Wine & Cheese Pairing for Intermediates

Last month, we touched on the subtle art of wine and cheese pairing. Today, we’re going to move past the 101 basics to delve a little deeper into this fine food art, thanks to a request from one of our Twitter followers.

As Wine Enthusiast magazine explains, wine and food pairings are all about acidity, texture, fat and tannin. Found in bark, plants, seeds and fruit skins, tannin is a naturally-occurring polyphenol that gives wine its dryness.

Photo via Wine Folly

One simple yet effective strategy is to divide cheeses into four main groups. Each group can then be paired with particular wines to achieve a complementary or contrasting flavor.

The 4 Cheese Groups

Bloomy: These are your creamy cheeses with soft rinds. Pair them with chardonnay, pinot blanc, sparkling wine, or champagne.
Hard: These firm cheeses (which can be aged) usually come with a salty and/or sharp taste. Pair them with merlot, cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, zinfandel, bardolino, or chianti.
Blue: These types of cheeses, as the name implies, have a blue tinge and pungent flavor. Pair them with Riesling, port, sauternes, or eiswein.
Fresh: Tangy and mild, these cheeses are soft and spreadable. Pair with pinot grigio, cauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, tocai friulano, or Beaujolais.

The next step in learning how to pair wine and cheese is to become more acquainted with your wine tasting palette so that you can begin to refine your flavor detection abilities. This map of the tongue from Musings on the Vine can help!

Photo via Musings of the Vine

Another strategy is to stick to the classics. A couple of the most common wine and cheese pairings are mild cheddar with chardonnay or parmesan with a cabernet sauvignon. The Wine Vibe, a wine review and wine education blog by industry professionals, has an additional list of classic pairings.

What are some of the wine and cheese pairings you know and love? Or, what strategies do you use to find new and delicious wine and cheese pairings? Share your thoughts or experiences in a comment below or on our Twitter or Facebook pages.

Ideas for a Picturesque Picnic

Sure we’d all love to be whisked away to the Haleakala National Park in Hawaii, the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, or one of National Geographic’s other picks for the “World’s Best Picnic Spots.” But all that is really required to be able to enjoy a picturesque picnic is a nice spot outdoors and a little planning.

As New York Times writer Mark Bittman puts it, “There is something both innocent and exciting about a picnic, even if you are only packing a few things at the last minute and heading down the street to the park.” So, let’s plan a picnic!

Photo by Amy Moss via Eat Drink Chic

We think some of the best advice for a carefree picnic comes from Reader’s Digest, who says, “Take as much finger food as possible.” This way, you can travel light with less plates and sets of silverware!

In pursuit of mastering the “fine art of picnic-packing,” Washington Post writer Lavanya Ramanathan inquired from the experts on what foods are the most basket-friendly and any other tricks of the picnic trade. Stick to firmer cheeses, the recommendation was, because they will do well outdoors for hours even in the heat. Then, add fuss-free gourmet touches such as pears, almonds, and a couple of jams. Remember that “smart picnickers pre-slice.”

If you’d like to pair your cheese with wine, be sure to check the rules on booze in the area you plan to picnic, especially if it’s a public park. To chill drinks, consider skipping the heavy cooler and looking for a smaller alternative, like an insulated lunch bag. Then, you can slip in a little chocolate or other small treat (just be sure to throw them in a sealed plastic bag first to avoid any soggy messes).

And while we’re on the subject of soggy-free storage, a picnic is a wonderful opportunity to try your hand at the “mason jar meal.” These convenient and sturdy screw-top containers are ideal for carrying individual servings of salads and even beverages.

Don’t have a picnic basket? Hop over to the Hickory Farms online shop and order one of our gourmet food baskets complete with all the tasty finger foods and treats you need for a delicious picnic that requires no preparation time at all! Our new spring gourmet food baskets are ready to help you turn an ordinary lunch into a delightful afternoon of picnicking!

Celebrate Success When You Send Corporate Food Gift Baskets to Clients

“I’d like to thank the Academy…” This famous phrase heard many times at the Oscars is a humble reminder of the first thing one should do when succeeding is say “Thank You” to those who supported you.

And while you may not be receiving an Oscar, your company should always respond to success by first thanking your clients. Sending a corporate food gift basket to clients is a wonderful way to show how much you value their loyalty and express your appreciation for their business. Corporate gift giving is also a thoughtful gesture that can help you to continue to strengthen the relationships you have built with your clients.

Hickory Farms has a wide variety of corporate gift-giving options from wine and cheese baskets to gourmet nut and meat gifts. Our quality corporate gift baskets are filled with delicious ingredients like gourmet meat, cheese, fruit, wine gifts, and other delectable treats. We also have consultants on hand who can help you customize your gifts to build the perfect gift basket for each and every one of your clients.

Wine and cheese baskets from Hickory Farms

We can even help coordinate corporate food gifts throughout the year. Whether you want to send wine gift baskets on birthdays and anniversaries or sweet gifts on holidays, our gift consultants can make sure your clients receive gourmet corporate food gifts that you hand-selected for them, just in time to celebrate the special occasion. All you have to do is email your spreadsheet to one of our consultants and we’ll take care of the rest!

There’s no better way to celebrate success or share good news with clients than with a thoughtful corporate gift. Visit the Hickory Farms website or call 800-715-1474 to speak with a corporate gifts consultant to start creating your custom corporate gift baskets.

What kind of gifts have you given your clients in the past to show your appreciation? What gifts did your clients seem to enjoy the most? We’d love to hear about your experience with corporate gift giving. Share a comment below!