Farmstead Cheeses and Wines

Quotes

2007-12-31T11:55:00.000-08:00

"Cheese is milk's leap towards immortality"

- Clifton Paul Fadiman

"Wine is the most civilized thing in the world"

-Ernest Hemingway

About Us

2007-12-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

Here's some info about Farmstead Cheeses and Wines:

We're located in the Alameda Marketplace along with nine other fine food purveyors and eateries.
In three years, we've become an integral part of the Alameda community, and have become the place to buy wine and cheese.
We have the largest selection of cheeses and wines on The Island with 150 artisan cheeses and over 500 hand selected wines, as well as artisan oils, vinegars, handcrafted beers and ales, glassware and more.
We were awarded Best Cheese Store of 2005 by the editors of the East Bay Express.
Jeff has been writing articles for the Alameda Sun every month. So far, he's written on Sparkling Wines, Fondue, Proper Wine Serving Temperatures, Rosé wines, How to Construct a Cheese Course, Cheese History, and White Wines - with many more to come.
We've started sending out an email/newsletter to our customers. We have 8000 names on our email list, and are adding dozens weekly! Not bad for a 800 square foot store in Alameda!
In December 2005, we had our first wine dinner - at a local restaurant called Pappo. We sold out the danged thing in 10 hours! Everyone had a great time. Since then we've conducted dinners at Eccolo and The Bay Wolf, with many more to come.
We launched our Wine Club in January, 2006 featuring moderately priced wines. We have over 130 members to date.
We launched a Pinot Noir wine club in September 2006, featuring small lots of hard to get Pinots from all over the globe.
To find out more, write us at info@FarmsteadCheesesandWines.com, or check us out on our site: www.FarmsteadCheesesandWines.com

We won!!! Farmstead named Best Wine Store

2007-05-06T09:54:00.001-07:00

The editors of the East Bay Express have named Farmstead the Best Wine Store in the East Bay. This is our second award from the East Bay Express, as we were named Best Cheese Store in 2005.

Woot, woot, as the kids say.

We won!!! Farmstead named Best Wine Store

2007-05-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

shrimp - before

2007-04-13T19:45:00.001-07:00

add another shrimp on the barbie!

shrimp - before

2007-04-12T10:59:00.001-07:00

shrimp - before
Originally uploaded by jeffyd821.

This is a photo from Jeff's trip to Spain with Jorgé Ordonez. These shrimp were delivered at the winery by taxi - total cost, over 4000 euros!!

2007-04-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Carol in front of New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro in Talent, Oregon.

2007-04-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

Larry Londer (Londer Vineyards) and Jeff.

Larry's Pinots are among the finest I've ever had. Deep rich fruits and high acid.

Boris Badinov, aka Jorge in Jumilla

2007-04-09T16:10:00.001-07:00

Boris Badinov, aka Jorge in Jumilla
Originally uploaded by jeffyd821.

The famed Jorgé Ordonez on day one of our fabulous, tiring, Jorge Death March. Here we are at Casa Castillo in Jumilla

Lazy Creek

2006-07-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

On the last day of our tour of the great Pacific Northwest, we stopped off to see Mary Beth and Josh Chandler at Lazy Creek Vineyards in the Anderson Valley, one of our favorite wineries.

We barrel tasted, played with their dogs Pokey and Bella, wandered through the vineyards, rested and read. At breakfast, we were visited by the Chandlers inquisitive chickens, who we suppose were seeing if we were eating any eggs!

If you are ever in the area, and their gate is open, be sure to drop by and taste some of their wines. Barring that, we always have their Gewurz and Pinot in the store.

Assisi - dog on church

2006-06-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

So, we were in Assisi last summer, and touring all of the churches, and looked up and saw this DOG scuplture (approaching two birds) on the face of the church.

Apparently from the 1500s.

2006-06-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite places in Paris is the Sainte-Chapelle, built by Louis IX (aka Saint Louis who was named after the city I guess - or maybe the ribs...who knows?) to house the Crown of Thorns.

It's this amazing place - a perfect example of the Rayonnant Gothic style - with the upper chapel all stained glass and delicate stone framework.

This is a detail of some of the gilded wood in one of the vaults. (Taken in 2002)

Getting Beyond Chardonnay

2006-06-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest article from the Alameda Sun:

Getting Beyond Chardonnay

I find that the more wine I drink, the more I appreciate white wines. For me, white wines have more variety in style, balance and flavor than reds, and they’re certainly more refreshing when it’s hot out.

This month, we’ll discuss a few lesser known white wine grapes, so you can branch out beyond Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. You can find wines from all of these grapes at local shops and restaurants.

White wines are always served chilled, and in the summertime can be quite refreshing. Don’t chill your whites too much though — you’ll miss out on most of the flavor. A good rule of thumb is to take the bottle out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving.

Torrontés has become the most popular white wine of Argentina, and it’s easy to see why. Long thought to be a clone of Spanish Malvasia, recent DNA testing has shown that Torrontes is a hybrid of the Muscat and Mission grapes. Floral and aromatic, without being at all sweet, Torrontes wines have peach, rose and jasmine notes, and a pleasant freshness followed by a clean, long finish. Good acid balanced by great fruit make this a perfect wine for sipping on the patio or accompanying fruits, cheeses or lighter fare.
Think Viognier meets Sauvignon Blanc. Many examples can be found in the $10 to $18 range.

