Hello
Tis the time to be merry etc ... normally, we have this cheese, Tête de
Moine (Monk's head) with our Xmas lunch. Tastes a bit like a very mature
Appenzeller. Any idea what would be a good pairing?
Cheers
Nils

Nils, thought about you the other day, they have a new detective drama
series on BBC called Wallander, it's filmed in Ystad and stars a
Volvo-driving Kenneth Branagh. Nils, you never told me Skåne was such a
dangerous place full of crazies!

You know me yet you are surprised Skåne is a dangerous place full of
crazies? Seriously, the guy who dreamt up the Wallander series (books,
films, TV) is hmself not from Skåne. Go figure.

Nils, thought about you the other day, they have a new detective drama
series on BBC called Wallander, it's filmed in Ystad and stars a
Volvo-driving Kenneth Branagh.

my wife loves the series, but it is soooooo depressing. I thought Morse was
morose!!

back to the cheese, forget wine and go for an old cider.

JT

Cider. Hmmmm. Noooo, I do not think so.
Before the cheese there will be ham, marinated and cooked in red wine,
served with a Hermitage 1980, after will be riz al'amande with a 1973
Rivesaltes, so, cider? No thanks ... I am starting to look in the direction
of a 1975 Pomerol, that's more like it ... and if the pairing is bad, I will
leave the cheese for the kids ...

Cheers

Nils

As for Wallander, it appears to be a given that police inspectors have a
drinking problem and marital problems ...

Nils Gustaf Lindgren wrote:
Hello
Tis the time to be merry etc ... normally, we have this cheese, Tête de
Moine (Monk's head) with our Xmas lunch. Tastes a bit like a very mature
Appenzeller. Any idea what would be a good pairing?

Vin jaune? A good fino sherry? I'm thinking oxidative, can you tell?

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

"Nils Gustaf Lindgren" wrote:

Tis the time to be merry etc ... normally, we have this cheese,
Tête de Moine (Monk's head) with our Xmas lunch. Tastes a bit
like a very mature Appenzeller. Any idea what would be a good
pairing?

What I normally with this type of cheese is full-bodied (and dry)
grüner veltliner or riesling.

M.

"Nils Gustaf Lindgren" wrote in message
...
Hello
Tis the time to be merry etc ... normally, we have this cheese, Tête de
Moine (Monk's head) with our Xmas lunch. Tastes a bit like a very mature
Appenzeller. Any idea what would be a good pairing?
Cheers
Nils

Hello Nils - this is part of a TDM piece I wrote recently
Cheers!
Martin

Bouquet is quite aromatic and sometimes pungent with noticeable nutty and
buttery characters. Taste is complex. Initially it can seem delicate
compared to the bouquet but then the mouth detects flavours that range from
nutty to spicy to fruity with an underlying attractive yet faint sweetness.

Traditionally served as an hors d'oeuvre by scraping tissue thin folds
formed into little conical rosettes, similar in shape to the Girolle
mushroom - on a device called a girolle! Try it with dry whites such as
riesling and chardonnay or after the main course with dry reds such as
shiraz and cabernet sauvignon.

"The Pairing of Cheese is a difficult matter
and not just one of your holiday games.
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cheese must have THREE DIFFERENT WINES"
So - dry white (Riesling, Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner)
dry red (Syrah, Cab, Cote du Rhone)
or rancio (Sherry, Vin Jaune, old Rivesaltes).

Or, Effaniffeffable, Deep and inscrutable, too stinky for wine - cider or
ale.

Look at it this way, then. The wine should be a bridge between an old Syrah
(Hermitage 1980) and a Rivesaltes 1973. So, not a dry white, and, I think,
not ale or cider.

Perhaps the best (but not the funniest) would be to stick with either the
Hermitage or the Rivesaltes. Sigh. Or else an old Bordeaux, as the SO does
not particularly like Sherry.

