Editor’s Note: Asiago and the Accomplice (Whine & Cheese Cozy Mystery Series) by Judy Volhart is now available. Click here to order your copy.

The Manchego is a sheep’s milk cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain. It is reportedly quite high in protein, though truth be told, I forgot to check the label. Like many hard cheeses, it is also fairly low in lactose, therefore it might potentially be a fairly safe choice for our lactose intolerant friends out there.

Once you get rid of its ugly looking black rind, which reminded me of fish scales, you reveal its lovely inner glory. A beautiful whitish cheese, with cute little dimples in it. It sliced nicely, not crumbling like many old cheeses do. It did have a bit of a bite to it. Experts (not me), often refer to the taste as somewhat nutty. In my layman terms, I always prefer words like smelly foot taste or dirty sockish. In a good way, of course. This was a cheese that my entourage and I thoroughly enjoyed.

It had been a beautiful, warm day out, which got my taste buds hankering for a glass of Rosé. This one had caught my eye the previous day, with its mouth-watering blush color and intriguing, though perhaps slightly naughty, label. Inception hails from South Africa, which consistently ranks up there in my top favorite region for wines, and is described as easy-going and fruity, with aromas of watermelon and strawberry rhubarb. Perfectly chilled, I had to agree that it went down my throat real easy-going like!

I have everyone hooked on salami bats of late, since you can slice it to whatever thickness you desire. They seldom last more than a couple of days, in either household that I alternate living in (remember my Ottawa/Kingston story?) I call them bats because some of them are pretty long and somewhat baseball bat shaped. This time, I settled on a Reserva Sweet Pepper salami. As with any other salami I’ve sampled of late, it did not disappoint.

Speaking of not being disappointed, I had a brief visit with my former cat, Hummer, who is the star feline in the Whine & Cheese bistro series. Former, because he no longer lives with me, yet I do claim visitation rights the odd time.

As always, he came running to the door to see who was there to pet him. Obviously, that must be the reason someone is there, right? He’s not too picky, but he does like to smell you first, to make sure you’re not offensive. As his tail twitched, I got the cursory sniff, after which he allowed me the privilege to pet him. When I spoke, he seemed to recognize my voice and came in for another sniff, then a few loving licks. He is rather stingy with who he licks, hence I knew he recognized me despite the fact that I had not seen him in a couple of months. In honor of Hummer, today’s excerpt is about him.

Cheers, my friends
Judy

The next morning, I found Hummer still by the door. I was a bit creeped out until, seeing me awake, he gave me a couple of barks―I swear, the cat barked―before wrapping himself around my legs. I praised him, of course, for his prowess as a guard cat and thanked him for keeping me safe. “Who’s my good boy? You’re so handsome,” I complimented, as his tail twitched in response.

—Excerpt from Asiago and The Accomplice (Whine & Cheese Cozy Mystery Series)