L'Ottavo Chianti

I recently enjoyed two good wines from Fattoria L'Ottavo--a Chianti Classico and a Chianti Classico Riserva. In order to be a Chianti Classico, the wine has to made in the Classico subregion of the Chianti wine area, and it has to be aged in oak casks about four to seven months. Riservas are aged for at least two years, which smooths out the tannins.

I thought both wines were very smooth and paired well with a wide range of foods. They had a bright, ruby red color and aromas of cherry, plum, and vanilla.

The L'Ottavo Chiantis are made from about 80% Sangiovese grapes, with the remainder being comprised of Malvasia bianca, Canaiolo, Trebbiano, Merlot and Cabernet. Malvasia bianca, of course, is a white grape--an unusual ingredient in an ostensibly red wine.

The L'Ottavo estate is situated in Lucolena, part of the municipality of Greve in Chianti, at an altitude of 400m. The buildings at the estate have been converted into modern, stylish apartments for agritourists who want to visit the Tuscan winemaking region.

The L'Ottavo Chianti Classico sells for around $12 to $14, while the Riserva sells for around $16 to $19. They are affordable, enjoyable Italian wines.

Grilled Cheese

In case you missed it, April was Grilled Cheese Month. (Who decides these things, anyway? I wouldn't be surprised if the Kraft Corporation weren't behind this one.)

Foodies have gotten rather serious about grilled cheese lately. Some cities have even hosted Grilled Cheese Invitational Competitions (details here and here).

The Food Network recently hosted a Grilled Cheese Throwdown between celebrity chef Bobby Flay and the owners of the Pop Shop, which offers 31 varieties of grilled cheese sandwiches. In the "Throwdown" series Flay shows up to a dining establishment without warning and challenges makers of certain specialties to a cook-off.

The Pop Shop's jack cheese, roasted turkey, bacon, avocado, and house dressing (balsamic mayo) on foccacia sandwich lost by just a hair to Flay's grilled brie and goat cheese with bacon and green tomato sandwich.

According to the Pop Shop, the best accompaniment to a grilled cheese sandwich is tomato soup. I'll have to try that with my daughters.

Grilled cheese recipes from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board can be found here. Recipes from Clementine's, a purveyor of fine grilled cheeses in LA, can be found here.

In a post such as this I can't resist reminiscing a bit about Diana Duyser, the woman who in 2004 sold a grilled cheese sandwich that allegedly bore the image of the Virgin Mary for $28,000. Have you ever wondered what happened to her? (Probably not.) But just in case here is an update: the Miami Herald reports that in 2007 she paid $1000 to have an image of the sandwich tattooed on her chest. People are strange.

Arina Goat Gouda

Arina Goat Gouda is a semi-hard, Gouda-style, goat's milk cheese from Holland. It is aged four months and has a wonderfully mild, nutty flavor. You might not know you were eating goat cheese, unless you were told. Both its flavor and texture are unlike the tart, fresh chèvre most people are more familiar with.

In order to make a Gouda-style cheese, the curds must be pressed and heated to expell a good deal of the whey. I also believe (though I do not know for certain) that Goudas require the use of a particular strand of bacteria as the starter culture that aids the initial separation of curds and whey.

Arina Goat Gouda is a great party cheese. I brought some a couple of weeks ago to Ken and Jenn Shockley's annual philosophy gathering, and it was gone within minutes. The hosts didn't even get to try any.

Some other Gouda cheeses I've reviewed include the following:

• Ewephoria
• Vintage Van Gogh
• Saenkanter
• Double-Cream Gouda

Some salad recipes using Arina Goat Gouda include:

• Arugula, Pear, Arina Goat Gouda Salad
• Arina Goat Gouda Salad

Arina would probably make a good grilled cheese sandwich, too.

Cheese Facts and Myths

Question #1: Is it OK to Freeze Cheese?

Most cheeses do not freeze well. Only soft, unripened cheeses like cream cheese, cottage cheese, mascarpone and ricotta can be frozen without becoming ruined. And even then they should be used only in cooking after thawing.

Soft-ripened cheeses like Brie or Camembert should not be frozen, nor should just about any other cheese. Most cheeses lose both texture and flavor during the freezing process.