Gruner Veltliner (GROON-er Vel-TLEAN-er), or Gru-Vee, is the most popular white wine in Austria, and once you try it you’ll understand why. It’s easy to drink, with a fresh, clean, light, citrus flavor, and bracing acidity, replete with floral and mineral hints. Not overpowering and simple enough to enjoy without heavy contemplation, this is a fun and friendly wine. The thing I love the most about Gru-Vee is its flexibility: Farmed at high yields, it makes a pleasant but light sipping white, but if growers take a little more care, it can produce complex, full flavored, spicy wines with a distinctive white flower and cracked-pepper edge. Think Pinot Grigio meets Sauvignon Blanc. Examples can be found from $10 up.

Picpoul (PEEK-pool) is a popular grape in the Languedoc region of Southern France, and is best represented by Picpoul de Pinet. Picpoul produces crisp, citrus-y wines with good acid, and with apple, mineral and nutty overtones — a perfect accompaniment to seafood or fruits. Good examples are available for $10 or less.

Albariño (Al-bah-REEN-yo). Albariño is the primary wine in Rias Baixes (Northwestern Spain). Considered by many to be Spain’s premier white wine, Albariño is also known in Portugal as Alvarinho. Typically, wines made from Albariño are very aromatic, and have almond, apple, peach, citrus, flowers or grass notes. Albariño’s good acid-fruit balance screams for seafood. Great examples can be found for $14 and up.

Fiano di Avellino (fee-AHN-oh) from Campania, is one of Southern Italy’s most famous white wines, and is grown on the volcanic hillsides of Avellino, east of Naples. Well-made Fianos are bursting with ripe pear, honey and hazelnut aromas. Like many of the wines on this list, Fiano has a good fruit-acid balance, and is a terrific foil for triple crème cheeses, salume and sausages. It can be found for $20 and up.

And don’t forget Riesling (REESE-ling), perhaps the most seductive and complex of all white wine grapes.

Rieslings can be vinted dry, off-dry, or sweet, from still to sparkling, from crisp and light to full bodied and full-flavored. Depending on where it was grown and how it was made, Rieslings can have flavors ranging from peach to slate to apple to lemon to petrol (really!).

My favorites are from Germany, where good minerality and acid give structure (and age-ability) to the wines, but great wines can be found in Austria, Australia and Alsace as well. I had a 1979 Auslese Riesling this past Christmas that was surprisingly fresh, fruity and complex. Perfect with spicy foods (Asian, Latin or Caribbean), or on its own, great Rieslings can be found from $15 on up (and up and up).

So, take a break from Chardonnay this summer. Try a white that’s a bit off the beaten path. You won’t be sorry.

Wine Bar - Paris

2006-05-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

Here's Carol at one of our favorite Paris wine bars - simple food and nice wines (mostly from the Loire).

Eau de Stilton

2006-05-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Wacky news from the Internet... Will NOT be available at Farmstead!!

Some say Britain's pungent blue-veined Stilton cheese smells of old socks. But its fans have turned the rare odor into a perfume.

The Stilton Cheese Makers Association commissioned an aromatics firm to create Eau de Stilton, described on the association's Web site as featuring a "symphony of natural base notes including Yarrow, Angelica seed, Clary Sage and Valerian."

"Blue Stilton cheese has a very distinctive mellow aroma and our perfumier was able to capture the key essence of that scent and recreate it in an unusual but highly wearable perfume," said an association spokesman.

Vezelay, Burgundy, France

2006-05-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Church detail.....

Dinosaurland

2006-04-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of corny photo opps.

On the way to the Fran Kysela tasting in Winchester, VA, I spied Dinosaur Land, a "prehistoric educational forest for children of all ages." Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately), it was closed, so I snapped as many photos as I could through the chain link fence. I am certain that this photo of a fiberglas Octopus is both educational and prehistoric.

SF Chronicle article

2006-04-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

The Alameda Marketplace was featured prominently in an article in the SF Chronicle on Wednesday, April 5th. Our own Dave Bloom was quoted for the article.

Here's part of the article:

...Sparked by the success of the Ferry Building Marketplace at San Francisco's Embarcadero, versions of the traditional public market have popped up in Healdsburg and Alameda. An upscale food court opened in Berkeley two weeks ago, a public market is scheduled to come to Napa next year, and there are at least three others in the works.

The markets hark back to a time when shoppers bought their meat from the butcher, their bread from the baker and their fruits and vegetables from a produce stand. But like the convenience of contemporary supermarkets, the public food mall allows independent merchants, as well as restaurants and cafes, to sell their goods under one roof. And they've become trendy destinations for tourists and epicureans.

...The Alameda Marketplace, a collection of small food retailers including the Alameda Natural Grocery, opened three years ago. Included in the assemblage of shops is a bakery, a kitchen gadget store, a sushi bar and a seafood company. Unlike Plaza Farms' emphasis on locally produced foods, Marketplace carries a wide array of holistic products, imported cheeses and wines and pre-packaged health foods.

"We just try to bring the best," says David Bloom, manager of Farmstead Cheeses and Wines. "Every cheese and wine here has a story."

