Hello fellow Winefolk,

Thanks to all of you who decided what this week’s wine conversation would address. Here, I’ll try to answer a lot of your questions and shed some light on one of the most frequently discussed but most frequently misunderstood topics in all wineworld: SULPHITES, or as they chemically relate to winemaking, sulphur dioxide (SO2).

Let’s get one thing out of the way: the notion of a totally sulphite-free wine is illusory. There are two reasons for this: 1) SO2 is a by-product of fermentation; and 2) yeasts produce tiny amounts of SO2 naturally.

So what’s the deal? Why do almost ALL winemaker’s around the world – (sometimes) even those producing in biodynamic, organic and/or sustainable methods – use sulphur dioxide? Why put this chemical additive in the wine?  Because SO2 is just about essential for winemaking. Here’s what science has to say.*

SO2 has been called “the wonder molecule” because of its ability to protect wine against oxidation. Ironically, this concept is technically incorrect: once wine is exposed to oxygen, phenols react with other molecules present to form hydrogen peroxide. (This can be bad if you don’t want aromas of rotten eggs, cabbage, or burnt rubber in your wine.)  Unfortunately our friend SO2 is a bit slow on the uptake: it reacts with oxygen so slowly that it can’t really compete with the faster aforementioned phenols for oxygen. Fortunately for us, SO2 can still help us avoid those gross aromas. While not really “protecting” wine from oxidation, SO2 does build up aldehyde which in effect masks the unpleasant aromas of oxidized wine. That’s my very simple understanding of sulphur dioxide’s primary and heroic role.

The next thing SO2 does is prevent the growth of and/or kill all kinds of critters we probably don’t want in our wine. These include fungi(yeasts), bacteria, spoilage bugs and other assorted rogue microbes that produce off-flavours, bad aromas and considerable bottle variation. I’d rather not have all those things growing in my vino and I have to admit that I like bottle-to-bottle consistency.

While there are very few brave winemakers attempting to make wine with zero SO2 added, I doubt these wines will ever become readily available for one simple reason: storage. Because an SO2-free wine is so susceptible to those fungi, bacteria, bugs, etc. we talked about above, they must be kept below 57.2F (14C) at ALL points in the supply chain. You might be able to get away with this if you buy your wines directly from a trusted grower, transport them in temperature-correct containers, then move them directly into your temperature-controlled cellar. In the modern retail environment, this delicate handling and constant temperature treatment is hard to imagine.

I’m on the soapbox so I might as well dispel a couple of other misconceptions regarding sulphur dioxide and wine. Often I hear folks blame adverse reactions to wine such as headaches and flushing on sulphites. I understand this. ”Sulphites” is a buzzword right now and they are, after all, an added chemical. Most wines we drink have between 80-250 parts per million (ppm) of SO2. Many foodstuffs contain much higher levels of sulphites than wine: a serving of dried fruit clocks in around 1,000 ppm.

One last thing: white wines generally need significantly higher levels of added SO2 than red wines. I think most of us have heard and believed the opposite. (Reason: reds are much richer than whites in polyphenols which give them a natural defence against oxidation.)

That’s what I have for now, good folks. Let’s continue the conversation as it merits a good study. The cool thing is that the movement right now seems to me to be towards fewer chemical additives, less manipulation, more attention to the environment, and more natural winemaking. This is good.

Cheers,

Candy, Winemonger                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               *I’m not a scientist, chemist, biologist nor anything of the type. I do read and listen a lot and have a good if not basic understanding of the chemistry of winemaking. I try but forgive me if anything here is not scientifically accurate.