Question #2: Do Cheeses Made from Sheep and Goat Milk Contain Less Lactose?

This question is important to those who suffer from lactose-intolerance but who enjoy the taste of cheese. In spite of what you may have heard, sheep milk and goat milk do not contain lesser amounts of lactose. According to an article by Phillip Collman (Ph.D., gastrointestinal physiology) in the Ontario Cheese Society newsletter, the lactose content for all three species is around 4.5%. Collman's advice to lactose-intolerant cheese lovers is to select aged cheeses: "The longer a dairy product has been aged, the more lactose is converted into lactic acid, which doesn’t cause any gastrointestinal discomfort."

Expensive Wines Really Do Taste Better

We've all heard that higher price tags tend to make people think more highly of a wine. The conventional wisdom suggests that an inflated price tag can't really make a wine taste better. Recent neuroscientific evidence, however, suggests otherwise.

According to a report in Scientific American Mind ("Paying for Pleasure," Apr/May 2008), 20 volunteers were recently given 5 supposedly different wines to sample. Each wine was identified by a certain price. In reality, only 3 different wines were sampled--2 of the wines were presented twice with different price tags. As expected, the subjects gave the wine with the cheapest price tag their lowest rating, while the most expensive wine was everyone's favorite. Subjects gave the "most expensive" wine a lower rating when that same wine was presented with a lower price tag.

While the subjects were sampling the wines, their brains were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging technology. The scans revealed an increase in activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex while subjects were tasting the more expensive wine. This area is believed to underwrite or encode for the pleasantness of various experiences. Changing subjects' expectations via doctoring the price tags had a measurable effect on pleasure-related brain activity.

In other words, the wine really did taste better with an inflated price tag. The subjects underwent qualitatively different experiences when the wine was labeled with a more expensive price than when the same wine was labeled with a lower price. Granted, it should not have tasted any better, but that's another story.

People in Need

True or False: The following pictures have nothing to do with wine or cheese.


Caption: Sunglasses €24.- Access to water €8.-


Caption: Handbag €32.- Food for a week €4.-


Caption: Pint of beer €4.50
50 liters of fresh water €1.50

Chèvre Noir

Chèvre Noir Goat Cheddar is one of the best cheddars I've ever tasted. Produced by Fromagerie Tournevent in Chesterville, Quebec, it is made from pasteurized goat milk and aged a minimum of one year.

This pale, slightly dry cheese is initially firm but will literally melted in your mouth. It has a wonderfully rich, creamy, nutty flavor that includes hints of caramel.

Lucie Chartier, René Marceau and Louise Lefebvre have been making Chèvre Noir for twenty years, during which time it has garnered a variety of awards at international cheese competitions, including more than one first place prize at the American Cheese Society annual competition.

The folks at Fromagerie Tournevent suggest serving Chèvre Noir with fresh fruit, port or a premium beer. At $25/lb, Chèvre Noir is more expensive than most other cheddars, but it is well worth the expense. It is absolutely fabulous.

Wine and Children

Eric Asimov, wine writer for the NY Times, recently posted some interesting reflections on serving wine to one's teenaged children at home.

Asimov spoke with Dr. Paul Steinberg, a psychiatrist and former director of counseling at Georgetown University, about the best ways to prevent kids from binge drinking in high school and college. According to Steinberg, "The best evidence shows that teaching kids to drink responsibly is better than shutting them off entirely from it. You want to introduce your kids to it, and get across the point that that this is to be enjoyed but not abused."

Studies performed by Dr. George E. Vaillant, a Harvard psychiatry professor, showed that men who grew up in families where alcohol was forbidden at the table but was consumed outside the home apart from food were seven times more likely to become alcoholics than those who came from families where wine was served with meals but drunkenness was not tolerated. Vaillant told Asimov, "If you are taught to drink in a ceremonial way with food, then the purpose of alcohol is taste and celebration, not inebriation. If you are forbidden to use it until college then you drink to get drunk."

Asimov says that he is currently unsure about whether to serve wine to his teenaged sons at home. But he concludes, "my cautious opinion now is that my teenage sons have more to gain than to lose by having a taste of wine now and then with dinner." I would not have expected a well-known wine critic to be so hesitant to serve wine to his teenagers at home.

