It's so easy to let wines fall out of our interest as we discover new ones. We tasted this out during the Pairing 101 class (Pairing 201 coming next week!) and nearly was distracted by how much much I liked the wine and how long it had been since I last tasted it.
Spring is the season of all things fresh and in that spirit Pastoral is proud to present this week's pairing of Fresh Chevre from Prairie Fruits Farm from right here in Illinois (Urbana-Champaign to be exact) and Chenin Blanc from Graziano Family Wines in California. It's a bright, crisp pairing perfect for a sunny May afternoon on the patio with friends or out in the park.
This week's pairing continues the Spanish theme as we head in to the 2nd Annual Pastoral's Artisan Producer Festival with an olive oil-marinated chevre and a sparkling cava. These two are perfect for spring and perfect for each other!
Champagne may be typically connoted with celebrations, but we say it's about finding the little celebrations in your week to focus on. And there's no better way to celebrate being done with that big project at work than a bottle of bubbly and friends. So with our own big project coming to fruition this weekend at the 2nd Annual Pastoral's Artisan Producer Festival, we'll be drinking Leclerc Briant's Cuvee Brut.
Spring keeps popping up and has us daydreaming about days spent in the park, on the rooftop, and at the beach. Picnics and parties are always a great occasion for some crisp, fruity whites and that's why we're excited about this Chardonnay from...
If you ever wondered how Pastoral employees have come to learn so much about cheese, charcuterie, wine, beer, and more the answer may be surprisingly simple: we try a lot of stuff!
So with that in mind, we as a staff try to focus on trying some of the same stuff at the same time so that we can all compare notes in a similar state of mind. Eating and drinking are sensory experiences and just like music, what you're in the mood for can be very dependent on things as fickle as the weather or even what happened to you just moments before.
This week, the wine we're super in love with is a malbec from McKinley Springs in Horse Heaven Hills, Washington. Even the non-Malbec drinkers among us were surprised by the complexity and deep plum and berry fruit flavors. Regular wine wall visitors may notice a new label/vintage making an appearance in the near future Malbec. This gives us a great opportunity to taste the same wine, same winemaker, same technique but different vintage. Come pick up the current bottle and then come back and pick up the alternate vintage, take home and have a tasting party with your friends! This gives you a great opportunity to really see for yourself how the climate in a given year affects the wine. If you actually do this, we'd love to hear from you. We might even treat you to something.
Back to the Malbec, though, which is stellar stuff. Last year's vintage showed deep purple in color, gentle tannins, rolling texture and robust dried dark berry and plum. There's an element of cedar and a tingly uplifting composed finish as well. Do you remember how last year's vintage tasted? How will the new bottle compare? What would you like to see? Have you already tasted both? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
This week's pairing highlights the start of rose season. And nothingis better with rose than a bit of ripened goat cheese!
Nothing says spring quite like white wine and goat cheese and this pairing might be one of the best takes on that classic pairing that we've had in a while!
Let's skip the weather cliches and get to the meat of what this time of year is all about: Sauvignon Blanc and fresh goat cheese. Stop by our in-store tastings and check out Mark's selections of Sauvignon Blancs for the season.
Just in time for the Exploring France class this weekend, Pastoral pairs an American cheese and French wine. Brigid's Abbey and Saint-Emilion Grand Cru create a pleasantly sweet and smooth pairing. The brininess of the cheese is toned down a bit with a wash of the Bordeaux. The finish is mouth-watering with a pleasant acidity.
This pairing is juicy. The stage is set. It makes the mouth water, it makes the crowd cheer for more. The Matador strikes, cutting through the bull with a clean blow of his pineapple sword, revealing the tender steaky meatiness of the bull.
In the spirit of the "Sneak Peek" of summer weather we are experiencing, Pastoral is showcasing some summer wine selections at our Lake Street store for our 3rd Tuesday tasting. Come by between 5-7pm Tuesday March 20th and get a head start familiarizing yourself with our summer wines selected with sunshine and grilling in mind.
The 2nd Annual Pastoral Artisan Producer Festival at the Chicago French Market is coming on April 28th. Watch the sneak preview to catch a glimpse of what's in store!
This week we start preparing for St. Patrick's Day with an Irish cheese pairing! Come by and taste some of our wonderful wares from the Emerald Isle and start planning the accompaniments for your celebration next weekend!
Leave your preconceptions at home and let your senses do the judging at our walk-around blind tasting at Pastoral in the Loop. Try to decipher Mark's cloaked selections, but most importantly have fun and find a new wine in your life. We love this event for its casual nature. No snobbery here, just a great way to kick off a Saturday night. Take your newest discovery home or to your favorite BYOB after the tasting for 10% off! $15 online or at the door/Free to RSVP's Beverage Loyalty Club members.
