This post will be our typical cheese board, the one my wife & I enjoy the most. It also has an element of variability built into it, which is why it’s our favorite (but more on that later). It is perfect for an appetizer before a meal or as the first tapas course in a series. It also works if one of you prefers red wine, no matter what they are eating. The two wines to use are Mionetto’s Brut Prosecco (or Ruffino’s Extra Dry) and Charles Krug’s 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley). They both can be found at Clinton Wine & Spirits and can be bought in the high end of Billy’s price range (in some wine stores either or both may be at the low end of Steve’s range). There is no better Cab than a Napa Cab, more on that in a later post.
In order to assemble this board, with ingredients from the Clinton Hannaford, you need the following: Hannaford’s Sharp Cheddar cheese, Hannaford’s Pepper Jack cheese, strawberries, Ben’s Sugar Shack Pure Wildflower Honey, Bonne Maman’s Four Fruit Preserves, Kellogg’s Toasted Artisan Collection of crackers, & Wheat Thins Hint of Salt 100% Whole Grain crackers. The beauty of this board is you each pick your favorite cheese, cracker, and topping. My wife likes the sharp cheddar, artisan crackers, and honey; while I like the pepper jack, Wheat Thins, and fruit based jam/ preserves. Strawberries are great “neutral” berry, but if you both prefer some other berry based fruit that’s OK (just try to avoid the strong citrus based ones). As always, presentation is everything!
Now comes the fun part, the wine! As you may remember from a previous post, Prosecco goes great with mild cheeses and berry based fruit (although nothing goes better with strawberries that a Brut champagne – Pretty Woman was right!). Add the honey and you’re all set. The pepper jack is a bit trickier. If you are going to stick with the Prosecco, than try it with the honey, it may help. Being a stronger, more aggressive cheese, pepper jack really needs something like a decent Napa Cab, something that will complement the jalapenos and other spicey add-ons. But, if you are going with the Cab, than try the jam/ preserves, instead of the honey. The strong fruit flavor of the preserves will pair well with the Cab and the cheddar, being a relatively mild cheese, goes with almost any topping. If you don’t live in the local area, you already know what to do about the Prosecco, from a previous post. As far as the Cab is concerned, it is hard to find a good Napa Cab for less that $100.00. If you cannot find the Krug in your local shop, look for Beaulieu Vineyards‘ (BV) “regular” Cab Sauv or Beringer’s Knights Valley Cab Sauv(2018 or 2019 would be best). If you cannot find either of these, than drop me a line & I will suggest a few others.
That’s it for Blog Post #9. The next one will be back to Education & I will finish America with California wines. Be sure to check it out. Cheers!