!

Nancy’s Camembert– this is one of our newest cheeses! It is a very rich sheep and cow’s milk cheese that has a touch of mushroom, a good hit of tang, and I think this particular batch is a little peaty. Rosé pairing: something herbaceous and spicy with red fruit like cherries! Try: 2018 Kings Carey

Berkswell – grassy, sheepy flavor and a sandy texture. Sheep’s milk cheeses can be surprisingly difficult to pair with wine because the wrong wine can make the cheese taste like you’re pressing your face into a dirty sheep and taking a huge sniff. Rosé pairing: I don’t think rosé will have the intense sheep smelling affect. Since the cheese itself is dry, I want a rosé that’s smooth and full-bodied with good minerality. Try: 2018 Chateau de Roquefort Corail (one of my personal faves)

Landaff– Landaff is a cow’s milk cheese with a fascinating combination of flavors and textures – tangy but buttery, dry but smooth. Rosé pairing: this cheese goes well with fruity jam, so a rosé with some dark fruit like plums and blackberries I think would be tasty tasty. Try: 2018 Cellario È Rosato

West West Blue– One of our most fun blues! It varies a little wheel to wheel but always reminds me of summer in Vermont, its birthplace. It smells and tastes of hay, and although not super strong blue, it is still finishes a little spicy and tangy. Rosé pairing: Let’s go with some bubbles! Bubbles help cleanse the palate of all that flavor bite after bite. Nice acidity, cherry and raspberry. Try: NV Moillard Brut Crémont de Bourgogne

Cabra de Beira Baixa– Ahh the wonderfully funky Portuguese cheeses…they are challenging but wow they are delicious. This goat’s milk cheese is certainly goaty and earthy, and it has sweetness to it like very ripe fruit. Rosé pairing: I want minerals, I want lush, and I want strawberries. Try:  2018 Daniel Crochet Sancerre Rosé (although most rosé goes with everything, this rosé REALLY goes with anything. It is my ace in the hole, my ringer, my “everybody and their mother will think this is the bees knees” wine) 

If you’re interested in trying any of these wines, we’ll have them open this Saturday! And we’ll be happy to give you tastes of cheese as always.

For the love of cheese and rosé of course,

Kiri