I have always assumed that I would give sips of wine to my daughters when they become teenagers. But I suppose one should definitely proceed with caution here.

Philosophy and Wine Books

Peter Machamer, who is a philosopher of science, wine critic, bon vivant, and even Philosopher-in-Residence for the Attack Theatre Dance Company, has recently reviewed two new books on philosophy and wine at Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews.

The books are Questions of Taste: The Philosophy of Wine, edited by Barry C. Smith, and Wine and Philosophy: A Symposium on Thinking and Drinking, edited by Fritz Allhoff. (The philosopher Barry C. Smith is not to be confused with the philosopher Barry Smith. Only the latter holds world records both for the largest single grant ever given to a philosopher and for total grant money given to a philosopher.)

The book, Wine and Philosophy, is part of Blackwell's Epicurean Trilogy, which also includes Beer and Philosophy: The Unexamined Beer Isn't Worth Drinking and Food and Philosophy: Eat, Think, and Be Merry. These books do an entertaining job of promoting an expanded range of topics in value inquiry that receive sustained philosophical attention.

Some of my colleagues have suggested that I should propose and edit a Cheese and Philosophy volume in the series. Unfortunately, however, I keep my philosophizing and my cheese tasting fairly separate. Perhaps I should consider changing that (after tenure).

Wisconsin Cheese Map

Cheeselovers will be glad to know that the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has just produced a new 2008 Traveler's Guide to America's Dairyland cheese map. You can order one online for free. I ordered mine last week.

Anyone attending the Wisconsin Epistemology Conference next month should consider including a tour of a great American creamery on their itinerary.

I like to pair wine and cheese tours with professional business whenever I can. For example, the last time the American Philosophical Association held its Pacific Division meeting in San Francisco, I included a two-day trip to Napa Valley. I don't make it out to Wisconsin very often, but hopefully I will be able to combine philosophy conferencing and Wisconsin cheese tasting soon.

Interested readers might also want to consult my earlier post on the Vermont Cheese Trail.

Cypress Grove's Truffle Tremor

Truffle Tremor is the latest caseic creation from Cypress Grove Chèvre, one of American's leading makers of artisanal cheese. This soft-ripened goat milk cheese contains bits of truffle that impart a unique, earthy flavor.

Like the French Bucheron or Caña de Oveja, Truffle Tremor has a white, bloomy rind, a crumbly interior paste and a thin, gooey layer in between. The folks at Cypress Grove recommend adding Truffle Tremor to your favorite polenta or risotto recipe or placing a thin layer of it over mashed potatoes and parsnips.

Pair Truffle Tremor with a dry, white wine.

Caña de Oveja

When I stopped by Premier Gourmet after work today, I was treated to a wide variety of cheese samplings by Janet Ostrow, owner of Premier Gourmet for the last twelve years. One of the cheeses I tasted (and brought home) was Caña de Oveja, a soft-ripened sheep's milk cheese from Spain.

Caña de Oveja is made in Murcia, a dry and mountainous region of southeastern Spain, by Central Quesera Montesinos, a leading producer of Spanish artisanal cheeses.

Caña de Oveja comes in the shape of a log and is covered in a somewhat thick, bloomy, white rind. Immediately underneath the rind is a thin, gooey layer of cheese that quickly gives way to a creamy, crumbly paste. The inner portion of the cheese is slightly acidic, buttery and delicious. It's no wonder the cheese won a Silver Medal at the 2005 World Cheese Awards in London.

Restaurant Magnus in Madison, WI, bakes Caña de Oveja in phyllo dough and tops it with seasonal fruit, a sherry butter sauce and a habanero glaze. That sounds delicious.

I highly recommend this very interesting cheese. It is unlike most cheeses you will encounter.

Back to Blogging

I have been traveling for much of the last six weeks--first to China, then to California. As a result, I haven't been able to keep up my usual blogging pace. Actually, I haven't been able to keep up with my work to any significant degree either. In any case, I am settled back in Buffalo and will resume regular blog posting. My apologies for the hiatus.

