The 2013 Queso Diego kickoff celebration went out with the best bubbly bang that any cheese boy or girl could ever wish upon a star-filled sky for.
This go around?
A cheese and bubbly blowout to ring in the new year, and to celebrate the two year anniversary of coming together as a cheese club.
It was our largest attended gathering to date!
It was our largest attended gathering to date!
Imagine being tasked with pounding the pavement in the hunt for sparkling choices to appease this hearty group of cheese-loving folk! Not that I mind, I mean, who wouldn't love anything with six atmospheres of pressure that sparkles?
the final cut!
Now if only I had a proper Napoleon Bonaparte suit to properly execute a champagne sabering.
For the record, should you happen to come across such a fine ensemble, I'm certainly in the market for one. I mean a real fierce getup, one so bloody French, it'll make the Eiffel Tower look like it belongs in Mexico City.
That's right, because nothing says festive occasion like firing powerful cannons, and beheading champagne bottles (sans the military dictatorship, of course!).
Ahem.
Members and guests gathered at our former alma mater, the beloved Curds and Wine,
San Diego's 'go to' cheese and wine making supply shop, for the evening festivities.
Mingling with the finest of folks, eating of the finest of culinary goods, and imbibing on the finest of festive beverages ensued, (as did heaping spoonfuls of merriment).
A gleamy-golden, passionfruit cheesecake,
homemade fromages,
and of course, our astounding cheese bounty!
The evening commenced and Queso Diegans were treated to a tasting menu stuffed with five out of the ordinary sparklers, and five equally amusing cheese pairings.
It's not everyday that one gets to pop open thirty bottles of sparkling goodness, let alone six bottles of the fanciest brew on the face of the planet.
Meet Deus Brut de Flandres, the high-end, specialty brew with a split personality. You see, it's brewed in Belgium, then shipped off to that region of France (the only region where those persnickety French allow us to call the bubbly, Champagne. A title well-earned, I might add).
In the end, you're left with the very champagne of beers, that when paired with a vintage Gouda, makes for an otherworldy experience.
Additional pairings included a salmon-hued, velvety-bubbled, Rose Brut with a triple-creamy, Brillat Savarin. Together, the result was something fiercely close to strawberry cheesecake.
A coconut milk gouda with a crisp and light almond California Champagne followed, as did a dark, rich, and juicy sparkling shiraz married to a creamy, spiced, Cambozola.
This class selection happens to be a delicate combination of Camembert mixed with Gorgonzola, or what I like to call the cheese that the French and Italian played Frankenstein with.
This class selection happens to be a delicate combination of Camembert mixed with Gorgonzola, or what I like to call the cheese that the French and Italian played Frankenstein with.
Truly an evening for splurging on life's little treats and delicacies. What a smashing feast!
Now, if only cheese had its own food group.
I say it's high time we initiate the possibility of such.
One thing's for certain, nobody goes away hungry around these parts.
Joyeux anniversaire, Queso Diego!
x
