Ursula Heinzelmann, Wein- & Essenschreiberin
The VDP members have been pouring their GGs at the National Gallery in Berlin. The location makes a lot of sense, because obviously great wine has a lot to do with art: it’s not essential for survival in the strictest sense of the word, but it is inspiring, a luxury, so to say, which keeps us alive in the spiritual realm. My contribution to this took place on the weekend, on the Teufelsberg. » Weiterlesen…
Generally speaking Caerphilly doesn’t have a very good reputation in the UK. The blame for this mostly has to go to the large cheddar producers who cannibalized this fairly old cheese and turned it into a fast-maturing, boring cash cow. But there is an alternative, as brothers Todd and Maugan Trethowen demonstrate with their Gorwydd which is based on a traditional recipe, made with very good milk – and considerable talent. » Weiterlesen…
Cheese is a feminist issue. You either have the mammaries or you don’t. As a cheeseaholic myself, I’m ultra-aware of the difference between the sexes – just go try milking a bull, a ram or a billy goat and you’ll get ample proof of the basic uselessness of the male animal in a mammary-orientated situation. This reality can lead to heated arguments with vegetarians who refuse to eat meat, but are happy to indulge in cheese and other dairy products. » Weiterlesen…
I really should be busy at completely different stuff, but an article about dry German riesling in the New York Times just made me push everything to the side. Let me first be clear about one thing: I appreciate any attention German wine gets and I am happy for anybody to discover it his or her way. Well, almost. Because what I don’t like at all (and would have thought Eric Asimov, for whom I have a lot of respect, would have known better) is bringing out the same old, tired lines yet again… » Weiterlesen…
I’m converted – finally. It did take me a long time to join the wonderful chorus out there, and I might not yet be perfect at it – but I’m TWEETING! @heinzelcheese is mostly about cheese, sometimes about wine, and beyond that about food and life in general. Hopefully always in a happy mood and interesting, sometimes funny, but occasionally also sad and angry, because that’s how the big cosmic cheese cookie called life crumbles. And I’m hoping to hear from you, be you cheesy or not… let’s go for it! You’ll find me here. » Weiterlesen…
We writers are hunters and gatherers, and as I recently returned from five weeks in England, the US and Canada, my bags were full to the brim with goodies, impressions and wonderful memories. It should come as no surprise then that the cheese of the month stems from far away (well, at least seen from Berlin), that is from British Columbia, in western Canada. Contrary to common belief, polar bears, Inuit and snow are NOT the only features there. The good people of the Okanagan grow wine (and it can be very good – YES!) and some keep goats. » Weiterlesen…
A pittoresque medieval small town in Piedmont full of cheeses from all over the world – from September 19th until 23rd the Cheese once again turned Bra into a taste of paradise. Even better: for 90 minutes mountain cheese and top Riesling wines from Germany were in the spotlight of a workshop I have been organising and moderating. As is the case with Slow Food in general and the Cheese (which is taking place every second year, alternating with Salone del » Weiterlesen…
I know folks – I should have told you about this event long ago. Somehow I thought Riesling Rendezvous, this great gathering of Riesling producers, writers and sommeliers organised by Château Ste Michelle and Weingut Dr. Loosen didn’t fit into the cheesy subject of this blog. Today though, while hosting a workshop on the pairing of smoked salmon and Riesling, I suddenly realized how wrong I was. » Weiterlesen…
Aberystwyth is a small seaside town in the west of Wales, complete with grey stony beach, seagulls and the smell of greasy vinegar from fish and chips shops. It’s pittoresque in spite of the modest way of life of its friendly inhabitants and the university gives it an additional jump in ist step. » Weiterlesen…
I’d like to be completely open about one thing straight away: you won’t find this cheese just around the corner, even worse, you won’t find it pretty much around any corner. Nevertheless Grotteost, the cave cheese Bodil Birkeland makes on the Hitra island in Norway, is my cheese of the month. I mean, if this isn’t the right time of the year for at least some cheese-loving people to be attracted by the midnight sun and the North Cape… » Weiterlesen…