Chinese Medicinal Wines

I've known that wine had medicinal properties, but the Chinese take the concept of medicial wine to another level. While browsing the Qing Ping traditional Chinese medicine market in Guangzhou last week, I came across the following rather interesting set of "wines": Three Snake Wine, Scorpion Wine, Black Ant Wine, Cock Testis Wine, and Snake Penis Wine.

Each "wine" contains the objects denoted by its label. One unlabelled "wine" had some small animal fetuses floating in it. I'm kind of glad I wasn't told what they were. I understand that the wine that is most often used in these medicinal products is rice wine.

(Un)fortunately, the medicinal wine shop was not offering any tastings the day I dropped by. So, I can't tell you what they tasted like. I've heard wine snobs claim to detect all manner of bizarre aromas in wines, but I've never heard anyone claim to detect aromas of snake reproductive organs. (Perhaps Ann Noble should consider expanding the existing categories on her Wine Aroma Wheel.)

I was surprised to discover how many American travellers blog about these wines. Simply Google 'snake wine' and you'll see what I mean. More surprisingly, perhaps, is the number of travellers who actually sample these products. I can't imagine drinking any such concoction.

(Photo credit: Alan Abdine)

Moutai: China's Most Famous Liquor

I just returned from the province of Guizhou in southern China, the home of my newly adopted daughter. I was very pleased to learn that Guizhou is the wine-making capital of China. Its most famous product is Kweichow Moutai (茅台酒), China's most famous and best-selling alcoholic beverage.

'Kweichow' is simply an older English rendering of 'Guizhou'--the same way that 'Peking' is the older version of 'Beijing.' Moutai is a small town in the north of Guizhou. I asked my translator and guide to inquire about taking us to Moutai to see the Chinese wine-making process, but the prices drivers were asking turned out to be prohibitive.

Moutai and other related Chinese beverages are often referred to as "Chinese wines," but this is a result of mistranslating the Chinese word 'Jiu' (酒), which simply refers to any type of alcoholic beverage. Because Moutai and other Chinese "wines" are distilled products and are made from grains rather than fruits, they should really be called Chinese "whiskeys."

Moutai is made mostly from red sorghum, which is somewhat like wheat. Some Chinese wines also contain measures of rice and wheat. At 53% alcohol by volume, Chinese "wines" are rather stout beverages. Scotches, bourbons and other whiskeys contain only 40% alcohol.

The flavor of Moutai is not easy to describe. When Jiyuan Yu was passing around ample amounts of Moutai at a Chinese New Year celebration he hosted earlier this year, Jo Anne Brocklehurst suggested to me that Moutai had aromas of chocolate. I thought she was off her rocker, but out of politeness I didn't say so. The following day, however, I bit into a bar of 90% cocoa dark chocolate and I realized that she was exactly right. Like most Americans, the first chocolate aromas that come to my mind are those of milk chocolate. But Jo Anne was thinking of dark chocolate. Other than recognizing a trace of dark chocolate aromas, I am otherwise at a loss to describe the flavor of Moutai. It is like nothing I've ever tasted.

Unfortunately, because of increased demand around the world, the price of Moutai has skyrocketed. It now sells for over $150 a bottle in America. I was surprised to find it for $100 in China. I thought I could find it cheaper than that in China. Other, less-famous Chinese wines can be found for much less. I brought home one such cheaper bottle. So, if you're interested in trying a sample, I can give you a sip at my next party.

Because Moutai is receiving a wider distribution in America, it is beginning to crop up more often at parties in the west. The look of the bottle and the smell of the beverage are rather unusual. But don't be afraid. It is definitely worth a try.

Upcoming Wine Class at Premier Gourmet

Premier Gourmet (Kenmore, NY) will be offering a Riedel wine glass comparative tasting on Fri., Apr. 4th, at 6pm. The tasting showcases the difference the size and shape of a wine glass can make in your enjoyment of wine.

Four different shape glasses from the best selling Vinum Series will be used: Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Over the course of the program you'll discover how your perception of a wine changes on the nose and palate based on the size and shape of the wine glass. You may never look at your old glasses the same way again. The cost is $75 but each participant receives the four Riedel Vinum Series glasses, a value of nearly $100.

