Cheese and wine pairings are as ancient and traditional as the acts of eating and drinking themselves.  The most tried and true are best enjoyed in season; first of spring Chevre with honey-kissed Chenin Blanc or in late November, when a glass of Ruby Porto & a perfectly blued wedge of Stilton has a way of taking the sting out of an early winter day..  As the calendar flips closer to December 31st we’re just in time for one of the greatest pairings to date!

Sparkling Wine and Cream Laden Cheeses are more than just a pairing, they’re a partnership, they need each other.  Cream needs bubbles to cleanse the palate just as much as bubbles need cream as a soft place to land.. their dance and their chemistry are things of beauty, so much so that I’ve dreamt up some cheese pairings to offer along side your Central Bottle Sparkler of choice this New Year’s Eve…

First up from Spain we’re offering Dibon Brut Reserve Cava ($12bt), keeping ‘value’ in mind I chose Cremont ($9ea), a double creme and mixed milk disc (it’s a blend of goat’s and cow’s milk) from our friends at Vermont Butter and Cheese Company in Websterville.  It’s creamy in all the right ways and balanced with just enough saltiness.. always begging for just one more sip that sparkles..

Next we’ve got a bubbly Gruner Veltliner from the house of Schloss Gobelsberg ($42bt), someone special once told me, ‘Gruner goes with Green Things’, so I chose a cheese covered in ‘Green Things’.  Roger’s Robusto ($7ea) is a fresh cow’s milk cheese with a rind made of herbs.. (think Italian meatball herbs, oregano, garlic, onion…).  The cheese is tangy and creamy, but savory.. and I imagine a glass of Gobelsberger will leave you daydreaming some serious Springtime thoughts…

Now for something Italian.. Nino Franco’s deliciously festive Prosecco ($22bt). The cheese pairing also hails from the North of that infamous boot.  Our pick is Robiola Castagno ($28/#), made in the Piedmont, this perfectly ripened goat’s milk cheese has been aging in Chestnut leaves and it wasn’t until just this week that I started to hear the whispers.. “Stephanie, we’re ready.. please send us to be centerpieces on someones Holiday cheese plate..” This is a cheese that truly gives itself to wine, but I think it’ll really shines with the Rustica…

We finish with the Classic Pairing.. (small grower) Champagne & Triple Creme. Meet Aubry Brut Rosé ($69bt) and Pierre Robert($21/#)…. Does what grows together really go together? I’ll let you be the judge, but If I had it my way, at the stroke of midnight this Saturday evening the whole world would have a little piece of Pierre Robert to savor with a sip of Aubry’s Rosé.. that bite, taken in unison, around the world would certainly get things rolling in 2012…

These our my thoughts.. they’re just what I was thinking at the time, Thanks for letting me share them with you. 

Happy New Year Everybody! 

*all of these cheeses are made from pasteurized milk, and are available at Central Bottle Wine + Provisions, while supplies last…