Wine and cheese parties, remember them from back in the day? What, the 1950s? 60s? 1970s?

Everyone sat around smoking. We’d unscrew the cap to a bottle of Mateus, throw a hunk of cheddar on a plate with some Ritz crackers, and voila! Instant party.

Mention that today to Martha Stewart or even Rachel Ray and sacre bleu! Their cheese knives would turn over in their perfectly organized knife drawers. There’s an art to pairing wines and cheese today and it doesn’t involve Mateus or cheddar.

What does it involve? I don’t know, but I’m about to find out.

End of the month we’re heading up to Lambert Bridge Winery in northern Sonoma County for a lesson given by a wine country cheesemonger.

I used to really enjoy ♥ Lambert Bridge whites a decade ago when I spent a lot of time in the wine country. Another plus: their winery’s St. Bernard dog hangs out on the premises. ♥♥

And while there’s a part of me that still wants to throw a jug of Gallo Hearty Burgundy and a cheddar wedge on the table and say, eff it, I’m looking forward to seeing what “professional” wine and cheese pairing is all about.

And maybe even will put my new-found knowledge to work at a little party.

By the way, I was distressed that more than a few Yelp reviewers thought the LB tasting room staff was arrogant and snobbily pretentious.

It didn’t used to be that way.

I hope that’s not our experience, because M. won’t tolerate it in silence. It’s when his…anti-pretension act… comes out.

Besides that, I’d never hear the end of it.

Stay tuned.

Oh, and while we’re up in the wine country, you think we could find a Franzia tasting room?