For the Love

I had the honor of leading a wine & cheese pairing with Jim Tanner of Bonnie Blue Farms. Jim & his wife Gayle run the only Farmstead Goat Cheese dairy in the state of Tennessee. There cheeses are absolutely delicious. We paired cheeses with wines at Circa this past Sunday. All wines are available by the glass or bottle on Circa's winelist. It is so inspiring to see artisans at work, & to taste the product of their passion. Jim makes some damn good cheese, I can't wait to get my hands on more at this summers Memphis Farmer's Market downtown. The first cheese was a fresh chevre paired with a Pouilly Fume. Sauvignon blanc & goat cheese, such a classic. Next was the feta, which Jim indicated is not aged too long in brine. Therefore, it isn't as salty as most fetas. We paired that with Gunderloch Jean-Baptiste Riesling, the sweetness played off the saltiness of the cheese. Then we had the Hickory Smoked feta with Champalou Vouvray Cuvee de Fondraux, the hint of sweetness & flint in the wine played off the smoke in the cheese nicely. Next was a Gouda style with Olivier Savary Chablis. On to reds. Rex Hill Pinot Noir matched up against a Rosemary/Garlic Chevre, the earthiness of the pinot complimented the rosemary's herbal tones. A tomme style goat cheese was paired with Earthquake Petite Sirah. The last cheese was my favorite, it is something new Jim is playing with. They have crafted a Camembert style cheese that is so creamy, luscious & slightly grassy/earthy. Wonderful. That cheese was matched up against Clos la Coutale Cahors. The earthy, gaminess of the malbec/merlot blend brought out the pungency of the cheese.

There is some amazing cheese being made in Tennessee, check it out.

Bonnie Blue Farm.