The shop carries wines from as far away as Israel and India to as close as Paso Robles and Napa. Laminated cards with brief descriptions of the wines are placed next to the bottles, which start at $7.50 and go up to $300. Refrigerated cases carry 175 different hand-cut cheeses, including Prima Donna, a Dutch cow's milk cheese, a Keen's farmstead cheddar from the United Kingdom, a L'Etivaz Gruyere from Switzerland and a British Shropshire blue. The artisan cheeses range in price from $7.50 a pound to $30 a pound.

Jack London Vineyard - Glen Ellen CA - winter

2006-04-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

Edible East Bay Article

2006-03-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

We were featured in a great article that appeared in Edible East Bay, a new foodie magazine:

If I ever return to live in the Bay Area, it appears that I will have to live within walking distance of the spectacular Alameda Marketplace. There are two reasons for this. The first is that I will not rest until I am the proud owner of my very own whole aging rib loin, displayed in a magnificent meat locker with my name dangling from its haunch on a metal tag at Baron’s Meat & Poultry. The second is that Iwould like to shop daily for new wine discoveries and artisan cheeses with Jeff Diamond at Farmstead Cheeses & Wines.

The marketplace itself takes up most of a city block, and features independent retailers all under one big roof. In addition to Baron’s Meats and Farmstead Cheeses & Wines, these include Season to Taste–gourmet foods to go, the Alameda Natural Grocery, the JP Seafood Co., Sushi King (offering a beautiful display of sushi, salads, and hand rolls), the Feel Good Bakery, Patricia’s Pantry–a gourmet kitchen store, and The Beanery coffee roasters, featuring fair trade coffees.

Where to begin? I went straight for the wine display outside of Farmstead, with lots of great wine bargains for $10 or less, including Goats Do Roam from South Africa and Three Thieves jug wines. Inside the shop, Farmstead’s wine selection is impressive, and includes cult favorites such as Sean Thackrey’s Orion, Sirius, and Andromeda Pinot Noir from Bolinas. In addition to more than 400 wines, artisan beers, and ales from the U.S., Belgium, and Canada, there are 150-175 varieties of artisanal hand-cut cheeses, plus divine olives such as green Provençal, niçoise, picholines, and a Greek mix. Peeking out from the cheeses were French cornichons, Devon cream from England, and membrillo-quince paste from Spain. I coveted the selection of extra virgin olive oils, including Pasolivo from Paso Robles and Olea Farm from Templeton.

Jeff Diamond is the proprietor of Farmstead, and I learned that his motto is: “Relax, it’s just food.” Mr. Diamond’s goal is to demystify wine and cheese for the average consumer, thus the shop features weekend tastings, and offers evening classes on wine, cheese, and wine and cheese pairings, etc....

Carol and the Snow Pygmy

2006-03-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

It snowed in Montclair and Carol made a snow pygmy.

The Cheese Plate

2006-02-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

I’ve written yet another article in the Alameda Sun, this one on how to construct a cheese plate. I hope that you enjoy it.

The Cheese Course
Almost everyday, someone comes into my shop and asks for help in putting together a Cheese Plate. A lot of these folks seem daunted at the prospect. It’s understandable – there’s so many funny sounding names, textures, and milk sources.

Putting together a cheese course or cheese plate can be a lot of fun - whether you’re selecting cheeses by yourself at the supermarket, or with the aid of a cheese monger at a specialty store.

Cheese has been around for thousands of years, from many regions, climates and cultures. Those funny names are just a reflection of time and place, and shouldn’t put you off from experimenting a bit. Emmentaler (or Swiss Cheese), comes from the town of Emmental in Switzerland, Fontina was originally made in the Italian town of Fontina Val d’Aosta, and Gorgonzola is named after the Italian valley where it is produced.

The cheese course is just that - served after dessert in Europe, and as a pre-appetizer in America, served while folks are standing around chatting before being seated.

The European version is an individually plated beast, with slices of each cheese artfully arrayed with fruit, eaten with a knife and fork; while the American version is more casual, with the cheese left in toto – wedge or small round – on a cheese board with the appropriate cheese tools, sliced bread, crackers, olives, chutneys or other accompaniments, eaten buffet style.

Martha Stewart and other mavens of style recommend that the cheese course consist of three to five cheeses, ranging from the simple to the complex, from soft to firm. This is pretty solid advice when you’re first venturing into the world of fine cheeses.
For my money, the best cheese plates are balanced affairs, where no one cheese overwhelms the others. That’s why I generally shy away from recommending overly strong blues or flavored cheeses to be part of the mix.

On the other hand, I’ve put together some great cheese plates that just feature strong cheeses – it’s really up to your own palate and sense of style.

To start, pick a soft cheese, a medium textured cheese and a firm cheese. Think about intensity of flavors, textures, strengths, and colors. You might want to have all the cheeses come from the same country, or be from different milk sources, or be different colors – whatever, it’s up to you.

Some tips:

Cheese Plate Math. If you’re serving cheese as part of the dinner, allow 3/4 to 1 1/2 ounce of cheese per cheese per person. In other words, if you’re serving three cheeses, purchase 3-4 1/ 2 ounces of cheese per guest. If you’re serving cheese in the American fashion, you can scale back a bit, since there’s a lot more food coming, and you don’t want your guests to get full on cheese.
• If you’re pairing fresh fruit with the plate, allow about three to four slices of apple, pear or other fruit per person. Allow for an eighth to a quarter cup of nuts per person, and six to eight olives per person.
• Always serve your cheeses at room temperature.; take them out of the fridge at least one hour before serving them.

