Everyone knows the combination of wine and cheese, right? But have you ever combined wine with something else? During the Fine Food Experience in Amsterdam, my taste buds were tested to the limit with Gallo wines and I tried a number of new combinations. That tastes like more 😉 .
I can join the group of women who are wine lovers, you undoubtedly know that about me. But I'm not a huge wine connoisseur. 'In the past' I always said that all wines were fine, but now I have been able to caress my tongue with quite a few different types and brands of wine and I have my clear preferences.
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That wine and cheese combine well, I have 'obviously' been aware of for some time. You can't really make me happier than with a nice glass of wine and a block of cheese in the evening. Or in the afternoon, also good 😉 . But I don't really get any further than a cheese, a piece of toast or a chip when I drink a glass of wine. Well… a bitterbal goes in there, of course.
Yet I have never delved into pairing wine and food before. Until I was invited to participate in the Fine Food Experience in my favorite city.
Erik Heijkamp is a sommelier and will accompany us on the road to surprise us with all kinds of combinations in the field of wine and food. While walking through the Jordaan we visit various nice food shops where we combine a specific Gallo wine with -part of- the range of the food shop. I would be happy to go through the delicacies with you.
In this pâtisserie they make the most delicious cakes. So no wine and cheese, but wine and cake. If you come from Amsterdam or the surrounding area, you will undoubtedly already know this food shop. Not yet familiar with the delicious cakes, macarones and other sweet specialties of Petit Gâteau? Then I can definitely recommend that you go and have a look. It is not for nothing that they supply many catering companies in the region.
The small single cakes served during our Food Experience not only looked delicious, they tasted that way too. Although I have not tasted the chocolate variant myself, but the tart with the raspberries was really sublime.
This delicacy was served with the White Zinfandel, a fruity wine with cherry and raspberry flavour. No wonder it combined so extremely well with my raspberry tart. Mouth watering right?
This wine combines not only with something sweet, but also with a delicious pasta pesto and some seafood. If you would still like a wine with a piece of cheese, it is better to try another wine from Gallo.
Well, wine and cheese go together perfectly, but if you then get some background information from a sommelier and a very passionate cheese lover, it becomes even more delicious.
We tasted the above cheeses at Burgundian lifestyle in the Jordaan and the owner Rene Koelma knows his trade. Now these cheeses may be 'common', but Rene wouldn't be a cheese connoisseur if he didn't also serve us a sharper cheese.
We drank the Zwaluwgekwetter and Compté Fort Zuidwijkermeer cheese with a Gallo Chardonnay and the Gallo Sauvignon Blanc came together with a piece of Blaue Kornblomst and Chevre Charolais. I really like cheese, but I won't pick up a 'vein cheese' myself, a bit too sharp for my liking. I only really liked this Kornblomst from Denmark, the taste sensation between this wine and the cheese was certainly challenging and very appropriate.
If you are ever near one of his shops (Amsterdam, Beverwijk and Zuidwijkermeer), then I definitely recommend checking out their range.
At Terre Lente we enjoy the combination of red Gallo wines with a tasty Italian snack. Owner Luigi Pucciano is originally an architect, but has let his predilection for Italian products speak by opening a shop as an entrepreneur with delicious products from southern Italian Calabria.
We tasted two nice red wines from Gallo (my favorites), the Merlot and the Cabertnet Sauvignon. These wines were combined with a bruschetta with lardo and chestnut honey and a bruschetta with delicious capocollo. So enjoy yourself.
After a number of combinations of wine and cheese and ham, we arrive at the fourth stop where we will again taste wine with a sweet snack.
I have since 'learned' that not only wine and cheese are tasty, but also that wine and sweet can go very well together. Without a doubt, I took a bite of my delicious chocolate bonbon followed by a sip of Moscato from Gallo Family Vineyards. The latter is a sweet wine, which I normally turn my nose up at. But the combination with the even sweeter walnut bonbon makes the whole thing a little party.
At Puccini Bomboni they love really good chocolate. The tastiest chocolates in Amsterdam are made here with a lot of attention and patience. You will therefore find the most special combinations in the chocolates here. From lemongrass to ginger and from rum to Cointreau, you can think of it as crazy as they turn it into a refined delicacy.
At Keizer Culinair we concluded our Food Experience by drinking another glass of our favorite Gallo wine of that day. This cooking school offers cooking workshops so that you will have more fun in the kitchen and can put the most delicious dishes on the table with greater ease.
All in all I enjoyed this wonderful afternoon with wine, cheese, cake, ham and chocolate. There was one major drawback…. I still had to go home by car…. So I also tasted inimini sips of all the delicious wines from Gallo 😉 . Fortunately, I was able to redo it at home.
Do you live in Amsterdam or the surrounding area? Then each of the above delicacies is worth visiting and enjoying all the goodies they have to offer.
The Gallo wines come from California. Two brothers of Italian descent, Ernest and Julio Gallo – started Gallo Family Vineyards in their early twenties to put their love of fine wines into action. We are now 80 years later and Gallo Wines is one of the largest wine producers in America. Gallo wines are seen as 'easy' wines. Their current range includes 9 'regular' wines and 2 Gallo Spritz wines.
Gallo wines can also be found at a supermarket near Jumbo, because they are available at the Jumbo, the Plus, the Coop and Dirk, among others. Of course you can also find them online.
Which one of you is a Gallo fan?
