There's a common saying in Spain used when one warns someone who might fall victim to a deception. An experience with a Spanish attendee at one of our DC tastings brought this to light. He mentioned something like, "Well, I honestly didn't try the cheese they gave us at the beginning. You see, if I've learned anything in life, it's that if they serve me wine with cheese, it's bad wine." So, naturally, I had to ask him why – we were just trying to pair good wine with good cheese. And that's where the anecdote ends, but I thought of sharing this experience with you.
I did some further investigation and it turns out this phrase originates from La Mancha, the same region where Don Quixote is set. This area was well-known for its wine, so many merchants would go there to stock up. However, sometimes the wine would go bad, either left in the sun, stored in a dirty barrel, or who knows what. Enter the clever tavern owners who came up with a strategy to not waste spoiled wine. They would give a piece of cheese to the merchants who came to taste the wine. The cheese's properties masked any off-putting smells from the wine. This way, they walked away with both the bad wine and some cheese for the journey. The phrase "Te lo van a dar con queso" (literally "They're going to give it to you with cheese") is equivalent to the Mexican saying "Que no te den gato por liebre" (Don't let them give you cat instead of hare).
So, be alert if someone offers you wine with cheese, but do know that in our tastings, we simply want you to enjoy good wine paired with good cheese – nothing more.
At Dos Cuerpos, we specialize in tastings and the distribution of agave spirits and Mexican wine. Tasting is the contemplation of the alcohol to be sampled, and in that sense, these texts aim to encourage constant contemplation. Please let us know if you liked this text, if it helped you in any way, and if there are any discrepancies, kindly inform us.
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