Wine and Cheese Pairing Chart

This is not, by any means, a comprehensive listing of all the wine and cheese pairings there are in the world. However, the below chart is a great starting point for wine and cheese enthusiasts. Most of the information comes from this chart on Gourmet Sleuth, in addition to the type of cheese it is (cow, goat, sheep, etc).

Why does wine and cheese taste so amazing together? It's said that the fat content of cheese is a perfect match to the acidity of wine, and smooths over any "faults" that may be in your glass of vino. I refer you to this article by LiveScience - it's a great primer on why certain foods just seem to go together.

Cheese and Charcuterie Board at Bin 228 Gastropub

The other night I had an amazing cheese and charcuterie board at Bin 228 with my boyfriend. The cheeses were: gouda and manchego, with coppa and prosciutto, cornichons and grilled bread. I paired it with a 2015 Riesling by Chateau Montelena (yes, that Chateau Montelena). It was perfection. The wine was dry, slightly acidic, but still fruity with hints of lemon. It also paired perfectly with the decadent truffled fonduta we ordered after (not pictured). Next time I'll have to try a Spanish red with the Manchego.... you know what they say, "What grows together, goes together."

Happy eating!

Cheese	Country	Type	Type	Wines
Asiago	Italy	Hard	Cow	Riesling, Rioja, Sauvignon Blanc, Prosecco
Beaufort	France	Hard	Cow	Red Bordeaux
Blue Cheese	All	Blue	Cow	Madeira, Sherry, Riesling
Brie	France	Soft	Cow	Champagne, Merlot, Sherry
Camembert	France	Soft	Cow	Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc,
Cheddar	All	Semi-Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Rioja, Sauvignon Blanc
Chevre	France	Semi-Soft	Goat	Champage, Gewurztraminer
Colby	USA	Semi-Soft	Cow	Champagne, Malbec, Riesling
Comte	France	Semi-Hard	Cow	Cabernet Sauv, French Reds
Derby	Britain	Hard	Cow	Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc
Edam	Netherlands	Hard	Cow	Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling
Emmenthal	Switzerland	Hard	Cow	Beaujolais
Feta	Greece	Semi-soft	Sheep	Beaujolais
Fontina	Italy	Semi-soft	Cow	Pinot Grigio
Goat Cheese	France	Soft	Goat	Sancerre, Vouvray, Sauvignon Blanc
Gouda	Netherlands	Semi-Hard	Cow	Champagne, Malbec, Riesling, Merlot
Gruyere	Switzerland	Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc
Halloumi	Cyprus	Semi-Hard	Sheep	Rose, New World Whites
Harvati	Denmark	Semi-soft	Cow	Red Bordeaux, Rioja
Jarlsberg	Norway	Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Zinfandel
Kasseri	Greece	Semi-Soft	Sheep	Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel
Limburger	Germany	Soft	Cow	Beer
Manchego	Spain	Hard	Sheep	Merlot, Rioja, Garnacha
Monterey Jack	USA	Semi-Hard	Cow	Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Zinfandel
Muenster	France	Soft	Cow	Beaujolais
Neufchatel	France	Soft	Cow	Loire Valley Wines (i.e. Sancerre)
Parmagiano	Italy	Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Chianti
Pecorino	Italy	Hard	Sheep	Chianti
Piave	Italy	Hard	Cow	Zinfandel, Italian Reds
Raclette	Switzerland	Semi-Hard	Cow	Beaujolais
Red Leicester	Britain	Semi-Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Roquefort	France	Blue	Sheep	Port
Smoked Gouda	Netherlands	Semi-Hard	Cow	Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
Stilton	Britain	Semi-Hard	Cow	Port, Sauternes
Swiss	Switzerland	Semi-Hard	Cow	Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
Taleggio	Italy	Semi-Soft	Cow	Pinot Blanc

Restaurant Review: Haru Aki Café

As a food nerd, it's tough going to college in farmville (literally) and not a city. UConn doesn't exactly boast a diverse culinary scene like NYC or Boston.

The lack of food culture at UConn especially makes itself known when I want to try new things. For example, I read about Bubble Tea in a blog and immediately wanted to try it. (Bubble tea can come in many forms, but it's usually found as a tea-based iced drink mixed with fruit syrup, milk, and tapioca pearl boba.) I searched on Yelp, and I saw a Chinese place just off the UConn campus offered bubble tea. But when I ordered my tea there, I watched in horror as they boiled some water, added some really artificial-looking powder to it, then shook it with ice. Even worse– it tasted more artificial than it looked. No thanks!

Luckily, less than a year later, the Haru Aki Café opened right next to my apartment building. "Haru" and "aki" mean spring and fall in Japanese, which speaks to the café's ethos concerning seasonal cuisine. But more importantly, they offer an amazing bubble tea menu.

Images from the Haru Aki Facebook page

Unlike other Asian-fusion restaurants in the area, the Haru Aki Café utilizes actual tea in their bubble tea (and not that synthetic powder). So far, I've tried the green tea with honeydew, peach, and lychee, and they've all been delicious. I could drink their bubble tea all day if my wallet allowed it.

