Harbor hosted a wine and cheese party in September 2012 to show our appreciation for our clients. The evening was a wonderful success. Thanks to all of you who attended! With the holiday season upon us, we are posting our list of the wines and cheeses in case you are looking for suggestions on what to serve at your holiday party.
When deciding on cheeses to serve, look for a variety of textures and flavors. Depending on the number of people at your party, serving between 3-5 cheeses will provide a good selection without overwhelming your guests’ taste buds. When we built our cheese list, we set out to include at least one hard cheese, a soft cheese and a blue cheese. We also varied our selection to include cheeses made of cow, goat and sheep milk. Below is the list of cheeses that we selected:
- St. Agur – Double-cream blue cheese made with cow’s milk (France)
- Brillat Savarin – Triple-cream cheese made with cow’s milk (France)
- Humboldt Fog – Soft goat cheese with an edible ribbon of vegetable ash in the center (California)
- Quicke’s Traditional Mature Cheddar – Hard cheese made with cow’s milk (England)
- Saxon Green Fields – Hard washed-rind cheese made with cow’s milk (Wisconsin)
- Petit Basque – Lovely firm cheese made with sheep’s milk (France)
- Piave Vecchio – Hard cheese similar in texture to a young Parmigiano-Reggiano, made with cow’s milk. (Italy)
Serving tips: Slice the hard cheeses before your guests arrive to make it easier to nibble on some cheese while juggling a glass of wine. Provide individual utensils so that your guests have a way to spread the soft cheeses. Label your cheeses so your guests know which ones they are enjoying. You may use porcelain cheese markers available at kitchen stores, or you may decide to let the holidays inspire you and design your own! Serve cheeses with an assortment of bread, crackers, charcuterie, fruit, salted and/or candied nuts and chutneys.
Cheese.com and iGourmet.com are great resources if you want to learn more about cheese. Your local cheesemonger can also be helpful in providing suggestions based on your personal tastes.
If you’re looking for some of the great wines that we served, below is our list:
- Gerard Bertrand Cremant de Limoux Brut Rose – Sparkling wine with aromas of strawberries and soft spices (France)
- Ecker Gruner Veltliner von Stoskstal – White wine known for food friendliness and complexity (Austria)
- Anselmi Friulano – White wine with flavors of apple with mild pallet and firm acidity (Italy)
- Rivera Chardonnay ‘Preludio No. 1’ Castel del Monte – White wine with floral aromatics, fresh tropical citrus and pear fruit flavors (Italy)
- Esprit de Gigognan Cotes du Rhone Rouge – Red wine with spicy flavors of black cherry, wild berry and coffee bean aromas (France)
- Zerran Montsant – Red wine with notes of ripe berry and black cherry (Spain)
- RL Buller & Son Victoria Tawny – Dessert wine with spicy flavors of strawberry preserves, cherry and rose with ripe, sweet finish (Australia)
Happy Holidays!