Hello cheese lovers,

Tis the Season for cheese platters – Let’s admit it, the holiday’s can be stressful – presents to buy, family to see, not to mention the food.  Often the cheese can be an after thought. But with so many delicious cheeses to choose from, it can often be overwhelming to stand before the cheese counter and attempt to select four cheeses from the 70 or so in the case. To ease the burden of choosing, here’s a few suggestions based on how we put together our platters at the shop:

A selection of milks: Generally, we put on at least one goat and one sheep’s milk cheese per platter. A great, crowd-friendly goat’s milk cheese is Bucheron, which is a log-shaped goat cheese with a creamy texture toward the rind becoming more crumbly toward the interior. It’s mild but tangy, and a great goat cheese for a crowd. We also have fantastic, local goat cheeses from Prairie Fruits Farm (Illinois) Reichert’s Dairy (Iowa) and Capriole (Indiana). For sheep, ombra is a fantastic sweet and nutty Spanish cheese similar to Manchego but with a little bit more oomph. Try it with a little membrillo jelly to really delight your guests.

Don’t be afraid to add a blue: Many shy away from blue cheeses on a platter – yes, they’re stronger, and yes, there will probably be people wary of trying your most obviously moldy cheese. However, we have a broad selection of blues at the shop to satisfy a huge array of cheese tastes. Buttermilk blue, from Roth Kase, WI or Hook’s Blue Paradise, from Mineral Point, WI are wonderful “starter” blues -a lovely balance between the lactic qualities of the milk and the stronger, saltier blue. If you want to be bold, try Rogue River Blue from Oregon on your platter. Rogue River Blue won best in show at ACS this year, and for good reason – wrapped in grape leaves and soaked in brandy, this blue is addictive; sweet, salty, creamy, tangy – a simply beautiful blue.

Do a theme – A fan of British cheese? We have a wonderful selection direct from Neal’s Yard Dairy, not to mention liver pate, cornichons, and branston pickle relish. A hankering for Spanish cheeses? Try pairing your favorites with spicy chorizo, membrillo jelly, and marcona almonds. Or, my personal favorite, focus on the local farms – we have many cheeses from Illinois to Wisconsin, Iowa to Minnesota – all that can easily be paired with meats from Iowa or Wisconsin, preserves from Illinois or Michigan, and crackers from Wisconsin. We’ll be happy to find your perfect pairing behind the cheese counter.

Or, to really take the edge off holiday planning, let us do the work for you and make your Holiday platter for you. Prices range from 40-90 dollars and serve anywhere from 8 to 30 people.  Our platters are made with recyclable and renewable resources and range from 12 to 18 inches.

Whatever you decide, come talk to a cheese monger behind the counter and we’ll be happy to help with any questions and suggestions!

-Norine, cheesemonger

Hello Friends,

Today, Monday, November 23, is the fifth birthday of Marion Street Cheese Market offering artisan cheese in Oak Park.  Our doors were opened on Wednesday, November 23, 2004 with great hopes and dreams in downtown Oak Park.  It has been such a wonderful experience serving the residents of Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, and so many customers from neighborhoods throughout Chicago.  Your support and patronage has made it possible for us to keep going for five years, and you are greatly appreciated by all of us at Marion Street Cheese Market.

As our way of saying thanks to all of our customers, we are throwing a party.  A birthday open house, of sorts.  And we hope you can join us. 

Here are the details……This Monday we will be offering the following specials in our cheese shop and bistro all day long:

$5.00 glasses of wine – our winemonger Candy is selecting a trio of terrific wines- a red, a white, and a sparkling – for you to enjoy

$5.00 for 2 Craft Drafts – our beerguy Charlie has ordered extra kegs, as we are offering two craft beers on tap for less then the price of 1, so drink up

$5.00 Cheese Flights – Norine, Julie and our cheesemongers are putting together a special cheese flight of cheeses that were on the opening day cheese list at Marion Street Cheese Market back on Nov. 23, 2004

$5.00 appetizer samplers – a sampling of starters created by Chef Leonard Hollander that represent our approach to fine dining – local, sustainable, seasonal and delicious

Free Birthday Cake – our pastry team will bake a special cake for our birthday, for our customers to enjoy all day long at no charge

$5.00 for Every $25.00 in Retail – our business began as a retail store, and Cristeana and her retail team are offering a $5.00 gift card to Marion Street Cheese Market for every $25.00 that you spend on retail products as a special birthday gift to our customers- that includes artisan cheese, fine wine, craft beer, and a tremendous selection of fun products for the kitchen and for entertaining.  This offer is good for Monday, November 23 only, and you must mention this email when checking out to receive this discount.  This is a great time to stock up with cheese and other snacks for pre-dinner munching, wine and beer for your dinner, and a selection of fine chocolates as a hostess gift.