I’ve put together a few simple cheese plates, but feel free to experiment.

Classic
o Brie
o Chèvre (soft goat cheese)
o British Cheddar
o Blue Castello or another creamy blue
Spanish
o Nevat (goat brie)
o Garrotxa (firm goat)
o Mahon o Manchego
o Serve with Membrillo (quince paste) and Marcona almonds
West Coast Artisan
o Camellia, a goat brie from Sebastopol CA or Mt Tam, a triple crème from Point Reyes
o Humboldt Fog (a soft goat from Arcata CA)
o Bravo Sage Cheddar (Tulare CA) or Serena (Lindsey CA)
o Rogue River Blue (Oregon) washed in pear brandy, wrapped in grape leaves
French
o An ash-covered goat cheese like Valençay
o Morbier, a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese
o Petit Agour, a sheep cheese from the Pyrenées
o St Agur, a mild creamy blue

• Visual
o Gaperon, a soft, dome-shaped cheese with garlic overtones
o Cahill’s Porter, a cheese mottled with Irish ale
o Vella Dry Jack, an extra aged cow’s milk cheese with a beautiful coating of cocoa powder and olive oil
o Valdéon, a Spanish blue, covered in Mulberry leaves

The Fancy Food Show

2006-01-29T14:23:00.000-08:00

So, we spent three days last week scouring the aisles of the Moscone Center for new cheeses, cheese and wine accessories, and other things.

As always, we met with vendors, tasted tons of cheeses, and were overwhelmed by the riot of sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the Specialty Food world.

The Cheeseworks Ltd booth was the hit of the show for us cheese heads. Well over 100 artisan cheeses to taste and smell. Jeff fell in love with a traditional, soft sheep's milk cheese from Portugal called Serra da Estrella, goopy, complex, creamy, sheepy. If you've had Torta al Casar, then you are entering Serra territory. It just arrived in the store a few days ago.

We also tasted a passle of Goudas from Cheeseland, our Dutch cheese supplier, and were wowed by two cheeses (which have already graced our shelves): Double Crème Gouda, and Memoire (a double crème Gouda with black truffles).

We also visited with Mark from The Fine Cheese Company of Bath England, whose fine British cheeses are already on the shelves.

Altesino Brunello

2006-01-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a shot of the large Tonno used to age Brunello di Montalcino at Altesino. That's the 2004 vintage you're looking at. A lovely setting, professionally run. Great wines.

Riesling!

2006-01-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

This past week has been all about Riesling, that fabulous white wine grape that dominates German and Austrian winemaking.

Twice a year, Winewise (a local distributor) conducts a huge German and Austrian wine trade tasting featurning wines imported by Terry Thiese. He flies in a gaggle of winemakers to present the wines, and over 150 Rieslings from dozens of producers are poured (along with other varietals like Gruner Veltliner, Blaufrankisch, and Zweigelt from Austria.

Terry Thiese is there, ready to discuss the finer points of each wine (the man's knowlege of wine is sooo impressive!), as well as a virtual Who's Who of the SF wine scene - sommelliers, wine store owners, authors, etc etc etc.

As you can imagine, the tasting can be overwhelming. Where to start? How to distinguish among all of these finely crafted wines? Which wines to taste? How to keep from swallowing, getting drunk and "losing one's palate"?

My tack through the tasting is always similar. I choose five producers and taste all of their wines. That way, I have a somewhat clear sense of a producer's style across their portfolio, and don't get bogged down about whose Sonnenuhr Auslese 2004 I liked more (there were about 50 wines with that distintion at the tasting!).

This time, I tried wines from two Austrian producers - Heidi Schrock and Berger - and three Germans - Meulenhof, Kerpen and Selbach-Oster. We carry or have carried a smattering of wines from each of those producers in the store: Schrock's amazing Muscat (a blend of dry Muscat and Sauvignon Blanc - complex, floral and just plain killer), Berger's liter-sized Gruner Veltliner (if you've never had Gruner, you need to - think Sauvignon Blanc meets Pinot Grigio - refreshing, easy to drink, goes well with everything light), Kerpen's Sonnenuhr Kabinett (racy, tingly, crisp, with a complex finish), Selbach-Oster's Sonnenuhr Kabinett (a bit more minerality than the Kerpen, with a touch more fruit), and Meulenhof's Sonnenuhr QBa, and Sonnenuhr Kabinett(more fruit forward than most other Rieslings I've tasted, but still crisp, complex and minerally).

In conjunction with this tasting, we were honored to have Guido Justen, co-owner of Meulenhoff, in the store on Saturday, January 21 for a special tasting. We poured a selection of wines from across their portfolio: 2004 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling QbA, 2002 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, 2003 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese, and the 2001
Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese (#13).

The in-store tasting was a smash! We've never had more folks in the store for a tasting before, and we've never sold more Reisling! (In a normal month, we'll sell maybe six bottles of Riesling - we sold over four cases in a single day!!).

