Wine and Cheese Pairing 2

Earlier this week we participated in another wine and cheese pairing. After our first wine and cheese pairing, we realized that we had read the instructions wrong. Our first time doing this assignment, we had tried all three wines with all three cheeses and wrote about how each cheese paired well with each wine. However, this time we wanted to partake more in the assignment. Therefore, we had our wines already and wanted to do some research to find out which type of cheese would most likely work best with the wines we had. We did some Google searches and found our cheeses to match our wines.



We paired the Gouda with the Shiraz. The Munster with the Erben Spatlese. And, the Cabernet Sauvignon with the Sharp Cheddar.

Presswork Shiraz Barossa Valley, 2011

Variety: Shiraz
Region: Barossa Valley
Country: Australia
Year: 2011
Price: $6
Our Wine Review: This wine was a pretty good Shiraz. It was medium bodied. It had a fruity smell of dark fruits which consisted of plums and blackberries. However, there was a scent of rubbing alcohol so it could have been a little too old. It tasted a very bitter from strong earthy and leathery flavors. It tasted like a cowboy’s leather saddle.
Paired with Gouda: This pairing made both the cheese and the wine better. When the cheese was by itself, the flavor was questionable because it was a very dry and hard taste. However, when paired with the wine, that wasn’t the best by itself anyway, they were able to amplify the positive attributes of both and diminish the negatives. This was a great pairing.

Erben Spatlese Feinfruchtig, 2012

Variety: Riesling
Region: Mosel
Country: Germany
Year: 2012
Price: $
Our Wine Review: This was a light white wine. It had a strong fruit smell of pear, apricot, and apple. The taste was very light and didn’t have any strong alcoholic sensations. Therefore, we described this wine as if apple juice and white grape juice were mixed together. It wasn’t anything special.
Paired with Munster: This pairing was really good. The sweet light wine worked well with the soft and light cheese. When they are combined, the sweetness is savored and the little acidity from the wine is taken out. The combination also brings out the creaminess of the munster. However, the combination makes the wine taste more appley. It was a good combination.




Sagelands Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Columbia Valley
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: $12
Our Wine Review: This was a pretty good wine. It had strong fruit smells that were described as an old ladies perfume. It had a heavy blackberry sensation in the nose. The taste was very fruity with dark fruits. It was a heavy blackberry and raspberry flavor with a slight earthy and soil flavor. However, there was no spice or pepper. Therefore, I think it was a really good wine.
Paired with Sharp Cheddar: When we tasted the wine with this cheese, it made all of the flavors mellow out and formed a great mutual flavor. The wine had a great fruit forward flavor and the cheese was able to cut down on the earthiness. It does not totally mask the earthy flavor, but it definitely dulls it down. The mid-palette and after taste are sensational.


All of these pairings worked a whole lot better than our first tasting because we were specifically matching the wines and cheeses. We did our research and found out which cheeses were best suited for the selected wines. This experience was overall a lot better of an experience because of all of the great flavors that were exemplified.

Tasting - "Bolla 1.5L Moscato, 2013"

Bolla 1.5L Moscato, 2013

Variety: Moscato
Region: Pavia
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $9.95
Wine Critic Review: Loaded with juicy exotic fruit, mature apricot, yellow peach and tangerine flavors, this sweet and delightful wine is perfect for Sunday brunch or picnics.
My Review: This was a very light wine and almost tastes like sugar water. There was a slight wine flavor. It smelled interesting such as floral and tar. It was very interesting for a wine and not one that is worth another try.
Food: We did not have it with food.

Tasting - "Monte Degli Angeli Sangiovese, 2013"

Monte Degli Angeli Sangiovese, 2013

Variety: Sangiovese
Region: Puglia
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $7.95
Wine Critic Review: The aromas are rich and dark, with lots of black cherry and a hint of balsamic. In the mouth the wine is round and energetic, with cherry and black raspberry fruit complemented by hints of damp earth. If you like Sangiovese-based wines like Chianti or our best-selling Colsanto from Umbria, you'll love this! The wine is ripe, fresh, and fruit-driven with a wonderful dash of earthy complexity at the end. Buy it by the case and drink with pizza, grilled poultry, and pasta.
My Review: This wine was pretty good and I would like to try this again sometime. It had an oaky and buttery and raspberry smell. It had some acidic flavors but it was still light. It was not spicy and was a good flavor. Worth trying this again.
Food: We did not have it with food.

