A little luxury

[vaneramos]

Lately the only luxuries I have afforded myself are cheese and cheap wine. No food makes me happier than cheese, and by good fortune an artisanal food store opened in Guelph this year. It offers an array of Canadian cheeses made on small, traditional farms.

I was unexpectedly called into work for today and tomorrow, so on the way home today I stopped downtown and splurged on two small wedges. There are lots of new ones left to try, but this time I chose two tested favourites.

Niagara Gold is a medium-hard yellow cheese; creamy, nutty and smooth. Last time I detected mushroom overtones, but not this time.

The other is Cendre de Pres, a whole milk cheese from Quebec. This is soft like Camembert, but with a layer of ash through the middle to add piquancy and visual appeal. A friend at a wedding told me the top layer comes from morning milk and the lower layer from evening milk. Apparently some cows serve early, others late, and the milk tastes different. I can't tell, but altogether it's rich and mushroomy.

Trouble is, I'm sitting here testing them with rice crackers, and trying to put delight into words. They're both almost gone. I'll save the little rind bits for tomorrow.

As for the bottle of red, it lasted a week. I'm just finishing the last glass. I had to find something inexpensive, and brought home one of the nicest wines I've tasted in a long time. It is Mezzomondo Negroamaro Rosso Salento 2007 from Puglia, Italy. The reviewer says it's "best served with a strong meaty pasta and some warm bread", but I say it's full and round, slightly oaky, strong enough to stand on its own. A new favourite. I'm sorry to see the last sip waiting in the bottom of the glass.

But for $8.40 it cost slightly less than the 125 wedge of Niagara Gold. That probably sounds expensive to many of you, but in Canada it's hard to find a cheaper bottle of wine. If fortune smiles, I might buy another bottle next week.

A little luxury goes a long way. If I had a million dollars, a little wine and cheese would still rank amongst my highest pleasures.

I recently opened an account on ManageYourCellar.com to keep track of what I've tasted and enjoyed. But entries aren't public, you can only share them with your friends, so it's a little lonely. If anyone is interested in joining, let me know.

Now something totally unrelated: it occurred to me today that the vaneramos tag on Blog Guelph allows anyone to view all my photos that Sue and Lynn have picked over the past two years, many of them never posted here, 52 altogether. Looking at it makes me happy, too. Quite a journey.

Comments

[daisydumont.livejournal.com]

i'm in love with the name of that wine! must see if the local wine barn has it.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

If someone would whisper it in my ear, I don't think I could help falling in love with him.

[djjo.livejournal.com]

I will brush up on my breathy whispering while I'm gone.

Just don't give me any long boots to play with - I don't think I could do Kevin Kline justice!

[djjo.livejournal.com]

Little luxuries and little pleasures given to yourself are necessary.

I was early for an appointment today, and let myself go to a coffee shop and sit and read a magazine and relax. Blissfull.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Haha, that is such an amazing reference, turns me off and makes me giddy at the same time. I never dreamt I could channel Jamie Lee Curtis.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Mmm, nice! We were in Toronto for a couple hours today, wished I could see you.

[bixie.livejournal.com]

I joined up but don't really know how to use it yet. my username is NML_dc.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

It's a weird site in that you don't automatically have access to other people's cellars, so there's no way of learning how other people connect. It appears that we have to create a group in order to interact there. I have created one. To invite you, I have to use your email address. If you're okay with that, you can send it through my livejournal email address.