It’s National Cheese & Wine Day today – in our opinion one of the best days of the year! To celebrate we’ve listed the best Devon and Cornwall cheeses to pair with our range of locally produced wines from Sharpham Wine and Alder Vineyard. Enjoy!
Sharpham Wine produce classic English wines at their vineyard on the banks of the River Dart. The vineyard was first planted in 1981 with a further vineyard added in 2008. The cool Devon climate provides the ideal conditions to gently ripen the grapes resulting in wonderful wines with fresh aromas and flavours. Sharpham’s Dart Valley Reserve is ripe and fruity with stone fruit aromas of peach and apricot and a subtle spiciness on the finish. We think this wine deserves a rich cheese to match and the Quicke’s Clothbound Buttery Cheddar seemed a perfect combination. The cheddar is intensely buttery with a smooth creaminess and rich flavour.
Alder Vineyard is located at the foot of Dartmoor with the first vines planted over ten years ago. Since then the vineyard has grown from strength to strength with more vines being planted, a brand new winery, kitchen and shop opening and wine tasting tours now on offer. Alder Vineyard’s Madeleine Angevine is a delicate white brimming with fruity melon, apple and gooseberry flavours. This refreshing fruity wine is delicious paired with Sharpham Cheese’s Ticklemore Goat. The cheese is lovely and light with gently lemon flavours that compliment rather than overpower the wine.
Sharpham’s Pinot Noir is bold and full flavoured with juicy red berries and wild cherries alongside subtle spicy undertones. We found that Trevarrian Creamery’s St Endellion Brie brought out the most wonderful flavours in this wine. The St Endellion is a luxury Cornish brie made using locally produced double cream resulting in a cheese that is deliciously full bodied and creamy with a wonderful complex flavour that really stands up to the rich Pinot Noir.
Alder Vineyard’s Rondo Rose is described as ‘summer in a bottle’. A lovely vibrant colour this wine is bursting with summer fruits and perfect to enjoy on a sunny day. Devon Blue is a semi-hard blue cheese with sweet and mellow flavours and a crumbly texture. The delicate blue veining and light creaminess lends this cheese well to the punchy and vibrant rose which brings out the cheeses sweeter, caramel flavours.
