Major Farms
Queso Invierno

Pour a glass of...

• 

  Riesling

  This food-friendly wine ranges from super sweet to quite dry. Acidity, minerality, and aromas of tropical fruit are almost always present.

  Dry: Characterized by bracing acidity and stark minerality. Tropical fruit on the nose, stunningly balanced flavor overall.
  Pair with: This versatile wine works equally well with a fresh chevre (bringing out acidity) as it does a stinky Alsatian Munster (playing up the sweet/salty contrast).

  Sweet: The other end of the spectrum offers a cloyingly sweet, syrupy wine. Aromas of ripe peaches and tropical fruit dominate, along with floral, perfumed accents.
  Pair with: With something this strong it’s best to contrast the sweetness with something funky or salty: A pungent washed rind like Grayson or a punchy blue like Bleu du Bocage.

   

• 

  Cider

  Brie and apples, cheddar and apples – both delicious! Why not extend that deliciousness to apples in liquid form? Enjoy cider and cheese for a pairing to remember.

  English style: drier, more like a beer, with nice acidity.
  Pair with: : Just about anything but we love it with firm natural rind cheese, like Landaff.

  Basque/Normandy : barnyardy and funky, but still with a little sweetness.
  Pair with: A beefy washed rind, like Grayson or Hudson Red to contrast the sugar and bring out the funk.

   

  American Cider: often, but not always on the sweeter side.
  Pair with: Sweet and earthy Bleumont Bandaged Cheddar or malty Bleu d’Auvergne.

• 

  Farmhouse Ales

  Farmhouse, Saison, Bière de Garde, Lambic, Sour Beer

  Farmhouse ales, instead of being driven by malt or hops, depend on the yeast for their distinctive spicy, floral, and tart flavors. Commonly made by brewers in France and Belgium, farmhouse ales are usually light in color and body and quite effervescent. From time to time, brewers allow wild yeasts to ferment the beer, resulting in a brew that falls somewhere in between pleasantly bright to bracingly sour.
  Pair with: Mushroomy Brie Fermier or funky, bacony Epoisses are matches made in heaven.

• 

  Tempranillo

  Medium-bodied with flavors of cherry, as well as some cranberry which lends bright acidity. Cinnamon and clove spices, and earthy, leathery flavors balance things out.
  Pair with: Sheep’s milk cheese like Malvarosa or Pyrenees Brebis, flavored cheese (truffles, herbs, or spices), and younger leaf-wrapped cheeses with some funk – think Robiola Foglie de Fico.