Wine & Cheese tasting 20th April 2011

Starting at 7.30, our final line-up for the evening is:

Knockdrinna Snow (sold at the Gleann Gabhra Cheese counter)

Best New Cheese Irish National Cheese Awards 2007Bronze British Cheese Awards 2007 Knockdrinna Snow. Knockdrinna Snow is firm when young with citrus flavours, as it matures. Softening form the outside into the centre, the cheese develops stronger more complex flavours which melt on the mouth.The cheese has a bloomy white penicillin rind which has the appearance of soft snow, hence the name “ Knockdrinna Snow”.

We have matched this fresh goats cheese with our:

Sancerre Domaine Moulin Granger, 2010

Extremely classy, minerally and complex. Single Estate wine from the Chavignol area of Sancerre, which is also produces great goats cheeses, so there is a natural pairing with this style of cheese. This is one of the best Sancerres or Pouilly Fumes we have come across at the price point.

Our second Irish cheese of the evening is from Gubbeen, produced by the Ferguson Family in West Cork. It is a surface ripened, semi-soft cheese with a delicate pink and white rind that is developed in the Gubbeen curing rooms by daily washing and a lot of skilled care. The flavours are creamy with lots of mushroom and nutty aftertastes.

We have matched this cheese with another of our newer wines, from Chinon in France. Made with the Cabernet Franc grape, this wine has lots of berry flavours (raspberry and blackberry), with a hint of lead pencil and earthy beetroot character, which matches well with savoury cheeses

Our third cheese of the evening is the wonderful Glebe Brethan, made on the Tiernan Farm in Co Louth. This cheese is made in large 45kg rounds and is matured for many months to achieve a gruyere-type finished product, very nutty and aromatic.

Our wine choice for the Glebe Brethan is a Spanish Rioja Crianza, from Vino Marro, made from 100% Tempranillo. With its plum, chocolate, vanila and sweet spice flavours, it complements the maturity of the cheese beautifully!

Last but by no means least, our final cheese of the evening is a sheep's blue cheese from the Grubb Family in Tipperary - Crozier Blue. This is a subtle, crumbly yet creamy cheese, with delicate blue veins, made from on-farm sheeps milk.

The winning combination of sheep's blue cheese with a dessert wine made us choose our Prosecco Passito sweet wine, where the grapes have been dried to produce an unctious sweet flavour. This is Prosecco as you dont often expect to find it!

So, there you have it - 4 wonderful Irish cheeses, matched with wines to totally complement them and blend great flavours for you to try.

And all this for a mere €15!

Email us at Brid@honest2goodness.ie if you plan on coming along. You can find directions to us here.