#MadeinFrance; A Wine and Cheese Tasting Event

Our group, The French Winophiles, was approached by Whole Foods and invited to participate in a wine and cheese tasting sponsored by them, French Food and Beverages and Full Circle Wine Solutions.

We were provided with a dozen different French wines and a gift card to be used for the purchase of the featured French cheeses. In return, we were asked to share our pairings with our readers. We were also invited to  join Whole Foods sommelier, Devon Broglie and Whole Foods cheese buyer, Cathy Strange in a live chat on their Facebook Page.

I received no monetary compensation and, as always, all opinions written in this blog are 100% my own.

Whole Foods Market.can be found on the web, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest. The live chat will be found this afternoon, 10/5 at 5:30 pm ET, on their Facebook page.

You may find French Food and Beverages on the web and on Facebook.

You may find Full Circle Wine Solutions on the web, Twitter and on Instagram.

I was very excited upon receiving the wines and couldn't wait to start the pairings.  I made a trip to Whole Foods Market.  I turned it into a day trip as the nearest store is an 80 mile round trip and I can't walk into a Whole Foods without spending a couple of hours browsing.  Their stores are just amazing to me.  Perhaps, because it is not easily available, but I really pray that one day they will open a store closer to my home.

I spoke with the employee working the cheese counter and told him that I was lucky enough to be part of the group selected to take part of the #Made in France event taking place during the month of October.  He went into his files and found the markers that were to be used during that time recommending which wines and cheese would make the perfect pairings.

One of the pairings was a Mimolette Extra Aged 13 Months  Isigny Ste Mere with Alain de la Treille Chinon.  The Mimolette is a hard cheese with a wonderfully nutty flavor that I just loved.  We opened the bottle of Chinon and admired it's deep ruby hue.  We swirled, it is a light wine with no noticeable legs.  We sniffed, it was fruity with a little spice.  We sipped and enjoyed berry notes that matched perfectly with the nuttiness of the Mimolette.

The second pairing I tried was  Domaine de la Fruitiere Muscadet Sur Lie with Pumpkin and Fish Stew that I made for our Pumpkin Week event.  I will be sharing the stew recipe with you in tomorrow's post and, trust me, you are going to want to come back for it.

While this is not a cheese and wine pairing, I still wanted to share it here with you today.  I would describe the minerality of this wine as "grassy".  I also tasted some citrus.  I sipped this wine while cooking the stew, sat down for dinner and OH MY this is one of those pairings in which each element brings out the best in the other.

The richness of the stew with the lightness of the wine was perfect.  I was left yearning for more stew and more wine when dinner was over and am looking forward to sharing this pairing with friends at my next dinner party.

The Whole Foods Store that I visited also recommended this Bonhomme Brie, exclusively made for their store by Insigney  Sainte Mere, paired with the Trimbach Pinot Gris.  While this is not a pairing that was on the list provided for us by Whole Foods for discussion today, it is worth talking about.

The Pinot Gris is lemon on the nose with a hint of sweetness and the feel of effervescence.  It pours a beautiful pale yellow, almost a creamy clear.  The cheese is smooth, creamy and soothing.  The creaminess of the cheese paired perfectly with the bright acidity of the wine.  I enjoyed it with a dollop of fig jam that suited the other flavors wonderfully.

I will be sharing another pairing next Wednesday when I share a recipe for French Braised Venison.  I hope to include this in the discussion this afternoon to see if the pairing I have in mind is the correct one.  Stop by during our chat and see if I made the right choice.  See you there!!