A fall favorite you’ll reach for over and over, and our first pairing that we are debuting on Thursday for our Wines & Rinds wine and cheese tasting from 3:30-5pm-
If you’ve been around this wine & cheese space for a bit, you’re no stranger to us fawning over High Lawn Farm cheeses. This dairy wonderland out in the Berkshires provides us with four cheeses we regularly keep on the shelves, all made from the milk of their well-loved Jersey cows. Wilde Field is their take on an Alpine style Toma cheese and my current fixation. It’s what I’m reaching for when I want something cheddar-ish, but don’t want just another straight up cheddar. Every now & then we all need a break from the classics, you know?
Wilde Field is fudgier, stickier, and more buttery than cheddar with a nice savory finish. The wheels are all washed in Shire Breu Haus IPA which locks in moisture and imparts a nice nuttiness in the background to balance out all that richness. The single herd Jersey milk lends a delicate sweetness to really round things out. Next time you’re in a grilled cheese state of mind, shred up a block of this fall favorite and see for yourself just why we love it so much this time of year.
We’re leaning on another BOVF wine department go-to for this week’s pairing, a delightful little bottle of Beaujolais Villages. This one hails from Jean Foillard, an OG champion of natural winemaking in Beaujolais – one of the so-called “Gang of Four” who returned to old school vinification and viticulture. A far cry from your grandma’s bubble gummy Beauj from the days of yore, these wines are structured, lifted, and soulful. The goal of this style of winemaking is to ensure the pure expression of place as it was meant to be – organic farming, hand harvesting, little to no sulfur additions, and whole cluster fermentation allow the terroir to tell its story unencumbered.
Foillard’s Villages channels the texture and palate of his Morgons & Fleuries and filters them into a lighter, approachable wine. Bright and fresh black cherries with brambly fruit and spice make this a delightful bottle for fall – and balance the richness of Wilde Field to boot. Notes of herbs, earth, and rose petals all play nicely with the nutty earthiness from the cheese’s IPA washing. A silky, velvety palate with a generous crunchy red fruit nose make this wine the perfect introduction – or reintroduction – into what Beaujolais has to offer.
written by- Erin Hepinstall, Cheese Manager