Tasting - "Monte Aman Rosado Ribera del Arlanza, 2013"

Monte Aman Rosado Ribera del Arlanza, 2013

Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Arlanza
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $9.95
Wine Critic Review: It has a cherry red color, live, fresh, clean. Very fruity, berries (strawberries, cherries), elegant and surprising. The palate is well balanced and fresh wine in step, with good acidity and is pleasant and enjoyable.
My Review: This was not a great wine. It almost felt like it falls flat and leaves people wanting more of an aftertaste. It had a very sweet smell but no sweet taste whatsoever. However, there was no aftertaste and that is why it feels like it falls flat on its face. But, one descriptor that we had for the way our mouth felt after tasting it was as if we had just drank syrup. That is not a mouthfeel that I would like to have after tasting wine. Not trying again.

Food: We did not have it with food.

Tasting - "Alvarez de Toledo Godello, 2013"

Alvarez de Toledo Godello, 2013

Variety: Godella
Region: Bierzo
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $7.95
Wine Critic Review: Clean pale yellow color. Nose fruity, persistent and elegant aromas. Good backbone on the palate.
My Review: This wine was not anything any special. It had an interesting hot pee smell mixed in with an acidic alcohol smell that was not inviting. The taste was very bland and wasn’t anything special to talk about. Wasn’t too much flavor.
Food: We did not have it with food.

Tasting - "Villa Jolanda Brut, 2013"

Villa Jolanda Brut, 2013

Variety: Brut
Region:
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95
Wine Critic Review: Brilliant straw color with emerald reflections. Fresh and floral bouquet with a hint of pears, apricots and bananas. Fresh and inviting with bright fruit and an easy drinking style with a pleasing hint of almonds in the aftertaste.
My Review: This wine was dry. It reminded me of a fruiter champagne. The smell was fruity yet had a dry and bitter carbonated aftertaste. It was pretty good. However, with all of the carbonation, it would be difficult to finish a whole glass.
Food: We did not have it with food.

Tasting - "Villa Pozzi Moscato, 2013"

Villa Pozzi Moscato, 2013

Variety: Moscato
Region: Sicily
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95
Wine Critic Review: Loaded with juicy exotic fruit, mature apricot, yellow peach and tangerine flavors, this sweet and delightful wine is perfect for Sunday brunch or picnics.
My Review: This Moscato was actually one of the better Moscatos that I have had. It was not overpoweringly sweet and could actually taste the flavors. We had flavors of honeysuckle as well as peach throughout the taste and enjoyed this Moscato. However, it is still a Moscato so it is sweet and will have to treat it as a dessert wine still.
Food: We did not have it with food.

Tasting - "Paul Laureano Tinto Classico, 2013"

Paul Laureano Tinto Classico, 2013

Variety: Tinto Classico
Region: Alentejano
Country: Portugal
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95
Wine Critic Review: Paulo Laureano’s Classico is a delicious blend of the native Portuguese varietals Trincadeira (40%), Aragonez (40%) and Alfrocheiro (20%). This is a full bodied red that reveals all that the terroir of Portugal has to offer. Light cigar tobacco and soft leather present beautifully on the nose. Dark, black fruits fill the mouth, but the wine flows smoothly over the palate, with a good bit of spice on the finish. Pair with spicy, cured meats and hard cheeses.
My Review: This was pretty good. It had flavors of blackberry and oak. There were no pepper or spice overpowering the flavor. However, there were small bites that kept you intrigued with the flavor. I would probably drink it again.
Food: We did not have it with food.

Tasting - "Bodegas Atalya Laya, 2013"

Bodegas Atalya Laya, 2013

Variety: Laya
Region: Almansa
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $8.95
Wine Critic Review: A blend of 70% Garnacha Tintorera, a.k.a. Alicante Bouschet, and 30% Monastrell; fermented in stainless steel, followed by four months in French oak. Bright purple. Cassis, blueberry, pungent herbs and mocha on the nose. Smooth and open-knit on the palate, displaying fresh cherry and dark berry qualities and a hint of black pepper. Finishes with gripping tannins and good length, leaving a subtle floral note behind. 88 Points – Stephen Tanzer
My Review: This wine was just bad. We tasted flavors of rubber and chalk. We also thought it was bitter and tart to go along with the bad flavors. It was not good.
Food: We did not have it with food.

