Wine Tasting Events know what Melburnians want. Their first rosé and cheese matching event was so successful, and sold out so quickly, that they’ve had to add half a dozen more. I was lucky enough to score a ticket to their sold-out afternoon at Milk the Cow in Carlton.
An entire Sunday arvo is devoted to pairing these two most perfect items in the culinary world. How decadent, how perfect that we live in a time and a city where this is something we can do.
Founded by Martin Peston, Wine Tasting Events (and its sister company, Top Australian Wines) are devoted to bringing premium vino to Australians’ attention. They run everything from the always-popular Pinot and Yum Cha to the occasional French champagne evening, with many more in their busy calendar.
We’re fans of Milk the Cow at The Plus Ones. Their Carlton venue (they have one in St. Kilda, too), has an upstairs room. This was ours for the arvo. There on the tables was a glass of our first rosé, extensive tasting notes, and an individual cheeseboard laden with what we were about to experience.
Once Martin from Wine Tasting Events gave an intro, we were in the capable hands of wine expert Bela Rice and Milk the Cow’s cheesemonger Laura Lown. These two professionals introduced each wine and cheese so we’d know not only what we were trying, but why they were paired together.
The five rosés ran the gamut from light coloured, almost transparent pink wines to darker shades of rose. They hailed from as close as Geelong (Brown Magpie), and as far afield as Italy (Bertani) and France (Sirocco). My favourite: Soumah’s 2015 Ai Fiori, from right in the Yarra Valley.
The cheeses – well, what is there to say about them other than that they were perfection. Laura picked everything from a harder, nutty Beaufort d’Alpage — from a single herd of cows in the Alps — to a garlicky spread from Yarra Valley Dairy. There was one, the Brillat Savarin triple cream from France, that tasted like a salty cloud. A salty cloud in heaven.
By the time the event wrapped up, everyone was putting down their orders for wines to take home. (Yes, you can buy what you drink – and at discounted prices. $15 for a bottle of rosé? What a steal.) My only regret is that because I was off to a comedy show, I wasn’t able to purchase the six-pack of wines or the ‘cloud cheese’. There’s always next time…
– Theresa
Co-founder of the The Plus Ones, Theresa firmly believes that more Sundays need to involve wine and cheese matching events.
Wine Tasting Events run an extensive calendar of events. Plus enter to win $1,300 worth of tickets!
Milk the Cow also hold many events — find more via their what’s on page.