We thank you for your support of our cheese market and bistro and we hope to see you this Monday to help us celebrate!

Hello All!

Allow me to introduce myself: I’m Norine, your friendly neighborhood cheesemonger, and you’ll probably see me blogging on here pretty regularly. I wanted to jump-start the cheese blog with an invitation to a cheese tasting and book signing on November 22nd to celebrate the release of authors’ James Norton and Becca Dilley’s The Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin.

I was fortunate enough to take a sneak peek at the book. I had the mistaken notion that a book devoted entirely to Master Cheesemakers would read like a textbook – all the intricacies of cheese making with little for the layman to take away from the material. I was pleasantly surprised to find the book both organized (dividing Wisconsin – and the master cheesemakers – geographically) and also punctuated with stories. I love a good story – and Norton and Dilley include personal anecdotes collected during their travels, such as where to find the intense – and delicious – limburger sandwich (at Baumgartner’s Cheese Store and Tavern, if you’re ever in Monroe), the personal histories of 43 of the 44 Master Cheese makers currently making cheese in Wisconsin, and many other amusing and informative side notes, such as a history of Wisconsin cheese making, the “legend” of the cheese underground blog (giving a much deserved shout out to the cheese writer/researcher Jeanne Carpenter), cheese tasting notes and a glossary of cheesemaking terms. So perhaps you’re wondering what becoming a certified Master Cheesemaker entails – I certainly did. The process is arduous, and for most takes between 13 and 15 years, requiring cheese makers to hold a Wisconsin cheesemaking license for at least 10 years, pass repeated oral and written exams, and have experience making the cheese variety for which they certification for at least 5 years. As Norton and Dilley write, “…they are accustomed to hard work, bred to share credit and shy away from the limelight, prone to handling problems by grabbing them head-on and wrestling them to the ground…Those who put up with the absurd hours, the heavy lifting, the economic pressure, and the smell of milk on their clothes and hair are the kind of people who think nothing of going a little bit out of their way to help another person deal with a problem” – a welcome reminder of the hard work and dedication of the devoted men and women out there making cheese.

This Sunday, November 22nd, between 2-4pm join James Norton and Becca Dilley for a cheese tasting and book signing to celebrate the hard-working men and women who have devoted so much time to perfecting their craft. We will be sampling a variety of cheeses made by the masters from Carr Valley, Cedar Grove, Edelweiss, Widmer, and Sartori, as well as featuring these cheeses on our dinner menu for the night.

Do yourself a favor and eat a little cheese today.

-Norine, cheesemonger

Hi everybody,

Fall is a fun time to buy wine: there’s a natural transition from crisp whites, delightful dry pinks and fruit-forward reds to aromatic whites, cozy reds, and bubbly from all over the world. Here are some delicious new arrivals that capture the essence of autumn:

2006 Domaine Martin Schaetzel Cremant d’Alsace, Cuvee Reserve, France

2007 Twisted Oak Ruben’s Blend, Sierra Foothills, California

2007 Azienda Agricola Pisoni Nosiola, Trentino

2008 Lorentz Pinot Gris Reserve, Alsace, France

2008 Sinskey “Abraxas”, Carneros, California

2007 Twisted Oak Winery River of Skulls, Calaveras County, California

2003 Primitivo di Manduria Cantore di Castelforte, Puglia, Italy

2007 Chanrion Cote de Brouilly Cru Beaujolais, France

We’ll be trying some of these today, Friday 13 November from 4-7 pm and Saturday, 14 November from 1-4 pm. The tastings are free, casual, and always a blast.

I might be uninspired as a writer today but these wines are anything but.  Have a fantastic weekend out there; I’ll see you in here!

