[1] Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin (all photos © Empress Gin).

[2] The gin turns any gin cocktail into a prettier one. Here, a Gin & Tonic.

Almost a year ago we wrote about Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, a bright blue-purple color achieved with the flavorless extract of the butterfly pea flower.

We recommended it as a stunning holiday gift, and we purchased a number of bottles for that purpose.

This year, Empress 1908 has given Indigo Gin a sibling: Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose Gin, a lovely rose color that makes a welcome gift for a gin lover and counting ahead, something special for Valentine’s Day.

The small-batch gin is distilled in the seaside town of Sidney, British Columbia, Canada (part of metropolitan Victoria).

The gin has a bright floral bouquet from nine all-natural ingredients including red rose petals, elderflower, and lavender. The color is derived from rose petals plus black carrots.

The understated floral palate is complemented by citrus and spice notes and a hint of sweetness.

You can sip the gin straight, but it makes beautifully-hued cocktails, including a stunning rose-colored Gin and Tonic. Just add tonic water and a squeeze of lime.

There are more cocktails on the brand’s website, EmpressGin.com.

Also check out these Empress 1908 expressisons:

> Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin

> Empress Original Indigo Gin.
 
 
> The history of gin.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The different types of gin.

> The different styles of gin.

> The year’s 14 gin holidays.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Chianti fans may be aware that the main grape in this classic wine is Tempranillo. But Spain has another great Tempranillo growing region, Ribera del Duero, a D.O.P. (Denominación de Origen Protegida) viticulture area in Spain’s northern plateau.

The name translates to “riverbanks of the Duero [River].”

The area, a plateau ranging from 2,200 to 2,800 feet in altitude, hosts as many as 30 different soil types—though mostly limestone, chalk, and sand, all of which contribute to the distinctive nature of Tempranillo, the region’s dominant grape.

On International Tempranillo Day, the second Thursday in November, how about trying a bottle or two? Some connoisseurs argue that Ribera del Duero makes the world’s finest expression of Tempranillo.

Tempranillo wines from Ribera del Duero are medium- to full-bodied reds with hints of dark fruit and spices. Here are the differences between Spain’s main Tempranillo regions:

 
Ribera del Duero wines are known for their elegance and complexity. After you get to know Tempranillo, invest in some bottles with good aging potential. These are labeled Reserva and Gran Reserva. Ask your wine store’s staff for suggestions.

Good basic bottles of Ribera del Duero Tempranillo can be found for $15, and here are Sir James Suckling’s recommendations in the $35-and-under range.

Bring some bottles for Thanksgiving and as holiday gifts for your red wine-loving friends.

> The history of Tempranillo wine is below.

> Here’s more about the wines of Ribera del Duero.
 
 
PAIRING TEMPRANILLO & FOOD

A very versatile food wine, Tempranillo pairs wonderfully with:

 
Party Idea: Have a “curated” potluck party—perhaps on “Tempranillo Tuesday.” Everyone brings a bottle of Tempranillo and a dish of tapas. You “curate” by making sure no one brings the same food.

Ideally, no one will bring the same producer and vintage of Tempranillo, either—but people can bring a Tempranillo made anywhere, and different years of the same producer are fine.
 
 
TEMPRANILLO TRIVIA

 
 
THE HISTORY OF TEMPRANILLO

The Tempranillo grape is native to the Iberian Peninsula and is the flagship variety grown in Spain and Portugal.

The cultivation in Spain of Vitis vinifera, the common ancestor of almost all grape vines in existence today, began with Phoenician settlements in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, as far back as 1100 B.C.E. [source].

Based on mosaics in Ribera del Duero that show wine-making, the practice dates back 2,600 years.

Later, according to the Roman writer Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (40 C.E. to 70 C.E.), wines were grown all over Spain. However, there are only scattered references to the name “Tempranillo.”

In 1982, Ribera del Duero was officially granted its D.O. status (Denominación de Origen, designation of origin), which determines where the wine was produced.

Prior to then, most growers sold their grapes to co-ops that vinified them and sold the wine in bulk.

But since becoming an official D.O., the region’s Tempranillo-based wines have gained international recognition, and some very fine wines are being produced by a “new wave” of Spanish growers and vintners who showed that it was possible to produce wines of great character and quality in areas outside of the Rioja region [source].

Thanks to the acclaim, during the 1990s, Tempranillo expanded in wine production worldwide. The grape is now planted in France as well as the areas noted above, making the Tempranillo grape the third most widely planted wine grape in the world (following Cabernet and Merlot [source].

Almost 90% of production worldwide takes place in Spain.
 
 
__________________

*Along with Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cao, Touriga Franca, and Touriga Nacional.

[1] Invite friends for a glass or two of Tempranillo (photos #1 through #5 © Ribera y Rueda Wine).

[2] Just pull the cork and enjoy.

[3] Pair Tempranillo with aged cheeses.