Selvapiana

2006-01-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

My bride Carol and Federico Giunti, (owner of Selvapiana), in the famed Bucerchiale vineyard. We spent a wonderful day with Federico, wandering the vineyards, tasting library wines and discussing everything from dogs to wine and back again.

http://www.selvapiana.it/eng/main.htm

Jeffyd at the famed Mario in Florence

2006-01-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

Carol and I couldn't stay away from this place while we were in Florence this summer. It's a very simple place - a handwritten menu every day - featuring housemade pastas, bistecca fiorentina, wines by the glass, etc.

They are only open for lunch, and are stuffed to the gills with workers from the nearby Mercato (a must see when in Florence!), backpackers (it's featured in Let's Go Europe) and foodies (rated a coveted Snail from the Slow Food folks).

We ate there three times!

The New Year

2006-01-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it! Our third Holiday Season is over, and we surpassed all expectations! Thanks to great customers, great employees and great vendors, who all combined to make this the best Holiday Season we've had. YAY!

-----------------------------

What's next?

Well, Jeff is taking a few days off to rest his tendonitis, while Scarth is off to Portland to visit old friends, and Carol is back to school.

The west coast Fancy Food Show is coming up the 3rd week of January. It's the big trade show of the year for folks like us - literally THOUSANDS of vendors, offering wares from cheese and wine to housewares to candies to - well - everything that you can think of in the Specialty Food arena. We get to sample new products and re-cement relationships with vendors, while trudging bleary-eyed from booth to booth. It takes a full day to walk HALF of the show floor, so Jeff devotes three full days to the show each year. Be on the lookout for new cheeses, new accessories, and new wines in the coming months.

We'll be starting up the Farmstead Wine Club in late January, and boy are we excited!! Many of our customers have expressed interest in joining the club, and we have been in conference with several of our vendors to come up with a club that will be fresh and exciting.

In early February, Jeff is off to a wine tasting in Virginia, put on by Fran Kysela - an importer who's palate aligns very closely with Farmstead's (about 20% of the wines in the store are from Fran). I am sure that even more of Fran's fantastic offerings will appear in the store after the tasting.

Alameda Sun Article on Sparkling Wines

2005-12-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

Sparkling Wine 101

Most of us associate sparkling wines with festive occasions - especially the traditional New Year’s Toast. So what better time to discuss Champagnes and their relative sparklers than right now?

Almost all the world's winemaking regions produce sparkling wine from a wide variety of grapes. Champagne is a region in France, and only sparkling wines from there should be called Champagne. In Italy it’s called Spumante; in France, it ‘s Crémant or Blanquete; in Spain, Cava; in Germany, Sekt, and in the US, Canada, South Africa and other winemaking areas it’s called Sparkling Wine.

Pairing food with sparkling wines is easy. Caviar, oysters and other shellfish are classic matches, but you'll find that white sparkling wines go well with just about anything in a creamy sauce, all sorts of vegetables, breads, and cheeses. Rosé and red sparklers also do well with fish and white-meats, fruit desserts, and even some of the darker meats (grilled beef, tuna, swordfish and other Bar-B-Que are outstanding with any sort of red bubbly). Sweet sparklers are best alone or with fruit desserts.

There are three methods of making sparkling wines: Méthode Champenoise, the Transfer Method, and Méthode Charmat. Méthode Champenoise is the most complicated (and most expensive) method, and involves two separate fermentations. The grapes are picked earlier than those used for table wines, and then fermented in large tanks. When fermentation is complete (when all of the sugar has been converted to alcohol), the wine is allowed to rest for several months.

During this time, solids and particles (the lees) settle to the bottom of the tank, and the clear wine is siphoned off and blended with wine from previous vintages (for non vintage champagne) in order to make a consistent house style or cuvée. The wine is then poured into heavy bottles with sugar and yeast (called liqeuer de triage) added to start a second fermentation. The bottles are capped with a soda cap, and allowed to rest from one to three years. Since fermentation always produces carbon dioxide, and the champagne bottles are sealed, the wine becomes bubbly.

This secondary fermentation also produces sediment. The wines are stored at an angle (neck down) and turned a bit every day, to encourage the sediment to settle at the neck. This is called riddling. After several weeks, the vintner freezes the neck and uncaps the bottle. The pressurized wine forces the sediment out of the bottle (disgorgement).

Since the bottle is no longer full, a bit of wine and sugar is added to fill up the bottle. This is called dosage. The amount of dosage added will make the wine extra brut, brut, extra dry, dry, demi-sec, or doux, depending upon sugar levels. The bottle is then recorked with a wire cage closure to prevent accidental opening, boxed and shipped.

The Transfer Method follows Méthode Champenoise up to the point the secondary fermentation. However, the secondary fermentation doesn’t take place in the bottle that is sold to the consumer. The fermentation bottles are emptied under pressure, and the wine is then filtered and then bottled under pressure into a new set of bottles. This eliminates the riddling, disgorgement and dosage processes, which are time consuming and expensive.

Méthode Charmat uses a glass-lined, pressurized tank for the secondary fermentation. Filtering and bottling are also done under pressure. This is the least expensive of the three, and can take as little as ninety days from first fermentation to bottling.