In addition to the great bubble tea selection, they have delicious savory offerings as well– sushi, donburi (rice bowls), scallion pancakes, salads, and croquettes. 

Scallion Pancake

One day as I was buying a Honeydew bubble tea, I was lucky enough to run into Ron Liu, who is co-owner of the café. I asked him a bit about his background, and it turns out that he was a business student at UConn who had always dreamed of opening a restaurant. A few years after his graduation, he found himself in a financial position where he had the means to open Haru Aki.

Ron told me that while he is one of the main sushi chefs at the café, his girlfriend (who is also a co-owner and a fellow UConn alum) is the main force behind the menu. I told him how glad I was to have such a great restaurant nearby, and assured him that I would be back.

- - - 

This post really exemplifies why I love discovering new eateries and writing about them– because every small, locally owned restaurant has a unique story to tell. Food isn't just food... it's humanity. It's history. It's memories of your mom teaching you how to cook, or your grandmother sharing her secret recipe. And above all, it provides the medium through which people of different cultures can connect and learn from each other. 

Restaurant Review: Hana Sushi

Today I went to Hana Sushi, a kind of "hidden gem" near my hometown. I had personally never tried it before, but a friend of mine swore by their sushi.

When I say it's a hidden gem, I mean it– it's sandwiched in between an indistinct Asian grocery store and a cliché Chinese takeout place. Hana Sushi's interior was small, with only six or seven tables. But what they lacked in décor, they made up for in deliciousness.

For my sushi, I ordered:

1. Black Dragon roll: spicy shrimp roll topped with eel and avocado (right); and
2. "Year End" Special roll: spicy tuna and crab roll topped with smelt roe (left)

(If you haven't guessed by now, I like spicy foods)

For my main course I ordered a bento box:

1. Teriyaki Chicken
2. Vegetable and Shrimp Tempura
3. Shrimp Shumai (a type of dumpling)
4. And, of course, white rice

The tempura and teriyaki were pretty standard, but the shrimp shumai dumplings were amazing. But the star of the show was, without a doubt, the Black Dragon roll. It was the best sushi I've ever had. I hope to try more of their offerings in the future, but I'm sure the Black Dragon will always be my favorite!

A Wine and Cheese Tasting

The other night, I had a mini wine tasting at J. Gilbert's with my good friend, Fatima. As a fellow foodie (albeit a much more experienced one) and wine lover, I asked Fatima to choose the wines for us. We ended up trying two whites and two reds, accompanied by a cheese and charcuterie board.

Our wines:

1. J. Lohr 2011 Seven Oaks Cabernet (Paso Robles)
2. Tierra Divina 2009 Malbec (Argentina)
3. La Crema 2012 Chardonnay
4. Kim Crawford 2012 Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)

The flavors in wines are often compared to fruits. For example, a wine might be described as "the perfect combo of cherry, boysenberry, plum and chocolate flavors." (Taken from a Barefoot Merlot description). But having a fairly inexperienced palate, I always thought those comparisons were ridiculous. I mean, wine is made from grapes, why would it taste like cherries?!

However, when I tasted the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc and swished it around my mouth, I was immediately hit with the taste of grapefruit. Fatima explained that New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs often are redolent of grapefruit, thanks to the unique soil (aka terroir) that the grapes are grown in. She also said that I may not have been drinking good quality wines, which would explain why I never tasted the fruit. Luckily for me, the Kim Crawford Chardonnay has a score of 91 from Wine Spectator.

It also helped that our wines were paired with a beautiful cheese and charcuterie board.

Our cheeses: (From Cato Corner Farm)

1. Womanchengo (similar to a young Manchego)
2. Vivace (like a combination of Gruyere and Italian Provolone)
3. Dairyere (a firm washed rind cheese in the style of Gruyere or Comte)

Our charcuterie:

1. Prosciutto di Parma
2. Rosette de Lyon Salami
3. Hot Coppa

Accoutrements:

1. Cornichons
2. Pickled onions
3. Dijon mustard
4. Grilled Bread
5. Peppers

It was a great meal– full of delicious wine and scrumptious edibles. But more importantly, it was shared with a dear friend, allowing us to connect over our mutual love of food.

Restaurant Review: La Petite France Café

After reading Mastering the Art of French Eating (that I mentioned in my last post), I had a serious craving for French food. Upon consulting Yelp, I found a French café in West Hartford that looked like the perfect spot. So I grabbed my best gal pal, and we made our way to La Petite France Café.

Immediately accosted with the scent of freshly-baked croissants, I felt as if I'd stepped back to a certain café I liked in Toulouse, with its mismatched chairs and authentic feel. Upon examining the menu, I decided on crêpe complète (a crêpe made with buckwheat flour, Swiss cheese, and ham; topped with a fried egg). My friend got quiche lorraine (a quiche made with Swiss cheese and bacon).

My instagram of our meal

The owner of the café, I found, is from France. It was amazing to be able to eat authentic French food in West Hartford, Connecticut. In fact, I was so delighted with the café's fare that I took home a handful of croissants and two types of macaron– pistache and vanille. 

If you like French food, or simply want to have a delicious breakfast or lunch, I would highly recommend checking out La Petite France. Happy Eating!