How To ‘Create a Successful Wine and Cheese Pairing Party’
by Philip S. Kampe
Recently, I had the opportunity and pleasure to speak, in
person, at length, with Cathy Strange, head cheese buyer for Whole Foods. Cathy
was in the northeast promoting a new program that matches wines with cheese,
brilliantly called ‘Rinds & Vines’.
Cathy said the goal of Whole Foods is create the perfect pairing, or as Max
McCalman, a cheese guru says, ‘A Marriage Made In Heaven’.
I was excited to try the ‘Perfect Pairings’, but, before that, I had an agenda
with Cathy Strange. It is ‘rare’ to meet the head cheese buyer in a social
situation and keep it social.
In 2012 I was invited on a ten day wine trip that covered
the major wine regions of Spain.
We visited 14 vineyards, from the Cava region near Barcelona
to Leon, which nearly
borders Portugal,
specifically the Douro region.
In my travels, on the last day, near Leon, I sampled a raw sheep’s milk
cheese, aged eleven months, named Sansuena.
There was something special about the cheese that made me ask, ‘Can I buy this
cheese in America?’.
No, was the answer.
I knew I had a mission.
I wanted to help the ever-so poor Spanish dairy farmers.
Unemployment in Spain
is near twenty-seven per cent.
The farmers are poor, with little immediate success on the horizon.
I wanted to make a small difference in their lives by finding a home for
Sansuena in America.
As an entrepreneur, I felt like I had my calling. I knew
that anyone who appreciates an aged Manchego would ‘go crazy’ for this cheese,
as it is one step above. It is ‘Raw’, while Manchego is made from pasteurized cow’s milk. I learned from one of my early cheese teachers, who is not with us
anymore, Daphne Zepos, that ‘raw’ cheese, if given the choice, is always the
best choice.
To make a long story short, I packed a small suitcase of Sansuena and carried
it onto the airplane with me.
After I arrived in America,
I contacted a cheese buyer at Atalanta Imports (NJ), who, after some time, met
with the Spanish cheese maker of Sansuena and agreed to import and distribute
the cheese throughout the states.
I met my goal.
My cheese background is straight forward. I helped Chef Terrence Brennan open
the Artisanal Cheese Center (NY) and wrote over 200 cheese descriptions for his
website, followed by a year plus as a cheese consultant for the now famous Gary
Vaynerchuk, from the Wine Library (NJ). I took an empty 3,000 sf space and
turned it into a cheese and gourmet shop, selling over 300 types of cheese.
The rest of the story should be obvious. I talked with Cathy Strange about
Sansuena, told her the story of the cheese, and am hoping that she will sample
the cheese and take it in as a new cheese at Whole Foods.
If Whole Foods sells your cheese, then you know your cheese is a winner.
Back to reality!
It is easy to trust the wine and cheese recommendations from the country’s
leading ‘hip to shop at’ supermarket. I initiated a wine and cheese tasting at
my house, stealing the name, ‘Rinds & Vines at the Kampe’s’.
I invited a half dozen friends to partake in this experiment.
What I learned from their palate was pure ‘textbook’.
To set-up the tasting, I followed the Whole Foods playbook.
Start with the simpler cheese and wine pairings and move forward to heavier
wines and cheeses. End with an aperitif, in this case, a sweet sparkling wine
and cheese pairing.
Let the games begin!
I set-up six tasting stations: I gave each guest a checklist and comment
sheet for each pairing. I did not let them know that the pairing ideas were
from Whole Foods and not from me.
In all cases, the results were crystal clear, the wines and
the cheeses paired exceptionally well and the group comment was that I had a
perfect palate.
Basically, Phil ‘knows wine and cheese pairings’.
What I learned was simple, you can imitate what I did for a
party or just a gathering of friends and everyone (at least in my group) agreed
that the pairings were brilliant.
Do what I did and you will look like a star.
This is the game plan for six ‘Rinds & Vines’ pairings:
#1 CHEESE: (Ca) Cowgirl Creamery Organic Mt. Tam (smooth, buttery, earthy, triple
cream, pasteurized cow’s milk)
#1 WINE: (Ca) Vincum Cellars Chardonnay (oak, vanilla,
citrus, cream) $12
#2 CHEESE: (Ca) Cyprus Grove Humboldt Fog ( pasteurized goat’s
milk, tangy, floral, herbal, citrusy, edible ash)
#2 WINE: (Ca) Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc (spice, honeydew,
orange blossom) $15
#3 CHEESE: (Spain) El Trigal
Manchego (sheep’s milk, toasted almonds, earthy, gamey)
#3 WINE: (Spain)
Lamatum Ribera del Crianza (vanilla, nutmeg, full-bodied, red fruit) $10
#4 CHEESE: (France)
Fourme d’Ambert Blue Cheese (tangy, savory, cave-aged, semi-soft, pasteurized
cow’s milk)
#4 WINE: H&G Merlot (Wa): (black cherry, plum,
blackberry with hints of cocoa) $12
#5 CHEESE: Parrano (Holland)
(sweet, nutty, pasteurized cow’s milk, aged 5 months)
#5 WINE: Chateau Grand Claret Cotes de Bordeaux (France)
(caramel, fig, black cherry, velvety) $12
#6 CHEESE: Fromager d’Affinois (France) (rich, tangy, double cream,
pasteurized cow’s milk)
#6 WINE: Pizzolato Moscato Dolce (Italy) (peach, nectarine, honey,
lemon, floral notes) $13
+Note: All wines retail for $16 or under.
Cheese quantities are 8-12 ounces per cheese+
Philip S. Kampe
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