By law, Champagne is always made using Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Pinot Meunier grapes (or a combination of them). Sparkling wines in California are also made using just those varietals. Other winemaking regions use a wide variety of grapes, most of which are native to the region. Generally speaking, Sekt is Riesling; Cava is Maccabeu, Mazeula or Parellada (although traditional Champagne varietals are being used with some of the higher end producers); Spumante is Prosecco, Lambrusco or Moscato Bianco, Crémant de Loire is Chenin Blanc; Blanquette de Limoux (the first sparkling wine ever produced) is a blend of Mauzac, Chenin Blanc, Clairette, and sometime Chardonnay), etc., etc., etc.

Red sparkling wines are made in Australia, Italy, and elsewhere. For a sparkling red, the skins are left in the fermenting juice, just as they would be for a still wine. Sparkling reds are generally more tannic than sparkling white wines. Rosé sparkling wines are made by adding a little red wine juice to the white base wine before secondary fermentation.

Generally speaking, sparkling wines have higher acidity, lower alcohol content and more delicate flavor than their still counterparts. They’re a great match with many foods, and they just seem more fun and festive to drink than a regular table wine. You can find sparkling wines at every price point - from the $5 range all the way up to $200 plus per bottle. Try some today!

Freelance writer Jeff Diamond owns and operates of Farmstead Cheeses & Wines, a fine wine and cheese store located on The Island in the Alameda Marketplace on Park Street. He can be reached at Jeff@FarmsteadCheesesAndWines.com.

Summer in Tuscany

2005-12-30T07:24:00.000-08:00

We were driving to Cortona. The clouds and sunflowers were so beautiful that I had to pull over and take a few snapshots.....

Alameda Sun article on Turkey Wines

2005-12-30T07:17:00.000-08:00

Tips from the Wine and Cheese Guy

Turkey Wines

No, not wines from Anatolia (although they are starting to produce some great wines in Turkey); this month, we’re talkin’ turkey - gobble gobble - and the wines that go or don’t go with them.

Here’s the deal: you’ve got 25 people coming over for a feast of roasted turkey with all of the trimmings - stuffing, squash soup, cranberry sauce, candied yams, mashed potatoes, green beans, tossed salad, biscuits, a cheese course, and pumpkin or pecan pie. Yikes!! Which wine or wines should you serve? How much wine should you buy? Red, white, sparkling, or rosé?

Relax, it’s not that complicated. Turkey goes amazingly well with many red, white, rosé wines and sparkling wines. The key is to choose wines that will complement the meal, and not overwhelm the already hearty flavors of the day. Look for high acid, lower alcohol wines that are dry to off-dry. Try to avoid big, tannic, or oaky California wines; steer towards France, Oregon and Spain.

The best white wine matches are refreshing, tangy, fruity, medium weight wines. Experiment a bit - think viognier, chenin blanc, dry gewürztraminer, torrontes, dry or off-dry riesling, and Alsatian-style pinot gris. Some sauvignon blancs might work (think Sancerre), as will unoaked chardonnays (Chablis, Macon, or other white burgundies).

But stay away from the oaky, buttery chards. While they’ll work with the turkey and potatoes, oaky flavors clash and dominate almost everything else on the plate. Also, avoid wines that are too light in stature (gruner veltliner, pinot grigio, vernaccia, et cetera). They tend to disappear behind the heavy flavors and textures of a hearty meal.

Red wine with poultry? Sure. For my money, the best reds that match with turkey are beaujolais, cabernet francs, and pinot noir. The Beaujolais Nouveau that has just arrived in most fine wine stores is a no-brainer. Fresh, fruity, and with a bit of spritz, can there be a better way to celebrate than with this Gamay-based charmer? The cherry fruits of pinot noir match nicely to game and to cranberry; and the soft tannins of a cabernet franc go well with big roasty flavors. Low alcohol cabernet sauvignon (like Bordeaux); spicy, peppery grenache- or syrah-based blends (from the Rhone Valley or Spain); lighter style zinfandels ; or even a spanish tempranillo like Rioja will also pair quite nicely with your Thanksgiving feast. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

But avoid choosing big cabernets, syrahs, or zinfandels. They’re too tannic and high in alcohol to match well with turkey, and the sugars in the food will make the tannins in cabs taste bitter.

Rosés are a breeze with turkey. The crisp, fruity nature of a good rosé will match perfectly with white meat, play off roasted flavors of crackly skin and blend in with the heavier dark meat flavors. Choose any dry rosé wine you can find. Even dreaded white zinfandel works well with turkey and all the trimmings.

Surprisingly, pairing a sparkling wine with the Thanksgiving meal works very well. The creaminess of a brut champagne, the sweetness of a spumante or prosecco, or the red fruity character of a lambrusco, dry rosé sparkler or sparkling shiraz can all take the place of a still wine very well. This might be an option you want to consider.

Are you serving ham and/or prime rib in addition to turkey? Mamma Mia! Don’t panic, here are a few wine suggestions:

A glazed ham is both salty and sweet; so fresh white wines with good acidity, some residual sugar, and a dry finish work best. Look for trocken (or dry) riesling, gewürztraminer, or an Alsatian pinot gris. Rosés, beaujolais and pinots will also work well.

Typically, beef screams out for big cabernets, syrahs, and zins; wines packed with fruit, oak, tannins and sugars. But if you’re serving beef along with the turkey, those wines will dominate our fine once-feathered friend (and everything else on the table). So, look for rhone-style blends of grenache or syrah , a soft cab or merlot, or even a nice mourvedre, with smokey and chocolately overtones that will match with both the prime rib and the big bird.

