You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Cheese’ category.
Mix Magazine (Portland’s magazine of food and drink published by the Oregonian newspaper) just ran an informative southern Oregon wine and cheese article that heralds some of the region’s unique cheeses and incredible viognier wines that make delightful accompaniments to these cheeses.
 |
| Photo by Motoya Nakamura |
The author of the article, Katherine Cole begins…”Ah, the mighty Rogue River Basin. Whitewater, placid pools and towering cliffs hemming in narrow canyons. Salmon and steelhead running the river below; rocky trails winding through old-growth forests above. The charming towns of Jacksonville, Ashland and Grants Pass. The orchards heavy with pears and cherries. And the vineyards…”
The article touts the southern Oregon region for one of its signature white wines: the viognier. With its abundantly fruity perfume and palate, the viognier is a wine that can tango with cheeses from Pholia Farms and Rogue Creamery, according to Cole.
Here are a few southern Oregon viognier wines that the test testing team of six food and wine pros deemed worth sipping:
CLASSIC APERITIF
2008 Valley View “Anna Maria” Applegate Valley Viognier ($22)
Available through the winery: 541-899-8468; valleyviewwinery.com
CROWD PLEASER
2009 Bridgeview Southern Oregon Viognier ($15)
Available through the winery: 541-592-4688; bridgeviewwine.com
BEST OVERALL
2009 Pebblestone Cellars “Ellis Vineyards Block 9” Rogue Valley Viognier ($19)
Available through the winery: 541-512-1704; pebblestonecellars.com
When you book a whitewater rafting trip, you want your outfitter to offer the very best. And being the best means concentrating on the details of every trip. Whitewater Warehouse is one of these Rogue River outfitters that truly believes that the “devil is in the details.”
Since folks come from all over the world to raft, kayak and hike with White Water Warehouse, the company wants to make sure that they experience “Oregon” in all the best ways. Before dinner each night, WWW offers a variety of Oregon foods to sample. Willamette Valley hazelnuts, southern Oregon artisan cheeses, Oregon wild Salmon and Steelhead–caught and smoked by our owner, and luscious Oregon/Washington wines are presented to our valued guests.
organic foods for rafting trips
Even Whitewater Warehouse’s garlic, herbs, onions, tomatoes, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower come straight out of the owner’s organic gardens! The rest of the vegetables and fruits are purchased through a local farmer…so the food is always all-Oregon, all the time.
Interested in seeing this quality outfitter in action? Check out Whitewater Warehouse’s website. Or, call their friendly staff at 1-800-214-0579. They would love to talk to you about what makes them so different!
Central Point, OR – Oregon-inspired culinary events, including a “Meet the Winemakers and Cheesemaker” Dinner and a farmer’s market-style artisan food and wine festival, will kick off with the sixth annual Oregon Cheese Festival during the third weekend in March.
At the festival on Saturday, March 20th, thousands of visitors will sample cow, sheep and goat cheese from Oregon and Northern California creameries, including Fraga Farm, Juniper Grove Farm, Pholia Farm, Tumalo Farms, Silver Falls Creamery, Siskiyou Crest Dairy, Tillamook County Creamery, Willamette Valley Cheese Co., Fern’s Edge Dairy, Rivers Edge Chevre, Ancient Heritage Dairy, Cypress Grove, Vella Cheese, Rogue Creamery, and many others.
Held under a giant tent at Rogue Creamery’s Central Point facility, the sixth annual festival will invite guests to shake hands with cheesemakers.
“The farmer’s market format will present an interactive experience between makers and visitors, giving everyone an opportunity to talk about the product, the process and learn each individual cheesemaker’s story,” says David Gremmels, owner with Cary Bryant of Rogue Creamery. “It’s a way to truly be connected with the source of the cheese being presented.”
The Oregon Cheese Festival will be open to the public Saturday, March 20th from 10a.m. to 5 p.m. at Rogue Creamery, 311 North Front St, Central Point, OR.
A $10 entry fee includes tastings and demonstrations. A $5 wine tasting fee includes a commemorative wine glass with the Oregon Cheese Guild logo. Tickets to the dinner are $75 per person, and are available by calling the toll fee number 866 -396-4704. For more information contact Rogue Creamery at 866-396-4704 or www.roguecreamery.com.
For driving directions to the festival click here.
The Best of Show prize at the American Cheese Society’s annual competition went to Oregon’s Rogue Creamery for its acclaimed Rogue River Blue, which also won first place in its category. Nineteen other top prizes went to Oregon Cheese makers at the American Cheese Society’s conference in Austin in early August.
“Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue emerged victorious over more than 1,300 cheese entered in the competition,” said Tami Parr, president of the Oregon Cheese Guild. “This is the first time that a Northwest (or Oregon) cheese maker has won Best in Show at ACS since the competition’s inception. These awards confirmed what Oregon cheese lovers already know, that Oregon’s cheeses are some of the best in the country.”
The judging is one of the nation’s largest cheese competitions and one of the more respected and unique events in the Unites States. The American Cheese Society recognizes only the highest quality cheese based on both aesthetics (flavor, aroma, and texture) and technical accomplishments. Some 28 cheese specialists judged the 2009 competition, which included 1,327 entries representing cheese makers from 32 states, Canada and Mexico.
This award simply reiterates what we at White Water Warehouse already knew…that Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue Cheese is as fine and unique as Oregon’s beautiful Rogue River. Why not pair the two on a unique rafting trip with WWW?
Southern Oregon Specialty Foods: Sometimes a retailer just gets “it right.” We happened upon Gary West Smoked Meats located in the cuter-than-cute town of Jacksonville, Oregon, on one of our southern Oregon exploration trips. What a unique treat! While the company specializes in smoked meats, it also offers up to customers a range of local-sourced food that would yummily stuff a Sunday picnic basket. (Yes, we made up the word “yummily” but it fits!) The quaint shop hosts a surprising number of southern Oregon wines which are featured along-side locally made chips, dips, breads, cheeses, and, of course, those wonderful smoked meats and jerky.
Staff even tempts buyers with a full case of incredible candy fudge choices!
But the real stars of this show/shop are the jerky varieties that you will find no where else…like their certified Angus Beef, Buffalo, and Elk jerky varieties. They even make a jerky for man’s best friend…the Gus Dog Jerky! Now, our shop dog, Sparky, would be wild-eyed for that one!!
You might want to sign up for their mailing list. Periodically, the company posts sp
ecials…like its current “Dads & Grads” sale which offers you free ground shipping for a limited time. Gary West’s retail outlet is located at 690 North 5th St in Jacksonville, Oregon. Open 7 days a week, shoppers can reach them by dialing 1-800-833-1820 or check out their website at: http://www.garywest.com
If you happen to be in the southern Oregon area rafting with us at White Water Warehouse, make sure to put this store on your “must visit” list. The friendly staff offers free samples of all their smoked meat products and their pastrami sandwiches are simply out-of-this-world. Oh-my-gosh, my mouth is watering….
Oregon Cheeses: In this ever-changing world these is something comforting about the Rogue Creamery’s 79-year-old philosophy of slow and steady. The old adage, “The more things change, the more they remain the same” holds true for this cheese industry pioneer. Rogue Creamery has produced award winning cheddar cheeses for over 75 years and blue cheeses for over 50 years inside its unassuming location in the very tiny town of Central Point, Oregon.
While its location is unpretentious, its contributions to the cheese world are enormous. At the World Cheese competition in London in 2003, Rogue Creamery won “Best American Cheese” for its 
Rogue River Blue Cheese and shocked the world. Frances Plowman, Marketing & Merchandising Director for the Creamery, talks about what this award meant. “We had won many other awards over the years but none this prestigious. What this award allowed us to do was to work towards exporting our cheeses into the international market. While that process took about 3 1/2 years to complete, Rogue Creamery was the first American company to be allowed to export raw milk cheeses overseas. This really opened the door for many of our fellow food artisans to begin exporting their quality products as well…which makes us happy.”
Like many of the artisan food makers in southern Oregon, Rogue Creamery is constantly fostering partnerships with their fellow food makers. Look no further than their wonderful tasting room to find dozens of local producers featured there. And the recent 2009 Oregon Cheese Festival held in March at the Rogue Creamery drew over 3,000 folks interested in tasting and purchasing the cheeses from 14 different cheese makers, 10 wineries, and several breweries. “We are excited by the turnout this year. And by the fact that we were able to come together to showcase all these incredible local-sourced food and drink artisans and the unique people who make them,” said Plowman.
Asked about new products and Francis is a bit hesitant. Remember their motto: slow and steady. “We don’t come out with lots of new cheeses. Our focus is on quality. Our latest creation is called Touvelle (named after a local park) and is a combination of Gouda and Jack Cheese. Great melting qualities. While some folks may not see this as the most perfect application for this cheese, it is really wonderful on pizza or in mac & cheese because it melts so smooth.”
You can visit Rogue Creamery at 311 N Front St in Central Point, Oregon. Or call them at (541) 665-1155 or visit their on-line store.
Southern Oregon's Surprise Destinations 