Every Saturday morning I make the trip out of the city to Russos to buy fresh produce. I wish I could say that I go there for the inexpensiveve fruit and veges, the great Italian deli, the freshly baked bread, or the selection of imported olive oil. And I can say this, because it's true. But the real reason why I drive out of the city to shop instead of finding a more convenient place in the city is to visit Mark, the head cheese guy at the front of the cheese counter.

Mark is passionate about his cheese. Every week I show up, and even when he's busy, he invites me over. "Hey, I got something really cool in, you gotta try this," he'll say.

"Cheesy Party," the email from Keith and Diane, said. Bring a wine and a cheese to match, and we'll all sit around their pool with some good friends.

Needless to say, this idea appealed to me.

So I picked out a couple of bottles I had lying around, namely a bottle of 2001 Alphonse Mellot "Cuvee Edmond" Sancerre I picked up at Federal Wine & Spirits on Wednesday and a bottle of 2004 Bodegas Tres Picos Garnacha from Campo de Borja, Spain I had sitting in the rack since the beginning of the year. We stopped by our local cheese shop, Formaggio, and picked up a block of Orna from Valencia, Spain (to pair with the Garnacha) and a Sancerre goat cheese to pair with the Mellot.

Ah, wine and cheese. A glorious combination, and even more glorious when four of each are at your disposal. I had the good fortune to attend Cheese Tuesday at L'Espalier earlier this month as a final celebration of turning 30, and I would have to say it is the best wine tasting I've attended thus far in this town, not to mention extremely good value for the price. The cheese that night came from Vermont Butter & Cheese Company. The owners were on hand to provide a bit of history, and L'Espalier's wine director, Erik Johnson, also spoke about how he chose each pairing. I must admit, because this restaurant is so high end I was expecting a bit of snobbery when it came to the realm of wine. But I was wrong.