HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Chef Patrick Evans-Hylton joins Coast Live to share how you can enjoy wine season in Virginia with a beautiful charcuterie spread, paired with the perfect wine for the occasion.
Here's what Chef Patrick had to say about today's selections on his Virginia Eats and Drinks blog:
BON APPETIT TO WINE SEASON!
CELEBRATE WITH A PERFECT CHEESE + CHARCUTERIE BOARD
Cheese and charcuterie boards have been around for a long time, but in the past few years they’ve exploded into a trend. It seems that on many restaurant menus, offerings of cured meats and cheeses are offered. There is a true art in crafting a cheese and charcuterie board at home where complimentary and contrasting elements are offered.
- For cheeses, a number of soft and hard are selected. Other cheeses may include something piquant, like blue cheese, and something sharp like an aged cheddar. Allow 3-4 ounces of cheese per person.
- For meats, select a variety that includes mild like and spicy. Some examples are Calabrese, mortadella, and pate. Allow 3-4 ounces of meat per person.
- Other board elements include something sweet, like a jam, and something crunch, like nuts. Also add fruit, like dried apricots, apple slices, or grapes. Always have a good, plentiful variety of extras.
- Offer good quality crackers or sliced baguette for serving, too. Be sure to offer enough crackers and/or bread for guests.
If you’d like my Cheese + Charcuterie 101 Guide, email PatrickEvansHylton@gmail.com with “Cheese 101” as the subject.
Want to purchase a quality Cheese + Charcuterie Platter to take home? Perhaps the most comprehensive is the Polish Butcher’s Board at Cafe Stella, located in Norfolk’s Ghent. All meats on the board - there are six - are Polish, and there’s a huge variety: smoked, fresh, cured are included. Look for poledwica, kabanosy, kielbasa, and more. There’s even a goose liver pâté and a number of accoutrements.
The Polish Butcher’s Board from Cafe Stella, CafeStellaRoasters.com.
CHEERS TO WINE SEASON WITH WINE TASTING TIPS AND TRICKS
It’s Wine Season, where grapes across Virginia are being harvested for this year’s crush and vintage. We’re also on the cusp of Virginia Wine Month, which takes place in just a few weeks in October. Across the region and across the state, there are many festivals to enjoy too, including the Town Point Virginia Fall Wine Festival at Town Point Park along the Downtown Norfolk waterfront. We’ll have more about that festival later in this piece.
Enjoying wine, whether at home, at a winery, or at a festival, is great - and enhanced with a few tips and tricks for swirling, sipping, and savoring the offering.
Tips for Swirling and Sipping
We’ve all seen folks do it; swirl a glass of wine, stick their nose down in it, and take a delicate little sip before declaring it magnifique. Well, you don’t have to be quite that dramatic, but there are ways to swirl and sip to fully enjoy a glass of wine. Here’s how:
- Hold the wine glass up to light and look at it. Is it clear and clean or cloudy with sediment?
- Hold the wine glass up against a white background, like a sheet of paper. Is the color typical of that varietal? Start taking notes of the different hues that you see so you’ll recognize if a color is typical for that type.
- Keep a tasting log – either a notebook or on an app on your smartphone – and include three or four colors you see. Use terms that resonate with you, like “buttery yellow” or “bright lavender.”
- Swirl the wine glass around just a little bit – not much. Get some air down into the wine. Now bring the glass up to your nose and smell. Like with the color, is the aroma typical of that varietal?
- As with looking at the wine’s color, take notes so you’ll have a reference as to the aromas produced by different wines. In your tasting log, include three or four notes you pick up, again with terms you understand, like “ripe cherry” or “floral.”
- Swirl the wine glass around again and take a small sip. Hold it on your tongue a minute. Consider the body of the wine. Is it appropriate for the varietal type?
- When thinking about body, consider these guidelines: a light bodied wine feels in your mouth a bit like skim milk does – that same weight. Likewise, a medium bodied wine can mimic the body of whole milk, while a full-bodied wine is reminiscent of the weight of heavy cream in the mouth. Take note in your tasting journal as to the wine’s body.
- Swirl slightly again and take another small sip, breathing in as you do. Notice the flavors, and if the wine is pleasant. Take note in your tasting log, and write down three or four tastes you pick up with words and phrases that mean something to you, like “smoky” or “lemon zest.”
- After swirling again, have another sip. Think about the taste of the wine after you’ve swallowed it. Did the flavor linger, or taper off? Did the finish end abruptly. Was there any harshness or off flavors? Write down your observations in your tasting log.
- As you finish the wine, make notes about your overall impressions then, while they are fresh in your mind. Did you enjoy it, or not? And why? How would you serve the wine – with food or perhaps out by the pool on its on? If you poured it with a meal, what dishes do you think would go with it?
I’ll have pairing tips and tricks and wine festival must-dos and must-don’ts on an upcoming blog post on VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com.
Wines in today’s segment come from Williamsburg Winery in Williamsburg and Zoe’s Restaurant in Virginia Beach.
- For more on Williamsburg Winery, visit www.WilliamsburgWinery.com.
- For more on Zoe’s Restaurant, visit www.ZoesVB.com.
- For more on Virginia wine and Virginia Wine Month, visit www.VirginiaWine.org.
EAT, DRINK + DO RAISE A GLASS TO THE TOWN POINT VIRGINIA FALL WINE FESTIVAL
Scores of wines from across the Commonwealth will be celebrated Oct. 21 and 22 at the 35th Annual Town Point Virginia Fall Wine Festival in downtown Norfolk. The good folks at Norfolk Festevents are hosting this special two-day showcasing of Virginia vino at Town Point Park along the downtown Norfolk waterfront. Look for more than two dozen top Virginia wineries, pouring more than 200 fine wines. Look for local favorites like Mermaid Winery, which has locations in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg Winery.
A number of tickets are offered, including tasting tickets, reserved table seatings and private chalets. For more information and tickets, visit www.Festevents.org.
FOR MORE VIRGINIA EATS + DRINKS
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