Americans have come a long way from eating just summer sausage and cheddar. Today, there are a wide variety of artisan cheeses and small-batch charcuterie to discover. Taste and learn the stories of four such pairings, plus enjoy a glass of wine or beer of your choosing. Your guides are Sara Hill, an inducted member of the Guilde Internationale Des Fromagers & Jeanne Carpenter, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional.

Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland, but California is America’s Wine Country. Many cheesemakers – some trained in Wisconsin – are opening their own farmstead and artisan cheese factories in northern California. Taste and learn about four favorite California wines and four favorite artisan cheeses, then enjoy perfect pairings and hear the stories of each.  Your guides: Sara Hill, an inducted member of the Guilde Internationale Des Fromagers & Jeanne Carpenter, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional and co-owner of Firefly Coffeehouse & Artisan Cheese.

Experience the terroir – or taste of place – of Mineral Point, Wisconsin, home to two of the country’s best cheese factories and cider farms. We’ll pair four artisan Hook’s Cheeses with four different ciders from The Cider Farm, where owners have spent the past 15 years painstakingly hand-grafting apple trees to grow heirloom varieties for English- and French-style ciders. Your guides: Sara Hill, an inducted member of the Guilde Internationale Des Fromagers & Jeanne Carpenter, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional and co-owner of Firefly Coffeehouse & Artisan Cheese.

Pairing Port and cheese is a classic food and wine combination, but have you paired Port with Blue Cheese? Brace yourself for magical goodness. Taste four stellar Blues and four amazing Port wines. Your guides: Sara Hill, an inducted member of the Guilde Internationale Des Fromagers & Jeanne Carpenter, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional and co-owner of Firefly Coffeehouse & Artisan Cheese.

Spanish cheeses and wines are lesser known in America than their French or Italian counterparts, but that doesn't mean they aren't just as good. Your guides: Sara & Jeanne, have each traveled and visited several cheesemakers and winemakers in Spain. They bring their experiences and expertise to the evening. Your guides: Sara Hill, an inducted member of the Guilde Internationale Des Fromagers & Jeanne Carpenter, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional and co-owner of Firefly Coffeehouse & Artisan Cheese.

Before buying a coffee shop, Jeanne spent 15 years working with Wisconsin cheesemakers, helping them develop new artisan cheeses and cultivating their stories in the American marketplace. Hear the stories of four of her and Sara’s favorites – the back stories of how some of Wisconsin’s most famous cheeses came to be. Your guides are Sara Hill, an inducted member of the Guilde Internationale Des Fromagers & Jeanne Carpenter, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional.