This Friday, January 18, we will be having an educational wine and cheese tasting from 3-6pm in the center of our store.

Our cheese for this week will be Ricotta Salata. This version of ricotta cheese is produced in a number of Italian regions, including Sicily and Sardinia. As its name indicates (“salata” means “salty”), this type of ricotta is made by taking fresh ricotta and salting it, then pressing and aging it for approximately three months. When finished, this cheese appears something like feta, with a bright white color and smooth but crumbly texture. While it may look similar to feta, and may have salty in its name, it is not as salty as feta and has a flavor profile that is sweet, milky and nutty. Light, clean and refreshing, it’s perfect for crumbling on top of a salad or a pasta dish.

Along with this Italian cheese, will be featuring another selection of Italian wines, this time from Sardinia, including Sella & Mosca Cannonau, Sella & Mosca Vermentino, Sella & Mosca Terre Rare Blend, Argiolas Vermentino. The island of Sardinia, 150 miles off the west coast of Italy, is known as a paradise and a picturesque vacation destination. It’s also home to a variety of interesting and unique wines and a population of some of the longest-living people in the world, some would say due in part to their consumption of the wines on hand. Sardinia’s wines are also known for having little in common with wines from the mainland of Italy, with more similarities to Spanish and French wines. Varieties include both whites and reds, featuring a range of flavor profiles from old-world earthy with lots of minerality to refreshing, lighter-bodied options. Come in on Friday and try four of them for yourself.

We hope to see you on Friday from 3-6 for this exciting, educational pairing.