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We enjoyed our latest quest for Wow! pairings of specific wineries’ wines with specific cheeses as we also savored the unique, Shakespeare-oriented town of Ashland, Oregon.

Mt. Shasta viewed from rest stop in Weed, California

We selected a bench in Lithia Park to do our wine and cheese pairings. What a marvelous location in this beautifully landscaped city park which lies between picturesque Lithia Creek and the three dramatic theatres of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Lithia Park

Previously, at the Ashland Food Co-op (237 North First St.) we purchased two amazing Rogue Valley wines and three artisan cheeses by Oregon cheesemakers.

Ashland Food Co-op

Here are highlights of our Ashland venture as we continue our ongoing experiments with wine and cheese pairings, looking for those that give us that exhilarating experience of “Wow!, this wine and cheese combination is fantastic!” We hope that you are also finding your “Wow!” pairings.

The Wine

We chose the Daisy Creek Vineyard 2007 Viognier and the Cowhorn Vineyard 2007 Syrah. Both of these award-winning wineries are in historic Jacksonville, Oregon which is a few miles from Ashland and a fun place to visit.

Ashland Food Co-op food & wine expert Marina

The Cheese

The five cheeses we paired with the two wines were the following: Rogue Creamery’s Oregon Blue and Smokey Blue; Oak Leaf Creamery’s Tomme; and a Swiss and a Cheddar that we purchased from the Greenleaf Restaurant deli counter (49 N. Main St.).

Our Wow! combinations discovered in our current venture to Ashland, Oregon

As we sat on a bench next to the large pond in Lithia Park, watching the resident Mallard ducks float and swim, we swirled, sniffed and sipped the special wines, savored the delicious cheeses, and then recorded our various responses to these combinations. And predictably, we discovered several Wow! experiences.

Lithia Park Pond

(As we have mentioned in previous venture reports, there are no “wrong answers” in Wow! pairings. One person’s individual taste buds, olfactory nerve cells, and mind-state can produce a Wow! response to the interaction of specific wines with specific cheeses while another person may not get a Wow! experience from that combination, but does find a Wow! effect from a completely different wine and cheese pairing. In other words, all of your Wow! pairings are valid.)

Barbara, Norm and daughter Rhonda all experienced “Wow!” sensations with the combination of the Swiss cheese and the Viognier. It’s a perfect pairing with both wine and cheese light and refreshing; excellently balanced so the flavors of the cheese and the wine were maintained as the fruitiness of this classic Viognier complemented the mild smoothness of the American cow’s milk cheese.

Norm experienced a Wow! in the combination of the Syrah and the raw, cow/goat milk Oregon Blue cheese. The cheese and wine enhanced each other with a pleasing balanced new flavor created by their magical interaction on the palate. The velvety, intense, full-bodied Syrah played perfectly with the pungent, sharp and tangy flavor of the cheese, forming a new intriguing flavor and a lingering, satisfying aftertaste.

Rhonda exclaimed “Wow!” when she combined the Tomme cheese with the Viognier as she enjoyed a progressive sensation of buttery, creamy, almondness. Barbara also was intrigued by the almond/lychee flavors that evolved in this remarkable pairing.

Barbara said “Wow!” when she paired the Syrah with the Smokey Blue cheese, describing a distinctive lingering pepper flavor that developed as the bold, pungency of the cheese worked with the full-bodied Syrah for a very dramatic sensation.

Elizabethean Theatre

Rhonda described another “Wow!” when the Viognier pleasantly enhanced the smokiness of the Smokey Blue cheese. Having expected that the sharpness of the cheese would overpower the fruity wine, she found instead that the combination resulted in the exceptional smokey flavor especially on the sides of her tongue and the back of her mouth. It’s a lot of fun to find a surprise “Wow!”

Lithia Park Tree

On to future Wow! pairing discoveries

So that’s our report on this venture. We are thoroughly enjoying our visits to wineries and cheesemakers/cheese vendors and picturesque locations for our tasting experiences, and we hope that you are also venturing to find your special Wow! wine and cheese pairings. When you do, let us know what you have discovered.

Here’s to your exhilarating quest!

We will keep you posted on our next venture in which we plan to find more Wow! wine and cheese pairings.