Le Tastevin Wine Club - Notes on Cheeses – April 26, 2023

Tonight’s cheese - which exhibit an earthiness or sweetness - are selected so that they should be a nice with our medium-bodied, Pinot Noir wines from Burgundy that have lower tannins. The cheeses and breads are from Whole Foods.

Capricho de Cabra - (cah-PREE-choh day CAH-brah) is from Jumilla (Murcia), the heartland of Spain’s goat cheese production. This is a typical fresh goat cheese: young (aged 10 days!), its texture is creamy, soft, and spreadable, exactly as it should be. Taste-wise, expect a decidedly salty finish, but with an overall clean, milky flavor and a really lovely peppery note. This cheesemaker is also known for many different popular goat cheeses such as Drunken Goat, or Murcia al Vino, and Cabra Romero. From the milk, which is pasteurized, is from Murcian goats, a breed which produces an inherrently sweeter milk, Capricho de Cabra has a more mild goaty flavor. Pleasantly aromatic, definitely approachable, and unquestionably delicious and versatile. Although these goats graze outdoors, but they’re not free-range because goats are notorious for getting into trouble when it comes to their diet — they’ll eat anything, really, which can have negative impact on the flavor of their milk — controlling their range of grazing ensures a more regulated milk product.

Pecorino Ginepro - is an Italian, semi-hard milk cheese that is bathed in balsamic vinegar (a regional specialty) and juniper berries and then aged in oak barrels. The deep brown rind that develops encases a bone white paste that is slightly granular and flaky. Full of flavor, musty aromas yield to a lingering fruity, woodsy finish with hints of juniper. The pasteurized sheep's milk is aged for a minimum of 4 months and packaged in 6 lb wheels.

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