Finally, here’s a few Thanksgiving wine rules to remember:

· Don’t match heavy wines with a heavy meal. Go for lighter, fruitier wines without a lot of oak or tannin.

· Thanksgiving is about abundance; so don’t pour your best or most expensive wines.

· Pour several different varietals so you and your guests can match them with the varied flavors and textures on your table.

· There’s not one single wine that will perfectly pair with every flavor on the table, so don’t stress.

· Serve sparkling wine before the meal and dessert wine with the last course.

· How much wine to buy? Assume three glasses of wine per adult, and five glasses per bottle. Multiply the number of guests by three, and divide by five to arrive at the number of bottles you will need.

· Assume two three ounce pours of sparkling wine and one two ounce pour of dessert wine per adult.

· Dessert wines should always be as sweet as or sweeter than the desserts that they accompany.

· Relax, and try to have fun at this often stressful event. Remember, you’re among friends.

· Don’t let your guests drive home drunk.

Carol and Jeff

2005-12-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

Here we are in Assisi....

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

Whew! Well, we are two thirds through the "Holiday" season here at Farmstead (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years' Day), and boy, are we ever flourishing!

We set a new sales record the day before Thanksgiving, met it the Saturday prior to Christmas weekend, broke it on the 23rd, and then shattered that record on the 24th!

Our staff performed admirably under at times trying times, providing superlative service (and great products) to Alamedans, San Leandrans, Oaklanders and even the occasional Berkeleyite.

Thanks to all, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and have a groovin' Kwanzaa.

The 20 minute rule

2005-12-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

Another Alameda Sun Article......

The Twenty Minute Rule

Like the Three Bears of the nursery story, most of us tend to serve our wine either too warm or too cold, hardly ever just right. We seldom serve wine at proper temperature, and this contributes to almost as much bad-tasting wine as bad wine itself.

The problem stems from a bit of an oft-misunderstood wine wisdom: serve white wine cold, red wine at room temperature. Many people think that room temperature for reds means whatever temperature their room happens to be, and that chilling a white wine means that it’s at it’s best right out of the refrigerator.

This notion is reinforced by many restaurants that serve wines at the wrong temp, sending an incorrect message to their patrons about proper wine service temperature. This is disconcerting, as many of us look to restaurants for our cues about wine etiquette.

Room Temperature is not the temperature of your room, rather the temperature of some drafty castle in France or England without the central heating that is ubiquitous in the States. Most home refrigerators are set to 36-40°F; great for preserving milk, but horrible for serving wine.

When white wines are served too cold, the buttery notes of a California Chardonnay or the flintiness of a Sancerre (Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc) are masked - revealing little but chilly and/or metallic notes. White wines always show their aromatic and flavor qualities better when they aren't ice cold.

Above 72°F, red wine tends to break down into its separate components: alcohol, fruit, tannin, and acid. This gives reds a heavy and out of balance character, with hot, alcoholic, and flabby flavors overwhelming the finesse and finish that the winemaker intended. Try drinking a high alcohol Amador Zin at ambient temperature on a warm day and you’ll see what I mean.

Think I’m crazy? Try the following experiment at home. Buy two identical bottles of white wine, and place them both in the fridge. Take one out 20 minutes before you want to drink it, and take the second one out 20 minutes later. Open them both, and pour out two glasses. Taste them both. Which one tastes better (not colder, not more refreshing, but better)? Which reveals more fruit and nuance? Which has more complexity, more of those pompous adjectives that wine geeks throw out at every chance?

Try the same thing on a hot day with red wines. Take two identical bottles of red and place one in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, and leave the other out on the counter. I’ll bet that the colder red delivers more of what it is that you like about red wine: balance, flavor, fruit, and finish.

Try to remember the Jeff Diamond 20 Minute Rule: get your red wines into the fridge 20 minutes before you drink them, and your white wines out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving. Exceptions to this rule are for rosés, Loire Valley Cabernet Francs and Beaujolais, which need to be a few degrees warmer than whites; fortified wines, which should be a tad warmer than Reds; and dessert wines, which should be a bit colder than whites. (Generally, the sweeter the wine, the colder the serving temperature).

A bottle of wine will chill in the fridge or an ice bucket at about 4°F per ten minutes, and will warm up out of the fridge at about the same rate. The best method to chill a bottle quickly is to use a bucket, filled with ice cubes and water, and let it chill for 20-25 minutes. It’s okay if you don’t have a fancy crystal or silver champagne bucket; a bowl or a pitcher large enough to hold the ice, water and a bottle will do just fine.

Don’t ever put a bottle into the freezer for rapid chilling. Rapid temperature change is never good for a fine wine, and more importantly, a forgotten bottle could either freeze or even explode.

When dining out, don't hesitate to adjust the temperature of your wine. If your Chardonnay is ice cold, take it out of the ice bucket and put it on the table for a few minutes. And don’t ask your server to warm up a bottle for you, I’ve heard of restaurants warming too cold wines in a microwave oven! If the red wine is too warm, ask the server for an ice bucket and use it judiciously.

Weather can be a factor, too. On a sweltering day, all wines - reds and whites - should be served a bit cooler than indicated in this article. Conversely, if you are in a chilly environment, adjust the temperature of the wines up by a degree or two.

