Deschain Cellars (more) recently hosted their first cooking class – so I took my best friend. We learned how to make Ricotta cheese and fresh butter using local milk from Gainesville’s Circle N Dairy. You can read more about the class here AND you can see more photos on Instagram here.
It was a great time. I’d made ricotta years and years ago, so it was nice to get a refresher. I’d never made butter, so that was great to learn. Plus, learning what wildflowers (and weeds) were edible was even more fun. The wine pairings and food were awesome too. Not really enough for me to write up – so a bottle of Trebbiano came home with me to do it justice.
Here’s a recap of what we tried:
- Siren’s Spritz – a blend of Prosecco and the 2021 Siren’s Song Moscato Nero – a great cocktail with a good Moscato.
- 2019 Trebbiano “Barrier Block”
- 2019 Grenache Rosé “Purtell”
- 2018 Grenache “Lahey Vineyards”
- 2021 “Unchained” Red Blend
Deschain gets their grapes from the Texas High Plains right now but Wilhem, the wine maker, is amazing at coaxing a different flavor out of them than other vintners. I can’t wait to head out on a lazy Sunday to do a proper tasting.
Final Thoughts
Well worth the trip from Dallas/Fort Worth to visit Deschain Cellars on Highway 82, just east of Gainesville. I haven’t really talked about the food, but I’ve included a few pictures below. More at my Instagram link above, and more on Deschain’s Fakebook page.
