01.03.19
If you’ve ever experienced a tasting here at our Oakville winery, then you know we love putting together Napa Valley wine and cheese pairings.
From a creamy-yet-tangy tomato the sweet butter and caramel flavors of Bellwether Farms’ Carmody, this cheese trio offers something for every palate. Additional, non-cheese accouterments include salty, paper-thin prosciutto and plump golden raisins on a crusty baguette, and a house-made green and black olive tapenade that doubles as a sandwich spread (we've shared the recipe, below).
A note that if you live outside of California and can’t find the suggested cheeses, a hard, salty Manchego, a soft, downy Triple Cream or a mild Wensleydale are all fun, Chardonnay-friendly alternatives. A great cheese shop will let you sample and taste until you find the perfect selections for your wine and cheese pairings, which, if you ask us, is our favorite part!
When we serve this cheeseboard, we love to pour our current Napa Valley Chardonnay release alongside one or two library vintages from our Cave Collection. It’s so much fun to taste and compare how each cheese teases out different flavors and notes in younger and older Chardonnays, and how the wines also bring out unique qualities in each cheese. Buon Appetito!
Or, as we like to say when we raise a glass of wine, Il Dolce Far Niente!
Serves 4-6 people
¼ pound wedge Bellwether Farms Carmody
1 wheel Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam
¼ pound Point Reyes Toma
1/3 pound thin sliced Prosciutto
Fresh Baguette
½ cup Tapenade; recipe to follow
½ cup Plumped Golden Raisins
1 cup pitted green olives (our favorite is Castelveltrano)
¼ cup dry-cured black olives, rinsed
1 tablespoon caper berries, rinsed
1 tablespoon pickled pepperoncini
1 tablespoon preserved lemon, (or ½ teaspoon lemon zest).
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
¼ teaspoons fresh ground pepper
¼ cup olive oil
Check olives for pits and remove, then add to a food processor. Add the capers, pepperoncini, and preserved lemon. Pulse until it forms small pieces, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as you go. Add fresh ground pepper, chopped parsley, and olive oil. Pulse again. Place a half cup in a dish on your cheeseboard. Reserve the rest for a gourmet sandwich.
03.08.22
Meet Six Women Shaping the Far Niente Family of Wineries & Vineyards.
Two winemakers. One CFO. Two VPs. And the woman who helped launch Far Niente more than 40 years ago. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we sat down to talk with just a few of the women shaping the way we grow, make, sell and share our wines. From the cellar to the board room, these daring innovators and leaders share a passion for human connection and a sense of adventure.
LEARN MORE11.02.20
It’s November and we’ve got food, wine and gratitude on the brain! A handful of our Far Niente Family team weighed in on favorite food and wine pairings that make them thankful for, well, food and wine! From simple classics to the food and wine combos that ignited their passion for wine, we’ve compiled their mouthwatering responses below.
LEARN MORE03.08.22
Madras curry and bright Meyer lemon give this easy-to-assemble chicken salad fragrance and flavor, while candied pecans lend it just the right amount of sweet crunch. Subtly smoky and lightly tangy, it's so good piled atop crusty sourdough baguette, rolled into picnic-ready wraps or neatly scooped into butter lettuce and endive "cups."
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