Say Cheese! Festival returns with wine and cheese pairings at Mazzotta Winery

Everything is better when paired with cheese.

For lovers of delicious dairy products, GoodTaste! Pittsburgh is holding its second annual Say Cheese! Festival on Sunday. This year, the event will celebrate one of the best culinary couples: cheese and wine at Mazzotta Winery in Richland.

Seven vendors will pair tasty accompaniments with cheese and cheese preparations, and the winery will offer samples to sip with all of the bites.

“Every ticket holder will get four poker chips,” said Dee Weinberg of GoodTaste! Pittsburgh, organizer of the Say Cheese! Festival. “And they can then sample four different Mazzotta wines that they want to go with either the cheeses that they’re buying or sampling, or just have some fun samples of wines.”

The idea for the festival formed during the pandemic. “For some strange reason, cheese was on everyone’s Instagram. It was readily available, it was something you could buy packaged, so you weren’t afraid of anything at that time.”

GoodTaste! Pittsburgh has been putting on food shows in Western Pennsylvania for more than a decade.

“Nobody was doing anything to celebrate what little food scene there was at that time in Pittsburgh,” she said.

Goals of their food shows — much like their goals with Say Cheese! — are to celebrate and explore foods and introduce people to new and creative ways to enjoy their favorite culinary delights.

Last year’s inaugural event was held at Kingfly Spirits.

Guests will experience local vendors matching up a range of cheeses with other foods, including jams, vinegars and other charcuterie staples.

Megan McGinnis, Pittsburgh’s “Cheese Queen,” will be one of the vendors doing demonstrations. The Cheese Queen in Mt. Oliver sells boards and boxes bursting with artisan cheeses, meats, fresh fruits and vegetables and other condiments.

She’ll be bringing a Clover Creek Farms washed rind raclette cheese to the festival.

“People don’t realize how amazing Pennsylvania farms are, and especially their cheeses,” McGinnis said.

Raclette is a Swiss dish that involves heating cheese and scraping the melty goodness onto other foods, traditionally boiled potatoes. McGinnis intends to expand horizons beyond the ordinary.

“I’m going to have some nice pairings there, bread and maybe some different kinds of veggies, pickles, those kinds of things,” she said.

Her trusty raclette machine will be coming along for the ride. “It’s been to so many parties and it’s been seen several places around Pittsburgh at events.”

Danielle Doebereiner of Nosh & Curd in Mars will also be at Say Cheese! with some delicious treats. The store sells charcuterie and other bites.

“We really like to focus on unique and special flavors that kind of wow people. We start with the cheeses and kind of go off of there and build off of the cheeses themselves,” Doebereiner said.

On their current seasonal menu, for example, they’re offering a panini with Manchego cheese, chocolate and figs.

At last year’s festival, Nosh & Curd brought goat cheese with a selection of unique pairings. This year, they’re trying something new.

“We really wanted to expand in the cheese world this year. We are doing different style tapas to promote the cheeses and then show how beautifully these items that we carry, in addition to cheese, really pair well with the different cheeses.”

Weinberg said that other businesses, including Dee’s Jams, Cherish Creamery and Oakmonst Olive Oil, will show off all of the possibilities of cheese.

“We have the savory, we have the sweet, we have the hard, we have the soft, we have the cow, we have the goat. And then the things that accompany each ot them.”

“There are so many different cheeses and so many different pairings,” McGinnis said. “There’s just so much to learn about cheese and even how to cook with it.”

The event is 21+ and will run from 1 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 each. To learn more or get tickets to the Say Cheese! Festival, visit goodtastepittsburgh.com.