Make Your Own Paneer

Adam Taylor has brought my attention to a couple of Indian chefs that offer free video cooking lessons online. Sanjay, who calls himself the 'vahchef,' offers a huge selection of video recipes at http://www.VahRehVah.com/. Here is Sanjay showing viewers how to make paneer, a homemade Indian cheese found in dishes like Saag Paneer and Palak Paneer:



Another Indian chef, named Manjula, offers video cooking lessons from her home. Here is Manjula showing viewers how to cook Palak Paneer, Chapati (or Paratha) and Naan. Adam says the dishes are easy to make and quite tasty. I'll have to try them myself sometime.

Carr Valley Benedictine

Benedictine is one of the many unique creations of Carr Valley Cheese. This washed rind cheese is made from the milk of sheep, goats and cows and is aged for twelve weeks. It is quite creamy and has a slightly robust, nutty flavor.

I have blogged and raved about Carr Valley cheeses before (cf. my posts on their Mobay and Billy Blue cheeses), but Benedictine is my least favorite of all of the Carr Valley products I have tried. According to the Carr Valley website, "The flavor [of this cheese] explodes with intensity." The cheese's flavor is certainly a bit stronger than one might expect, given its creamy, slightly soft texture. But I thought that its flavor was surprisingly bland and uninteresting, despite the various steps taken to provide it with flavor.

The blending of three types of milk seems to make the cheese taste like it is not from the milk of anything in particular. Instead of providing the cheese with a distinctive personality, the blending seemed to rob it of one.

Because of the somewhat high price of Benedictine, I had put off trying it for some time. Perhaps the fact that I like so many of Carr Valley's products and the expense of the cheese made me have higher than reasonable expectations. Benedictine is not a bad cheese, but given its price and somewhat disappointing personality, I would recommend buying other products from Carr Valley instead.

Cypress Grove Mount McKinley

Cypress Grove Chevre may be the best cheesemakers in America. They're certainly one of the very best. If you want to know what extraordinarily high quality American cheese tastes like, sample any of their products.

I recently tried Cypress Grove's triangle-shaped Mount McKinley cheese. This unique shepherd-style goat cheese is aged 18 months and is covered in vegetable ash. On top of the ash sits a thin, bloomy layer of white peniclium molds. The cheese has a sharp, robust, earthy flavor and a hard, somewhat dry texture.

Many foodies recommend grating hard, dry cheeses like this over pasta or other dishes. In my mind, that's like cooking with a $150 bottle of wine. You should cook with a $5-$10 wine and drink the $150 bottle. Similarly, I recommend enjoying Mount McKinley by itself on a warm slice of bread.

Mount McKinley has garnered a variety of awards from the American Cheese Society, the London International Cheese Competition, and the National Cheese Competition. Curiously, it is not currently listed on Cypress Grove's website as one of their current products.

Some consumers pass over Cypress Grove cheeses in the cheese aisle because of their slightly higher prices. Cypress Grove cheeses, however, are among the best in America. Your taste buds will thank you for spending a little extra.

Update: Saenkanter and Buffalo Mozzarella

In earlier posts I wrote about Saenkanter, a unique butterscotch-flavored aged Gouda, and Buffalo Mozzarella (mozzarella made from water buffalo milk). Buffalo readers might be interested to know that both of these items are now available at Premier Gourmet in Kenmore. They were not available at the time my earlier posts were published. I highly recommend trying them both.

Mondavi Fumé Blanc

When I first began drinking wine many years ago, Robert Mondavi's Fumé Blanc quickly became one of my favorites. There really is no such thing as a Fumé Blanc grape. In the late 1960s, Mondavi wanted to do something about slumping sales of his Sauvignon Blanc. So, he made up the name 'Fumé Blanc' and sales took off. Unfortunately for Mondavi, he did not trademark the name, and now many other producers use it to market their Sauvignon Blancs.

Mondavi patterned his new name after a dry French wine made in the Loire Valley that is known as 'Pouilly-Fumé.' It is made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape and is reputed to be known for its unusual, smoky flavor. Whatever smoky flavor there may be comes from toasted barrels rather than the grape itself.