Tasting - "Mars and Venus Chardonnay, 2013"

Mars and Venus Chardonnay, 2013

Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Central Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2013
Price: $5.95
Wine Critic Review: A very nice value Chardonnay that comfortably over-delivers vs. its modest price tag. No oak here, just bushels of clean, crisp, Chardonnay apple and stone fruit with a hint of caramelized pineapple. Juicy and clean, this is a mid-weight white that's just perfect for parties or weeknight sipping.
My Review: This was interesting. It was much sweeter than expected with a tarter taste. There was also an interesting sensation related to this one where my molars were affected by almost being too sweet. There was also something that I was not able to pull out of the flavor but I wanted to relate it to a cotton or fabric. It was weird.
Food: We did not have it with food.

Tasting - "Cortenova Pinot Grigio, 2013"

Cortenova Pinot Grigio, 2013

Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $6.95
Wine Critic Review: Brilliant straw color with emerald reflections. Fresh and floral bouquet with a hint of pears, apricots and bananas. Fresh and inviting with bright fruit and an easy drinking style with a pleasing hint of almonds in the aftertaste.
My Review: This was not too bad in the sense of overpowering. However, it was on the lighter side and had a subtle tang to it but with minimal after taste. It had slight fruit flavor of pear but nothing too strong.
Food: We did not have it with food.

Wine and Dinner Pairing 1

Over the weekend, I went home and was able to drink a lot of wine. I had spoken highly about this class and mentioned that I would get double points for an assignment if I was able to drink wine with my parents. They were excited to help me on the assignment and we went to the store to pick out a three course meal as well as three different wines. We decided to have an appetizer which consisted of Pesto on Bread, a main course of Spring Noodles, and finally a dessert of Chocolate Cake. Because my parents were so invested in this idea, they were even willing to pay for the wine, so the wine was much better than the wines I have had at the Vintage Cellar. We tried to have a good variety of flavors of the wine so we attempted to get a red, white, and a sweeter red. So, we picked out our three different types of wines accordingly which were Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve California Chardonnay (2013), Alamos Malbec (2013), and Mederfil Lambrusco Reggiano Rosso Dolce (2013). We then partook in the pairing assignment. We would sip on all three of the wines for each course and would discuss what we liked and did not like about each of the wines. Although I have only been in the class for a few weeks now, I was able to impress my family and friends with some interesting facts about the wine we were drinking. (I was also able to teach the UVA kids a few lessons, haha). Some of the wines were better by itself, some wine flavors were electrified by the food, and some wines just didn’t work with anything. The following information will describe our reactions to the wine itself and how the wine paired with the different foods.

Toasted Wheat French Bread with Pesto Spread

Spring Noodles: Noodles in a white, light,
cream sauce with fresh carrots, ham, peas,
green beans, and cheese

Chocolate Cake with
Chocolate Syrup drizzle

Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve California Chardonnay, 2013


Variety: Chardonnay
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2013
Price: $16
Our Wine Review: This wine had a strong wood flavor and smell. It was very strong cedar smell but had a sour and acidic flavor. It was a dry wine however which was a nice change of pace from the other wines which were sweeter and earthier. It was not a bad wine but one that didn’t stand out for the better or for the worse.
Paired with Pesto on Bread: This wine paired with the pesto and bread was a great pairing. The wine was able to pull the flavors out of the pesto and amplified the food. The sour flavor of the chardonnay worked well with the bread because the French bread soaked it up and complemented the dish. It was kind of a yin and yang affect from the cool pesto flavor and sour wine flavor.
Paired with Spring Noodles: The Chardonnay paired with the Spring Noodles was not good and did not work well. This was interesting because I had always thought that white wine would be a good pair to light dishes such as vegetables in noodles with a white sauce. However, this was not the case. The wine had a strong and dry aftertaste which overpowered the Spring Noodles. The wine seemed to go directly to the back of the mouth and almost sting my throat which took away any joy I had from the food in my mouth. Not a good pairing.
Paired with Chocolate Cake: This Chardonnay and chocolate Cake simply did not work. The dry cake pulled out the sour and oak flavors of the wine, which was a terrible combination. The flavors would just fight each other and it was not pleasurable. Not a good combination.
Overall conclusion: Overall, I think this wine was decent. It was a drier wine and pulled out strong wood and sour flavors by itself as well as with the different food. However, it was a good pairing with the pesto on bread because of the sweet and sour sensation that was present.