Cheers

Nils

On Dec 9, 5:58*am, "Nils Gustaf Lindgren"
wrote:
Hello
Tis the time to be merry etc ... normally, we have this cheese, Tête de
Moine (Monk's head) with our Xmas lunch. Tastes a bit like a very mature
Appenzeller. Any idea what would be a good pairing?
Cheers
Nils

Since this cheese usually is found only in a few better cheese shops,
at least in the US, some might like to view a good picture of it and
the girolle used to shave it. See
http://www.igourmet.com/shoppe/shopp...nd&qry=&Page=1
and scroll about half way down the page. I have had Appenzeller, but
not Tete de Moine. For something this aromatic, there likely is not
much one would drink that would over power it, so besides the several
suggestions made, I would even try some eau de vie. Although a true
eau de vie is completely dry, the fruity character of some, especially
Pear Williams, suggest some sweetness. Another fruity one to try might
be Coing. I am not sure I would like eau de vie based on stone fruit
with the cheese because of the considerable pit character they often
have. Considering the time of the year, a Baie de Houx would be a
daring match. You can not only look at holly but drink it also.
Gentiane likely would easily stand up to the cheese, but this likely
would not do in the middle of a meal because it would perfume the
whole room and the aftertaste of it could well linger into the next
course.

Mark Lipton wrote in
:

Vin jaune? A good fino sherry? I'm thinking oxidative, can you tell?


Hi Mark,

you have been drinking the wrong Finos!!!

Fino Sherry is not oxidative at all. It is actually matured below "flor"
and there is not oxidation involved.

Fino and Manzanilla are Crianza Biológica
Oloroso, Palo Cortado and Amontillado are Crianza Oxidativa

Best,

Santiago

santiago wrote:

you have been drinking the wrong Finos!!!

Fino Sherry is not oxidative at all. It is actually matured below "flor"
and there is not oxidation involved.

Fino and Manzanilla are Crianza Biológica
Oloroso, Palo Cortado and Amontillado are Crianza Oxidativa

You are, of course, correct, Santiago. I was actually thinking of Palo
Cortado though I wrote Fino. Having said that, I'd probably choose a
Fino over a Palo Cortado for this pairing -- they are remarkably
versatile wines IME.

Mark Lipton


--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

The one you have is a Single Vineyard Sherry, coming from the Macharnudo
Vineyard that belongs to Bodega Valdespino. Fino Sherry does not get
much better than this.

Contrary to what you would think, this would be a long-lived Fino, even
decades.

.... would it come as a surprise to anyone to know that Mårten, the guy who
thinks 20 year wines are infants (ot exactly) had a whole tasting concerning
old bottles of fino sherries? No? Just asking, then ...

Cheers

Nils

Having said that, I'd probably choose a
Fino over a Palo Cortado for this pairing -- they are remarkably
versatile wines IME.


SO is less than enthusiastic about Jerez - Fino OR Palo Cortado. So, no, I
don't think so.
I will stick to Mike's advice and keep an old Bordeaux as a back up.

Cheers

Nils

"Nils Gustaf Lindgren" wrote in
:


... would it come as a surprise to anyone to know that Mårten, the guy
who thinks 20 year wines are infants (ot exactly) had a whole tasting
concerning old bottles of fino sherries? No? Just asking, then ...


Nils,

I am really not an expert in Fino but I can say that most Finos are bottled
with the short-term in mind, and one of the problems for Sherry-Lovers is
that the Bodegas are bottling younger and younger wines, heavily filtered
because they are easy to drink, more appealing to the masses and better
suited to be mixed with 7UP at Feria de Sevilla and other Ferias.

But when you face an old bottle of a good Fino Sherry made with no
compromises, that has an average age of 12 years... it may perfectly be
wonderful 20 years after bottling. It may also be vinegar. Or it could be a
Fino slightly amontillado which could be interesting.

s.

santiago wrote:

Disclaimer: Jesús Barquín (half of the Navazos Team) is a good friend of
mine. I happen to do General Marketing and Foreign Wine consulting for
one of the three national distributors of the wines by Equipo Navazos
which is also the sole exporter.

Small world, Santiago: Jesús occasionally participates on another wine
forum I frequent (Wine Disorder). Say hi to him for me.

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net