Earlier this week I opened a bottle of Mondavi Fumé Blanc for the first time in years. In fact, it was the first time I have had white wine at home in a very long time. Like many avid wine drinkers, I prefer reds. I had forgotten how enjoyable a simple white wine can be.

Fumé Blanc is a not a complex wine. It lacks the depth and subtlety of a full-bodied red. But sometimes simplicity can be refreshing. I found the dry Fumé Blanc to be clean, crisp, slightly fruity and as easy to drink as a Sprite. It paired especially well with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I fixed on Tuesday. (Seriously, it really did.) A strong, serious Chardonnay would not have gone well with PB&J.

The Mondavi Fumé Blanc comes in a signature frosted bottle that makes a nice presentation. I highly recommend it for a nice, casual change of pace.

Buffalo Food Blogs

Buffalo readers might be interested to know about the following food blogs that are based in Buffalo:

Buffalo Buffet (by Andrew Galarneau, writer for The Buffalo News)

Savory & Sweet (by Holloway Ortman)

Okun on Food (by Janice Okun, food critic for The Buffalo News)

These blogs were brought to my attention by Christa Glennie Seychew, food editor for Buffalo Rising. Christa's daily discussions of food in Buffalo can be found at the Yum! section of BuffaloRising.com.

Interested readers can also educate themselves at The Pour, the blog of NY Times wine critic, Eric Asimov, or curdnerds.com (based in NYC).

Cheese Posters and T-Shirts

Don't know what to get that special cheesemonger in your life for Valentine's Day? How about a poster displaying the world's great cheeses (other versions available here and here)? Or how about one dedicated exclusively to French cheese? Or Chèvre?

T-shirts with the following cheesey slogans are also available:
"Cheese! It's milk you chew"
"Ecce Potestas Casei (Behold the Power of Cheese)"
"Raw Milk is not Crack--How Does the Government Get Confused?"
"I Moved Your Cheese"

These gift ideas may not seem very romantic, but I would certainly enjoy a nice cheese poster more than a traditional Valentine's gift.

Ewephoria

Ewephoria is a relatively new Gouda-style cheese from the Friesland region of Holland. Unlike standard Goudas, Ewephoria is made from sheep's milk and is pasteurized. It is, however, made using the same carefully-guarded starter cultures that give Goudas their distinctive flavor.

Ewephoria is aged 10 months, has a butterscotch color and a rather sweet, nutty, buttery flavor. Like all Goudas, it is hard and somewhat acidic. One reviewer claims, "Ewephoria is possibly as close as cheese gets to candy." That's going much too far. On the one hand, Ewephoria is not as sweet as many other traditional cheeses. In fact, even some Goudas--e.g., Saenkanter--are considerably sweeter. Then there are flavored cheeses like Chocolate Fudge Cheese, which although technically cheese, is really just a kind of candy.

Ewephoria was allegedly developed by Seattle-based cheese importer CheeseLand, Inc. specifically for the American cheese market, although the CheeseLand website does not mention the product. The idea was that aged Goudas were too harsh for American tastes and a softer, sweeter aged Gouda was needed.

Regardless of what the truth about Ewephoria's origins may be, it is a very enjoyable cheese to eat. I may bring it to my next dinner party. It is unique and more welcoming than other aged Goudas.

Plain Chèvre

Chèvre is a wonderfully flexible cheese. More often than not, the chèvre rounds I am served have been coated with herbs. It can also be blended with peppercorns, fruit or even fennel pollen and lavender buds.

I recently tasted some plain chèvre at Randy Dipert's house for the first time in a long while. I had become so accustomed to eating chèvre-plus-other-stuff that I had almost forgotten what plain chèvre tastes like. The fresh, slightly tart yet distinctive flavor of the cheese didn't need any help from additional flavors. I ate most of the chèvre on Randy's cheese tray and promptly bought some more from my local grocer.

Although some people claim that chèvre is an acquired taste, it is a very novice-friendly cheese. There are some especially acidic chèvres out there that may be off-putting to some, but most will have a balanced amount of caproic, caprylic and capric acid. If you haven't tasted or served plain chèvre in a while, give it a try. Fresh chèvre also has the virtue of being less expensive but not less flavorful than other artisanal cheeses.