[4] Have a tapas party.

[5] If you like a glass of wine with your chocolate, consider Tempranillo (check out pairing wine with chocolate).

[6] A cluster of Tempranillo grapes on the vine at harvest time, when the leaves turn a brilliant scarlet (photo © Medium).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] This beauty is spoonable, and when super-ripe, it becomes pourable (all photos © Jasper Hill Farm).

[2] When on the younger side, the bark can be peeled away for sliced portioning. If the paste is gooey and the bark has fused with it, then leave the bark intact, cut away a portion of the top or all of it (save it for eating), and spoon out cheese from the top.

[4] The top neatly cut away for scooping.

[5] Cheeses aging in the vault.

[6] For you or for gifting: five of Jasper Hill Farm’s memorable cheeses.

One of our favorite fine cheeses has just taken home the coveted Super Gold medal at last week’s World Cheese Awards, held in Trondheim, Norway.

It also won the trophy for Best American Cheese.

This is a magnificent cheese for a cheese connoisseur or for someone who wants to become one.

Harbison is a soft-ripened cheese with a rustic, bloomy rind. The pasteurized cow’s milk cheese has a bloomy rind (like Brie) and is bark-wrapped.

Young cheeses are wrapped in strips of spruce cambium, the tree’s inner bark layer, harvested from the woodlands of Jasper Hill in Greensboro, Vermont.

The spoonable texture begins to develop in Jasper Hill Farm’s vaults, and the paste (the interior) continues to soften on the way to market.

The texture is voluptuous, the aroma scintillating. On the palate, the oh-so-creamy cheese yields notes of button mushroom, mustard, raspberry, sweet cream, and a woodsy flavor from the bloomy rind.
 
 
PAIRING HARBISON WITH OTHER FOODS

Harbison is a great excuse to gather a few friends and scoop into a special treat.

For drinking, pair it with an oaky white wine like Chardonnay, or barrel-aged sour beer.

Serve it with crusty bread or plain crostini and for a cheese condiment, a fruit mostarda.

One cheese writer suggests serving it with French fries sprinkled with fresh thyme, which complements the woodsy flavors.

> Check out our guide to cheese condiments.
 
 
GET YOUR HARBISON CHEESE

Blue cheese lovers: Jasper Hill Farm’s Bayley Hazen Blue also took home a gold medal in the blue cheese category, and Willoughby picked up a gold medal in the washed rind cheese category.

In a field of more than 4,000 entries from around the world, Jasper Hill Farms won five medals. Great work, team!

In addition to Harbison, Bayley Hazen Blue, and Willoughby, there are gift boxes of simply splendid cheeses. Everything from Jasper Hill Farm is special.

> Head to JasperHillFarm.com.

> The history of cheese.

> The different types of cheese: a glossary.

 
 
THE HISTORY OF HARBISON & BARK-WRAPPED CHEESE

The cheese is named for Anne Harbison, affectionately known as the grandmother of Greensboro, Vermont. She contributed to the creation of this divine cheese in 2011.

Harbison was a mistake—like chimichangas, chocolate chip cookies, Coca-Cola, corn flakes, fudge, ganache, ice cream cones, Nashville hot chicken, Popsicles, potato chips, Tarte, Worcestershire sauce, and even yogurt, among other necessities.

The team was making Moses Sleeper, a straightforward Brie-style cheese, and was adjusting the moisture on a batch.

They added too much moisture and could tell early on that the cheeses would ooze. Cheesemaker Mateo Kehler, Jasper Farms’ co-owner with his brother Andy, wrapped the rounds of cheese in bark to salvage the batch.

There was a bonus benefit:

In addition to girdling the oozing cheese, the bark imparted a “magical cacophony” of resinous, piney, smokey, and meaty flavors to the cheese [source].
 
 
The History Of Bark-Wrapped Cheese

Legend has it that the first bark-wrapped cheeses were made in the French and Swiss Alps during the winter months—out of necessity.

These regions are known for their large format (big wheels) cow’s milk cheeses: Comté on the French side and Gruyére on the Swiss side.

In the summer, the cows grazed high up in the Alpine meadows, where their milk was collected. The curds were formed and pressed into large wheels.

But in the autumn, when the cows returned to their villages in the valleys, the change in diet (dry hay and a bit of grain versus grazing on the pasture’s bounty) and the lack of exercise (staying warm in the barn versus free range in the Alpine pastures) meant that the composition and character of the milk changed dramatically.

This “winter milk,” made from cows who are indoors eating sweet hay and grain, is richer and more full of fat. It’s perfect for crafting soft, gooey cheese

In a centuries-old tradition of making cheese that fits the season, local cheesemakers began to make small, soft cheeses wrapped in spruce bark for their families and to sell at local markets.

These delicate wheels ripened to the point of being custardy and as they aged, scoopable. They were a hit, and bark-wrapped cheeses entered the history books [source].

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.