A Beautiful Sunday Pairing

 

We finally made it over to Crossing Vineyards and Winery in Washington Crossing, PA recently on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Just a 40 minute drive from us, we were immediately at peace and in awe of the gorgeous 20 acre spread. The weather was perfectly warm, not too humid. Arriving early, we walked the grounds. The 15 acre vineyard which holds 8 different varietals looked just about ready for harvesting. We took several other pictures of the winery and vineyard you will find throughout and at the end of this post.




The purpose of our day trip was to attend one of the many events that Crossing Vineyards hosts: The Wine Institute at Crossing Vineyards - Pairing Wine & Cheese (but of course!) This class is offered at least once a month. Other classes and events at the Vineyard include: Italian Wine for Beginners, Wine 101, Wine Tasting & Yoga and the one we plan on attending next month - Pairing Wine & Chocolate. There are so many great and fun things going on here that you really have to visit their website and make plans to stop by if you're in the area.








Our Wine & Cheese Pairing class was everything we expected and more! Excellent wine, amazing cheeses and a great teacher. He gave us a little history on the Winery and Vineyard and then we dived into some sipping and nibbling. A breakdown of our pairings:










WINE: Viognier - floral and tropical scents, tastes of peach, mango and papaya with a subtle vodka-like  finish.
CHEESE: Stilton - English Cow's milk with bits of mango and ginger. Delicious!
*What a terrific combination this was. The cheese moderated the sweetness of the wine and left you wanting more of both! Perfect Summer Pairing! Favorite of the day so we took some home of both.






WINE: Riesling -floral with traces of honey, no oak, light and not too sweet for a Riesling.
CHEESE: English Tickler Cheddar with bits of caramelized onions. Wow. It was like having a small meal!
*The traces of onion combined with the light sweetness of the Riesling went great together.







WINE: Merlot - Oaky with traces of vanilla and berries
CHEESE: Manchego - Typically not fans of this firm Spanish sheep's milk this particular kind was good.
*Another great pairing. The Merlot neutralized the moderately strong cheese.






WINE: Chambourcin Reserve - Smells of chocolate covered cherries, medium bodied, light truffle taste
CHEESE: Bocheta - A sheep and cow's milk Italian cheese. Very strong taste, difficult to take down.
*This was the only pairing we did not enjoy. The wine was very good but it was not enough to neutralize the strong taste of the cheese.




WINE: Vintner's Select Red - A true Bordeaux blend (40% Cab, 40% Cab Franc, 20% Merlot) Favorite of the day! Smooth and delicious, everything an Ameritage Style Wine should be.
CHEESE: Ewephoria - a firm, dry Dutch cheese, nutty & crunchy with traces of butterscotch. We knew this cheese tasted familiar. We had it a few months back when dining at Tria in Philadelphia.
*Another perfect pairing and favorite of the day! Couldn't get enough of the two and took some home of these two as well.

Once the class was over, we wandered again through the winery. We admired the variety of wine items and accessories for sale. We also visited the tasting room where we were able to sample a few more wines. Everything we tasted that day was wonderful. The numerous awards they have received over the years are well deserved. We look forward to visiting Crossing Vineyards and Winery next month again! 

The End. :)