Pairings
17th April, 2006
by Moni Schilller
What exactly is this new craze referred to as “pairing?” As it turns out, as with most chi chi food terminology, pairing is actually just putting two excellent things together, i.e.: chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk. Didn’t know your mom was actually on the cutting edge that many years ago, did you?
When it comes to the crowd pleaser, Totally Decadent Fruitcake, I have found people vary in their preferences. However, when we were featured at Tin Horn Creek Winery in Oliver, BC, they paired the fruitcake with a rich-bodied red, such as Cabernet Frank. People who don’t drink (a stressful way to live if you ask me) told me that they loved a piece with a nice cuppa tea. To each his own, I say.
Because the deliciously natural Okanagan Harvest Cake(tm) appeals to a totally different type of person, we have found that people like to pair this with a late harvest—always white. A particularly nice wine with this is Grey Monk’s Kerner. We had a 2004 the other day with lashings of Okanagan Harvest Cake(tm) and it was “sehr gut!”
An interesting pairing with both products is lovely cheese. A dear friend of mine enjoys the Totally Decadent with a slice of aged cheddar—at least two years old, please. And with the Okanagan Harvest, we have found that a piece of goat cheese is brilliant. If you are in or near Kelowna, BC, you must visit Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan. You can even pet the goats there.
So, there you have it: we have solved the mystery of pairings. I suppose this is why you will see both products in stores that carry either wine or cheese. We want to make it easy for you.