Cheers,

Candy, Winemonger

Caring for Cheese
Cheese is a living thing—it needs to breathe! Plastic wrap is not a friend of cheese — it’s non-porous and impermeable (the exception to this is blue veined cheeses without rinds). Instead, re-wrap your cheese in the breathable paper we wrap your cheese in at the counter; or, if this gets destroyed, wrap it in parchment paper. You can also use a Tupperware container larger than the piece of cheese, creating its own little microclimate of circulating air. Also, cheese loves humidity, so if you have room in the vegetable crisper drawer of your fridge, this is where your cheese will live out its remaining days in peace. And remember: colder is not always better.

Check in on your cheeses frequently and see what they need.
• If the rind is excessively moist (mushy to the touch and sticks to your fingers), let it dry out. To do so, remove its wrapping and cover the paste (interior) with protective film or paper. Then, place it in the fridge, with the wet side near the fan if possible.
• If your cheese is too dry, (excessively cracked or flaky rind) give your cheese a bath by lightly moistening the outer rind with a damp cloth until properly moist.

Special Blue Cheese Needs: Blue cheeses that lack rinds. These cheeses, since they do not have a rind to protect them should be wrapped in plastic so as to seal in their moisture. These cheeses, since they are not pressed in production, carry a lot of excess water which they will slowly lose. If you notice excess moisture at the corners of the plastic wrap, the cheese should be unwrapped, placed on a paper towel to drain (or gently blotted with a paper towel), and then rewrapped when the excess moisture is removed.

Never Freeze Your Cheese! Freezing will destroy the microbial action within your cheese, and will kill off important flavor giving organisms. The overbearing and unpleasant taste of freezer burn will drown out all of the unique and subtle flavors in your cheese. Along the lines of this, never expose your cheese to excessively high or low temperatures. Cheese thrives in constant environments of moderate temperatures. Never expose your cheese to strong temperature or light fluctuation; this will compromise the integrity of your cheese. Remember, cheese is a living food. It is constantly undergoing changes beneath its rind and must be taken care of to ensure an optimum eating experience.  The best advice? Buy little. Buy often. Respect Cheese.

On Serving
Before eating a cheese, remove it from the refrigerator about an hour before serving to bring it to room temperature (in hot weather this can be as little as 30 minutes). This allows the full flavor of the cheese to be expressed. Unwrap the cheese and throw the wrapping away – never use the same wrapping twice. If your cheese is in big portions, only cut what you are going to serve. Replace the rest in the refrigerator immediately.

To cut any cheese properly, use a good chef’s knife or cheese wire if you have one. If the cheese is firm or semi-firm, use the backside of the blade to ‘shave’ off any shine and refresh the face of the cheese. Soft, washed-rind cheeses (like epoisses) should often be served whole, with the top rind cut off to be spooned or spread on bread or crackers. The important thing to remember when choosing things to accompany your cheese is to ensure is that the flavor of the cheese is not drowned out or altered. Fresh or dried fruit such as apples and grapes make good accompaniments. A little tip: Candied nuts and blue cheese? Wow.

Also, beer and wine can (and should!) be served with cheese. With a little consideration, the right pairings can be downright sublime. Good luck and happy feasting!

Hi Fellow Beer and Winefolk!
Come celebrate Friday with us and taste some great beer and wine. It’s FREE! It’s TODAY, 4-7pm.
Cheers!
Candy the Winemonger

Hello fellow Winefolk,

I just completed a labor of love that was a long time in the making: Marion Street Cheese Market’s Reserve Wine List. This means simply that every bottle we have on the shelves can be purchased and consumed in the cafe. I think you’ll find some incredible values. For example, the 2004 Betts & Scholl Hermitage Rouge is $76 on our list; I recently saw it at a very popular downtown restaurant for $155.

Added bonus: you can take home whatever’s left in the bottle if there’s anything left in the bottle!

Cheers, everyone. Hope to see you soon, dining in with a fantastic bottle of wine!

