Cellar Club February 2018
A communal dining tradition of melted cheese in a pot has no fixed historical point of origin. A winter's meal utilizing old bread and aged cheese seems nearly as old as the Alps themselves. We Americans can point to the "Age of Aquarius" 1960s as the cultural zenith of Fondue. You might've even noticed an appearance of the delicious fare on an episode of Mad Men, so ubiquitous was a Fondue party among the smart set. Now, a rediscovery of Fondue in all its many forms (cheese, meat, chocolate, etc.) has a new generation experiencing the fun and flavor of the pot. This month's Cellar Club picks are very Fondue-friendly and we hope you put them to use with our cheese pairing, but be careful when dipping, tradition has it that to lose one's bread in the pot obliges the purchase of the next round!
Come by and pick up the amazing French & Austrian wines we selected for you.
The perfect wines for a Fondue Party!
The perfect wines for a Fondue Party!
Gigondas is a village in the southern Rhone valley, with its own appellation for Grenache-based red and rosé wines. The appellation occupies an area covering the base and slopes of the first Dentelles de Montmirail foothills.
The villages of Beaumes de Venise and Vacqueyras are located to the south and west of Gigondas respectively and enjoy very similar growing conditions. The terroir here is characterized by a hot, dry Mediterranean climate and by the combination of limestone soils (on the slopes to the east) and rocky, sandy, free-draining soils (on the flatter, lower-lying land to the north and west).
Wagram (formerly Donauland) is a viticultural region on the banks of the Danube River in northeastern Austria. The growing conditions are ideal for the country's iconic Grüner Veltliner, which produces rich and full-bodied white wines with a characteristic creamy texture. The other prominent white variety in Wagram is Roter Veltliner, and the main red wines are made from Zweigelt and Pinot Noir. The region is also known for some quality ice wines.
Enjoy these two special wines for our February 2018 Cellar Club selections. Cheers!
Wine Pick #1:
2016 Saint Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone
Gigondas, France
Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone continues its streak of deliciousness with this excellent value. Saint Cosme is one of the oldest wineries in France, dating back to 1416! This 100% Syrah tastes of ripe blackberry and blueberry, smoke, black pepper and a touch of olive, all wrapped in a soft, balanced, medium-plus-bodied frame. The 2016 vintage in the Southern Rhone Valley has some serious excitement behind it and if all wines are as delicious as this one, we're all in for some incredibly good drinking.
Wine Pick #2:
2016 Anton Bauer Gmork Gruner Veltliner
Wagram, Austria
Aromatic on the nose, a beautiful play of perfume, tropical fruit and acidity. All the aromas follow through on the palate and the wine has a dry, clean finish with a touch of the white pepper. There is no other single vineyard Grüner on the market that can beat this taste and price - great value! This is a great wine for vegetarian dishes and with any seafood.
Along with your 2 bottles of wine
you will be receiving:
Gruyère
What most Americans think of as "Swiss cheese" is the mild, holey stuff called Emmentaler. That cheese is fine for slicing thin and piling on ham sandwiches, but it bears little resemblance to its fellow citizen, Gruyère. The latter, which has been made in the eponymous alpine region of Switzerland for more than 900 years, is pleasantly firm and dense, slightly crumbly, and boasts that faint crystalline crunch that high-quality aged cheeses such as cheddar and Parmesan are known for. Good versions taste deeply nutty and have sweet, fruity tang; nice salinity; and a good bit of earthy funk. Gruyère is also one of a very few cheeses, Swiss or otherwise, that functions just as well in cooked applications as it does on a cheese plate.
A perfect pairing for both wine selections and our delicious recipe of the month:
Fondue
(perfect for friends and cold weather!)
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