I’ve hit up several food conferences and events lately and had the great fortune to sample a bunch of great food freebies and goodies.
But only a select few are worth mentioning:
Cypress Grove Chevre’s “Midnight Moon” (@cypressgrovers) – This goat cheese company has been on my radar for years, but when I tried their “Midnight Moon” cheese, my mind was officially blown. Throw all your impressions of goat cheese out the window. This is a hard cheese with a great nutty sweet flavor, much like a gouda, and those wonderful salty crystals that make a slight crunch in your mouth. The folks were nice enough to offer me a wedge to take home, where my husband and mother also agreed, it was fabulous!
And if you want the more traditional goat cheese texture and flavor, the “Truffle Tremor” was phenomenal as well. Soft, earthy, delish. Nothing like a little truffle goodness to make something taste even better than it normally does :).
Popchips Salt and Vinegar flavor (@popchips) – Everyone knows these chips are pretty tasty…blah, blah, blah. But when they let me sample their Salt and Vinegar flavor, my taste buds kind of when nuts! It was tangy, salty, a little sour, and it went so well with the special crunch of this chip. Genius!
Nature’s Path Organic Berry Strawberry Chewy Granola Bars (@naturespath) – These bars are pretty good. I got to try all the flavors and this one was my fave. I also like the way this company operates. Their people are passionate about producing good food and it shows. Plus, it’s wheat free!
Cascal’s Crisp White All Natural Soda (@cheerscascal) – This is PepsiCo’s answer to those who can’t drink alcohol. It’s made from fermented fruit juice, much like wine, but without the alcohol content, but they market it as “an all natural soda that pairs well with food.” They claim you can cook with it just like you would a red or white wine, but I don’t think anyone’s going to mistake this for your favorite bottle of bubbly. With that said, it does “remind” you of a nice fruity wine, and this particular flavor was my favorite. It has some white grape, apple, peach notes and was a nice alternative to a sparkling apple cider. Pretty tasty.
*This is not a sponsored post.
Virgo in Wonderland 
Thank you for the kind review of Cascal.
You may be correct when you say no one is going to mistake Cascal for their favorite bottle of bubbly. Cascal does complement food in much the same way that wines do, however it wasn’t really intended to be marketed primarily as a wine alternative (although some may find it fit for use as such). It is simply an all natural soda that pairs well with food.
We’d also like to add one small correction: Cascal isn’t a PepsiCo product; it is produced by NextStep beverages.
Thank you again for the review.