CHEESE AND ZINFNDEL… A PERFECT PAIR

ZinFest is right around the corner, and what goes better with wine than cheese? In honor of Lodi’s annual spring wine weekend, we asked Cindy Della Monica, owner and manager of Cheese Central, to give us some expert on advice on pairing your favorite zin with the perfect cheese.

Della Monica opened the specialty cheese shop that carries up to 100 varieties in March of 2011, although this was not her first cheese counter experience. She previously owned Bella Mozzarella in Lodi, open from 1997-2001. Della Monica says at that time Lodi only had about 15 wineries, and Food Network cooking shows were not yet popular, so it was hard to get people interested, other than at the Farmer’s Market.

Now, getting back to the zin…

“I read something from a blogger not too long ago that I like to remember: ‘Zin does for big cheeses what high heels do for mini-skirts… it gives them a happy little boost,’” she jokes. “In actuality, there are a number of cheese types that work really well with zinfandel… The zin style will help you pick the cheese style. A lighter-bodied zin will usually be happily matched with younger cheeses such as creamy Bries and not-too-complex cheddars and goudas. Zins that have strong, bold flavors pair well with the bolder cheese flavors such as those found in somewhat aged sheep’s milk cheese like Manchego or Ossau-Iraty. Medium aged cheddars work here as well.

Very lightly smoked cheese, such as a Spanish Idiazabal or Grafton Maple-smoked cheddar, and maybe a few of the medium-pungent blues, are fun to experiment with while enjoying spicy zins. Zinfandels with a lot of big berry flavor and some residual sweetness can take very aged cheddars and aged goudas, and here is where I’ll pull in the stronger blues like Maytag or Buttermilk Blue. Zin ports are delicious with the blues and with the ‘layer-cake’ cheese called Huntsman, which is of British origin. The layering of Double Gloucester cheddar and Stilton make Huntsman an attractive and tasty addition to the cheese plate.

Of course, finishing your dinner bottle of Lodi Zinfandel with whole toasted nuts and shaved curls of Sonoma’s Dry Jack or Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano is a very satisfying way to bypass a sweet dessert!” Before you swirl and sip wine from over 50 Lodi wineries while strolling along the Mokelumne River this month, stop in
at Cheese Central to prepare your palette for the tasting event of the year!

When Bella Mozzarella closed, Della Monica accepted a position as Chef de Cuisine at Woodbridge Winery by Mondavi, where she had a long-standing catering relationship. When Constellation bought the winery seven years later and removed her position, it gave her the time to plan her next venture, Cheese Central.

“The decision to go back to cheesemongering was a natural one,” Della Monica shares, “both for my cheese and food passion, and as the Lodi Appellation now consists of 80+ wineries and lots of wine-loving locals and tourists! I feel that ‘the right place and the right time’ edge is working for us now… When people see Rachel Ray or Tyler Florence cook, for example, with Manchego or another specialty cheese, they download the recipe and come to the shop to get the cheese from us.”

Della Monica lives in Lodi with her husband and says they are very connected to the community. She loves sharing her four decades of food experience with customers – from teaching culinary classes in the shop to helping a guest plan a tasting tour or putting together delicious complimentary food and wine/craft beer pairings. All of the cheeses in the case are available to sample, as well as chutneys, mustards, jams, meats and olive oils.

SAMPLE AND SIP AWAY AT:
Cheese Central
11 N. School Street, Lodi
(209) 368-3033
cheesecentrallodi.com

DON’T MISS:
ZinFest at Lodi Lake Park
May 17th, Noon – 5 p.m.
1101-1103 W. Turner Road, Lodi
zinfest.com