Provender Brown Italian Wine & Cicchetti Evening

When I started writing for Small City Big Personality about 6 months ago it was almost exclusively about popular music.  Mostly rock and indie with a bit of blues and jazz thrown in for good measure if I was feeling adventurous.

Recently though the team at the Small City office have been pitching me some curveballs.  Last month I was sent along to review a production of A Midsummer Nights Dream and even tried my hand at being a classical music critic.  If I didn't know any better I'd swear they were doing some sort of "My Fair Lady" thing, trying to turn me into a gentleman to win some sort of ridiculous wager.

I have to admit this was the thought in the back of my mind when I was asked to go along to a night of Scottish cheese and Italian wines at Perth Deli Provender Brown as part of this year's Great Perthshire Picnic event.  Don't get me wrong I really love cheese and I'm equally fond of wine, it's just that my knowledge of the subjects could fit quite comfortably on the label of the wine bottle... and my handwriting's massive!

My only previous experience was when I stayed with my wine buff uncle Ronnie for a month in Melbourne; despite him talking at length on the subject, the only thing I really learned was I quite liked a Marlborough single estate Pinot Gris.  To be honest I don't even really know what any of those words mean or even if they are in the right order!

Unsurprisingly then, all of my friends are scared of anything more highbrow than pie and chips so it was left to my mum to jump once more into the plus 1 position (she's loving this new job of mine!). When we arrived we were greeted by owner Diane and a lovely glass of Rialto Prosecco Frizzante and dishes of delicious green olives and almonds.  

After we take our seats we are given a little bit of background about the cheeses used in many of tonights dishes by cheese maker Pierre Leger from Strathearn Cheese Co.  Pierre tells us that after years working in the catering industry he decided to make a drastic change in his life and despite not having any experience in cheese making to open up his own cheese company. It all started when his wife asked what he wanted for Christmas one year and he found himself answering "a home cheese making kit".

Most of the character of the two Strathearn cheeses is down to geography and circumstance.  For example Pierre had already decided when he moved into his companys new premises, a decommissioned POW camp at Cultybraggan near Crieff, that he would use the milk from Graham's diary that was just next door.  However, Graham's only produced pasteurised milk leading him to come to the decision that he would use vegetarian rennet which would mean that his cheese could be sold to the largest possible market as it is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

The first course of Pan fried Lady Mary Cheese with Apple Compote & Crispy Pancetta is served with a glass of Soave Classico from Pieropan which has been hand selected by Nick White who was on hand to pair each dish with the perfect Italian wine.  The Lady Mary Cheese is delicately flavoured with wild garlic and is delicious particularly when contrasted with the crispy pancetta and washed down with the Soave which I'm told has good acidity and no oak influence. "That's just what I was going to say" I replied.

Next up was Piquillo peppers stuffed with Bonito Tuna and paired with a glass of Bardolino, a red wine from near Lake Garda.  Nick tells us that when pairing a red wine with fish the main problem is that the tanins came become overpowering and this one is quite light in that regard.  The peppers are followed by a most toothsome aubergine bruschetta which is paired with a glass of Vigneti del Salento, another red, but with more sun and hence more fruit and more character.

My favourite dish (all dishes made by the lovely Diane) of the evening was the Italian sausage meatballs in rich tomato sauce which I am determined to attempt cooking myself at some point. I was also really looking forward to tasting the second cheese that Pierre's company produces, the eponymous Strathearn which during the 4 week maturing process every two days they are washed in Glenturret 10 year old single malt whisky brine.  This cheese has one more accolade than Quincy Jones has won Grammy's and is extremely satisfying when combined with apricot and ginger chutney and paired with a glass of A Mano Bianco.

It had been a lovely night of great food and wine plus excellent company and it was a slightly more sophisticated (if perhaps drunker) reviewer that toddled off into the night to catch his number 7 bus back home.

GALLERY

Find out more about the menu, with links to buy the wines over on the Provender Brown Blog>>>