| 
A Wine-and-Cheese Party
.focus())
Noshing at The American Club
About halfway up the Lake Michigan side of Wisconsin and inland from Sheboygan, the rolling dairyland melds its heritage with the stylish food of the Immigrant Dining Room at the American Club resort hotel in Kohler.
In the comfort of the restaurant's plush Winery Bar, guests sit back, as the staff provides an education for the palate, using cheese, wine and beer as the curriculum. It's a tempting entertainment that can work at home, with as much success as at this auspicious establishment.
The Immigrant Dining Room showcases many Wisconsin cheeses, which isn't too difficult when about 350 kinds of cheese are made in the Badger State. As for the wine, the sommelier pours from an international assortment and Stone's Throw Winery in nearby Door County.
Cheese, like wine, is a personal taste. The menu lists about 50 cheese choices, and even more wines, and staff can suggest a cheese to pair with your preferred wine.
"If you like chardonnay, there are a number of Wisconsin cheeses I would pair with it." says Jim Beley, director of lodging for the American Club.
Tastings are grouped into "verticals," which are portioned for sampling and easy comparison. The key word here is "tasting," and that's where it gets fun. Everyone samples a bit of this and that as they decide how the cheeses and wines compare. It's the ultimate in snacking.
"For a vertical of cheddars, you might be sampling a 3-year, 5-year and 7-year, in that order," explains Rhys Lewis, executive chef for the American Club. "The cheeses might be from the same cheesemaker. You're getting his cheese, his milk, his whey. Three stages of each. It's interesting."
The wine is offered in 3 or 4 glasses of 2-ounce pours. It could be different years of a wine, such as merlot.
"It's fun for the people experiencing and tasting, yet also fun for us to present," Jim says.