Alamos Malbec, 2013

Variety: 100% Malbec
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina
Year: 2013
Price: $12.99
Our Wine Review: This was a pretty good wine but it had a little bit of everything present in this red wine. It was earthy, slightly peppery, and yet fruity as well as smells of balsamic vinegar. It was dry and tannic initially, but then went away to have no aftertaste. This is an all-around wine that has flavors of everything but not overpowering in any one category.
Paired with Pesto on Bread: This wine paired with the bread and pesto was a combination of flavors. The wine worked well with the wheat bread because of the earthiness of both were complemented. However, the oily pesto topping did not work too well because of the differences in viscosity. I cannot really point out one thing that was so wrong about the pesto and wine pairing, but after tasting it, I just could not convince myself something that I liked about it. It is just something that I would not recommend because it just did not work.
Paired with Spring Noodles: This wine did not too well with the Spring Noodles because the earthiness and peppery flavors overpowered the fresh vegtables and the light and creamy sauce. It might have pulled out the little bit of pepper within the cream sauce that amplified the pepper flavor of the wine which made me not the biggest fan.
Paired with Chocolate Cake: This was an interesting flavor. I could see how some people would like it because it almost tasted like german chocolate cake, but I am not a fan of german chocolate cake. It pulled the dryness of the cake and spices of the wine and created sort of a german chocolate cake. However, when I eat dessert, I like to have sweet chocolate so it was kind of doomed from the beginning.
Overall conclusion: This was an all-around wine that had flavors of a lot of typical red wines. I thought because of all of these flavors present in the wine, the wine would be able to combine with a lot of different kind of foods. However, this was not the case, it worked well with bread and cake like substances, but when it came to light and creamy foods, the wine did not work at all. This is a wine I would like to continue drinking and trying with different foods and maybe even some dry cheese to see how they combine.

Mederfil Lambrusco Reggiano Rosso Dolce, 2013

Variety: Lambrusco
Region: Emilia Romagna
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $8.99
Our Wine Review: This wine was a pretty good Lambrusco. After having a Lambrusco at Trader Joes, I have started looking out for different Lambruscos because how much I liked the first one. It is the fruity red wine flavors but without the earthy and peppery sensations prevalent in so many other types of red wines. This Lambrusco was subtly bubbly but not overpowering. It had a mild body and was semisweet but not overly sweet. It had hints of orange flavors which were interesting. It is a great wine to drink by itself.
Paired with Pesto on Bread: This combination between the wine and the earthy bread and oily pesto were terrible combinations. They were clashing the entire time because the wine was very sweet and did not have similar attributes that could combine for a good flavor. It was not a good combination.
Paired with Spring Noodles: This Lambrusco and Spring Noodles worked great together. The sweet and light flavors of the wine combined with the light flavors of the cream sauce. The sweet flavors of the wine were definitely amplified when eating some of the sweet carrots. Great combination.
Paired with Chocolate Cake: This Lambrusco and cake actually worked well together because it was able to pull out some of the sweet flavors from the cake. The cake also gave the wine a sweeter flavor as well. It was a great taste and I look forward to tasting this wine again in the future with other types of cakes and desserts. I am intrigued to see how far the reach is with the wine pulling out the sweet flavors from the desserts.
Overall conclusion: I am a big fan of Lambrusco wine and will continue drinking it. I was pleased with the combination of the light cream sauce and fresh vegetables as well as the desserts. I was not shocked by the great combination of the Lambrusco with the desserts because of the wine being considered a sweet wine. I am looking forward to trying this again in the future with other types of desserts to see what other foods work better. Maybe a blackberry cobbler next time???

This experience was really fun! I was able to try a lot of different types of wine with different types of dishes all while sharing what I have learned with my parents, brothers, and friends. We had a good mix of people who had a different wine experiences, from beginners to seasoned drinkers, and it was fun to explain some new pieces of information to everyone. I think we had a good mix of wines with a variety of flavors that worked well with some of the foods and some did not. It was really fun starting a new course of the meal and everyone is trying to find the best match of wine and everyone is sharing their tastes. We were able to figure out that the Malbec even smelled like balsamic vinegar because we pulled out a bottle of vinegar and matched the flavors. It was just an overall great experience and I look forward to partaking in the next one.

Cheers!
Enjoying this meal with my Mother, Father, Two Brothers, and our Family Friend.