Here are some optimal wine serving temperatures:

Whites: 45-50 °F
Reds: 50-65 °F
Rosés: 48-55 °F
Sparkling: 42-52 °F
Fortified wines: 55-68 °F
Dessert Wines: 41-46°F

2005-12-20T07:28:00.000-08:00

Outside of Pisa......

Alameda Sun article on Fondue

2005-12-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

Here's My article on Fondue, from the 12/14/05 Alameda Sun:

Do You Fondue?

It’s wintertime here on The Island, and thoughts turn to melted cheese. That’s right, it’s Fondue Time! Personally, I can’t think of a better way to eat some cheese.

The name fondue comes from the past participle of the French verb fondre (to melt), so a literal translation would be melted. The name refers to a Swiss dish consisting of bread dipped into a communal pot filled with melted Swiss cheeses. It’s a soothing, and healthful meal that is easy to prepare, and fun to eat. It makes a great family meal that also works well as a romantic dinner for two.

Fondue was originally a one-dish peasant meal that was invented out of necessity in the Swiss canton (county) of Neuchâtel in order to use up excess cheese. In the remote villages of Switzerland, people relied on locally produced food. During winter, fresh food was scarce. Folks discovered that melting dried out cheese made it not only edible, but tasty, even when sopped up with stale, crusty bread.

Fondue became popular in the US in the late 1950s, and remained a popular dish into the 60s and 70s. It has enjoyed a latter day renaissance that coincides with the increase in American’s appetite for fine cheeses, as well as an appreciation for retro and comfort foods.

In fact, we Americans love fondue so much, we’ve reinvented it to near unrecognizability. Do an Internet search for fondue recipes, and you’ll see what I mean: there’s Hot Oil Beef Fondue, Chocolate Fondue, Mexican Fondue, Mediterranean Shrimp Fondue, Velveeta Fondue, Almond Champagne Fondue, Butterscotch Fondue, Holiday Fondue with Ground Beef and Wisconsin Cheddar, Welsh Fondue with Leeks, Hot Dog Fondue, Vegan Dilled Garbanzo Fondue and even Angel Food Cake Fondue. Give me traditional cheese fondue any day.

Cheese fondue always has the same core ingredients, although each of Switzerland’s 23 cantons has its own variation. Those core ingredients are Gruyère and Emmenthaler cheese, cornstarch or flour, kirsch (cherry brandy), garlic, and dry white wine.

The cornstarch or flour is added to prevent the mixture from curdling, and the wine and brandy, while adding flavoring, lower the boiling point so that the cheese proteins don’t separate.

My favorite recipe adds three softer cheeses (Appenzeller, Vacherin Fribourgeois, and Raclette) and Sbrinz (a Swiss grating cheese) which add complexity, a bitter component, and depth.

Fondue is made in a fondue pot or caquelon that is made of either earthenware, glazed ceramic or enameled cast iron. The fondue is heated on a cooktop in the caquelon over low to medium heat then transferred to the table and placed over an alcohol burner or a hot plate.

Crusty chunks of bread (a baguette, sourdough or an Italian loaf all work fine) are placed onto long forks, which are then dipped into the caquelon, twirled to expel the excess, and then popped into the mouth.

Try the recipe below for a fun and nostalgic meal.

_______________

Fabulous Swiss Fondue (serves four-six) (adapted and modified from The Joy of Cooking and Epicurious.com)

1/2 lb Gruyère cheese
1/2 lb Emmenthaler cheese
1/4 lb Appenzeller cheese
1/4 lb Vacherin Fribourgious cheese
1/4lb Raclette cheese
a few ounces of Sbrinz

1 clove of garlic, cut lengthwise

1/4cup Kirsch (cherry brandy)
1 1/2 to 2 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
juice of one lemon
pinch of nutmeg

1 to 1 1/2inch cubes of crusty French, Sourdough, or Italian bread

Fondue forks or wooden skewers
Caquelon or Fondue pot
---
Grate the cheese using the large holes of a box grater.
Toss the cheese in one half of the cornstarch
Rub the inside of a caquelon or heavy pot with cut sides of garlic.
Discard garlic.
Add wine and lemon juice to pot and bring to a slow simmer over low/moderate heat.
Stir together the remaining cornstarch and kirsch in a cup.
Gradually add cheese by the handful to pot, stirring constantly in a zigzag pattern to prevent cheese from balling up, until cheese is just melted and creamy.
Keep the temperature just below simmering point.
Stir cornstarch/kirsch mixture again and stir into fondue.
Bring fondue to a slow simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.

If you aren’t preparing the fondue in a caquelon, transfer to heated caquelon set over a flame.
Serve with bread for dipping.

If the fondue becomes too thick, add some of the additional kirsch.
Spear the bread cubes with fondue forks and dip them into the fondue.

Sniff

2005-12-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

Here's one of the last photos of our sweetheart, Danni, who passed away in October from bone cancer. We miss her terribly, she was a wonderful friend.

Carol at the Barbie.....

2005-12-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of my bride, Ms. Farmstead, at Jeff's 50th birthday bash, putting the final touches on a huge mass of ribs. (Secret: we smoke our ribs with Hickory for 8 hours, then finish on the grill to glaze on the sauce!).

Near Paso Robles.....

2005-12-18T07:30:00.000-08:00