A few weeks back, we put together a story about eating and buying locally, complete with a list of local farmer's markets and pureyors and growers from the area. But while we doing so, we left out one important category that goes really well with food, that being wine.
So, since we're sticklers for getting you as much information on a topic as possible (and considering we like the occasional glass of vino), we're back to report that, after hitting a few wineries on the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail, local winemakers have as much to say about their beverages with locally made cheeses.
And so, here now is a look at six local varietals, from three wineries, paired with some perfectly cheesy counterparts.
Paradocx-ical Pairings:
At their relatively new tasting room in Landenberg, our sampling began with Paradocx Vineyard's Reserve Chardonnay, a medium bodied white aged in French oak. Berries abound, as does the creamy, somewhat buttery finish, which goes superbly with September Farms cheddar.
The medium bodied cow's milk, hand-waxed in Honeybrook, Pa., is aged three months, so there's very little bite. This here pairing makes for an easy transition into the wine-and-cheese relationship for the uninitiated.
A step up for the more familiar is the Leverage Red, a cab-sauv, cab-franc and petit verdot blend with bite that goes best with the Italian and regular pork sausages made by Rumbleway Farm in Conowingo, Md.
The Reserve Chardonnay goes for $18.99 per bottle, while the Leverage Red goes for $24.99 per bottle. The September Farms cheddar is $4.50 per 8 oz. block, but unfortunately only available at September Farms, about 30 minutes north of West Chester. Rumbleway sausage (both the sweet and spicy) is sold locally at Harvest Market in Hockessin, for about $8.
Tastings at Paradocx are $7 Saturday and Sunday from 12-5 p.m.
Paradocx Vineyard | 1833 Flint Hill Road, Landenberg, Pa.
www.paradocx.com, 610-255-5684
Pairings a la va la:
One of the first varietals you'll come across at the Va La tasting room is their La Prima Donna, a white blend of malvasia bianca, tocai, viognier, petit manseng and pinot grigio. This light white is best paired with the mild cow's milk cheddar from Oak Shade Cheese out of Lancaster County.
Together the two pair a subtly peppery wine with a very creamy cheddar, much unlike the pairing between La Prima Donna and the Shellbark Hollow Farms goat cheese. Marinated in honey, the goat cheese helps bring out the sweet grape flavors hidden in the wine.
If you're of the "I'm not a fan of reds" crowd, as winemaker Anthony Vietri puts it, be it a result of fear for too much acidity or tannin, Va La's Silk is as smooth as it sounds, due to the fact they separate stem and skin from the grapes early in the fermentation process.
This light red blend, paired with the chevre from Shellbark Hollow Farms, creates a relationship between airy cheese and light red that helps develop the palate slowly to the dark side, where red wine lovers lurk.
La Prima Donna sells in the tasting room for $35 per bottle, while the Silk goes for $28 per bottle. The cheese range from $12 to $15 per block, which weigh from three to six ounces. Tastings are $10 Thursday through Sunday.
Va La Family Farmed Wines | 8820 Gap Newport Pike, Avondale, Pa.
www.valavineyards.com, 610-268-2702
Chaddsford for locavores:
Chaddsford Winery has been working on their locavore program for a while now, because as winemaker Eric Miller puts it, "Making sure you have good wine to go with good food from the same region should be a basic requirement."
With that in mind, he likes to pair Chaddsford's Pinot Noir, a light and delicate red that combines fruit and earthiness, with the Shellbark Hollow Farms sharp goat cheese. The acidic components of both nix each other out, leaving a smoky, fruity character behind.
On the white side, their Dessert Riesling goes well with three cheeses Eric sampled from Birchrun Hills Farm, including their signature Birchrun Blue, which lacks the pungent sour taste of many blue cheeses, and instead offers a light tang that counterbalances the sweet riesling.
The Chaddsford Pinot Noir goes for $15.99, while the Dessert Riesling is priced at $18.99. The Shellbark Hollow Farms sharp goat cheese is available locally at Talula's Table in Kennett Square, for $28 per pound. For info on the Birchrun Blue, contact cheesemaker Sue Miller at 610-827-6103.
Tastings at Chaddsford are $7 every day from 12-6 p.m.
Chaddsford Winery | 632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, Pa.
www.chaddsford.com, 610-388-6221