Winemonger Candy

Hi all,

I really should write more. I enjoy reaching out to my fellow winepeople here!

So it is FINALLY warm enough to drink dry roses every day and every evening. I love these wines, perhaps more than I should. They really are red wines whose must has been left in contact with the grape skins for a little less time than for full-blown red wine. That’s it. No added sugar. No weird unnatural manipulation. No nothing but grape juice. Key words are DRY affordable, food friendly and fun!

I have a bunch of new ones here at the cheese market and every one is a winner. Here’s a list of what’s new in the world of pink wines at Marion Street: 2008 Domaine des Figuiraisse Gris de Gris (France); 2008 Marco Real Garnacha (Spain); 2007 soon-to-be-2008 Cantele Negroamaro (Italy); 2008 Frog’s Leap Gamay (Napa); 2007 Ninet de Pena Grenache/Syrah (France); 2007 McKinely Springs Barbera (Washington); 2008 Carmela Benegas Cabernet Franc (Argentina) and 2007 Laurent Miquel Cinsault/Syrah (France). For pink sparkling wine, I’ve recently added these: NV Marques de Gelida Sparkling Pinot Noir (Spain) and NV Meinklang Sparkling Pinot Noir (Austria). 

And perhaps the best news is that everything above is $20 and under with the majority under $15.

Because we’re crazy, I’m doing two FREE wine tastings this weekend instead of just one: Friday 29 May 3-6pm and Saturday 30 May 1-4pm. The Saturday tasting is every Saturday 1-4pm and it has been a fun kinda mob scene lately. Always FREE. Always fun. Always bitchin’ wine. Bring as many folks as you can.

Cheers, friends,

Candy the winemonger

I see it everyday. If a bottle is tall and skinny, people think horrible thoughts about the fermented grape juice within it. Perhaps we all have a Liebfraumilch story which may or may not be worse than our collegiate tequila story.Let’s look at this bias and see if we can eradicate some fear:

The Tall Skinny Bottle: Admittedly I do not know what the technical term for this shape is and I refer to it as an Alsatian-shaped bottle. Yes, there were scary sweet gross white wines made here in the USA and in other parts, sold on grocery store shelves while masquerading as one of the noblest and most misunderstood wines of all, Riesling. Yes, Riesling can be sweet but good German, Alsatian, American and whoever winemakers make it this way on purpose. When that’s the case, it will say something about that on the label, for example: Spatlese, Auslese, and Late Harvest among other designators. This is dessert wine and that’s the place in the meal where it rightly belongs.

Rieslings lower in residual sugar, such as those with the Kabinett designation are wonderful things to drink. They can be very fruit-forward which I can see folks labeling the sensation as “sweet”. However, I sometimes wonder if it’s psychosomatic; the palate can detect residual sugar starting at a level of approximately 1.2g/L. Many dry Rieslings have residual sugar levels of 0.8g/L and lower. It’s just that the grape is generous with its fruit. When vinified with care, it will be generous with everything else: minerals, floral nuances, and acidity to name a few characteristics.

Other varietals live in tall skinny bottles as well. Most Alsatian whites -Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris to name just a few – have traditionally been bottled in tall green bottles. Of these, I feel the need to defend Gewurz the most. A bastardized grape, it has shown up in the New World as sticky sweet junk far removed from the complex spicy wine into which it can be made. It is often overlooked and feared for both its glass home and its name. Too bad, because it is one of the most enjoyable white wine experiences one can have. The grape’s origins are in Italy where it was called Tramino. Its present day name in German simply means “spiced Tramino.”   And indeed spice, especially baking spice, is a predominant feature of well-made Gewurz. But again, sweetness is not the deal here. It’s fruit, spice, acidity and minerality. Not to mention the wine’s versatility with cheese and food across the board.

The proof lies within the bottle itself. As always with wine, the final verdict is yours and yours alone. Come on in and we’ll taste some things. Fearlessly and, hopefully, with great enjoyment for your palate!

Cheers,

Candy the Winemonger