Wine and Cheese Pairing #1

This past week, a couple of friends and I decided to partake in the wine and cheese pairing assignment. We tried to have a good variety of flavors of the wine so we attempted to get a red, white, and an earthier red. So, we picked out our three different types of wines accordingly which were Alsace Riquewihr Gentil ClassiQ (2012), Fetzer Eagle Peak Merlot (2011), and PRISMA Chilean Pinot Noir (2011). We found out their regions were from Spain, California, and Chile. So, when we went to buy our cheese, we wanted to try to get a variety of soft and hard and white and yellow cheese. So, the three different types of cheeses were Singleton’s Double Gloucester Cheese (Britian), El Cortijo Murcia Al Vino (Goat Cheese) Cheese (Spain), and Swissrose French Fleurd Brie with pepper (France). We then partook in the pairing assignment. We would drink one wine at a time and try all of the different types of cheese with the one wine. Some of the wines were better by itself, some wine flavors were electrified by the cheese, and some wines just didn’t work with anything. The following information will describe our reactions to the wine itself and how the wine paired with the different cheeses.


Alsace Riquewihr Gentil ClassiQ, 2012

Variety: 40% Riesling, 20% Pinot Blanc, 20% Muscat, 10% Gewürztraminer, 10% Pinot Gris
Region: Alsace
Country: France
Year: 2012
Price: $16
Our Wine Review: This wine had a strong floral smell but had flavors of apple and pear when we tasted it. It was not very sweet but was crisp and smooth instead of being completely dry. There was a strong forward fruit taste with a smooth finish. By itself, it was probably the best wine we had that night because how even the flavor was throughout the taste.
Paired with Singleton’s Double Gloucester Cheese (Britian): This wine and cheese were not a good combination together. However, we will later find out that this cheese tasted the best with this wine. But that is not saying much about how good this combination is as much as how bad the other combinations were with this wine. The cheese was very bland and almost tasted like cheese wiz before the wine made the cheese more sharp. It also brings out notes of sweet floral smells within the wine. Although this wine pairs the best with this cheese, it is still not a good combination to recommend to anyone.
Paired with El Cortijo Murcia Al Vino (Goat Cheese) Cheese (Spain): This wine and cheese was a decent pairing together. The cheese was a softer chees that was creamy and pungent. When the cheese and wine were mixed together, the wine would be sent directly to the back of the throat and would almost sting the back of the throat due to the tactile sensation from the alcohol. So, we said that this cheese pulled the acidic flavors out of the wine and covered up any of the fruit flavors that originally were present within the wine. The cheese and wine are supposed to complement each other, not mask the flavors and amplify the acidity.
Paired with Swissrose French Fleurd Brie with pepper (France): This pairing was interesting because the wine had different flavors depending on if the brie was eaten alone or with the pepper coating around the outside. When the pepper coating was part of the mix, it made the wine sour with a very strong peppery characteristic. For some reason, when the peppery brie and wine mixed, I had an image of seagull feet pop into my head because I smelled like a salty ocean mixed with the stink of feet. However, the second time, I ate the middle of the brie, without the pepper coating, and this combination with the wine was amazing. It worked well with the wine and brought out the fruit flavors and decreased the strong acidity from before.
Overall conclusion: Overall, I think this wine was really good by itself. However, I learned that if pairing with cheese, a soft mild cheese is the best way to go because they will work together in harmony rather than increasing acidity or sharpness of the cheese. So, the brie without the pepper coating was the best with this wine.


Fetzer Eagle Peak Merlot, 2011

Variety: 100% Merlot
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2011
Price: $7.99
Our Wine Review: This was an interesting wine. It smells very alcoholic and of dark fruits like blackberry, plum, and cherry. However when we tasted it, it was really smooth with a slight spicy finish. But, it was not peppery at all, just a kick of spice. It was referred to as a lighter red because it wasn’t so strong and earthy.
Paired with Singleton’s Double Gloucester Cheese (Britian): This wine and cheese was a pretty good pairing. It was better than the first wine. It mixed well together because both of them were really smooth. The cheese was able to mask the fruit flavor of the wine but still portrayed the spicy flavors. I thought that the spice was toward the front of the tongue but everyone else did not agree with me on that analysis.
Paired with El Cortijo Murcia Al Vino (Goat Cheese) Cheese (Spain): This wine and cheese was interesting because it completely masked the wine flavors. It kind of absorbed all of the wine and it just felt like the cheese doubled in size. We were not able to taste anything. We thought it was not a good pairing because it was overpowering each other instead of complimenting each other.
Paired with Swissrose French Fleurd Brie with pepper (France): This wine and cheese was not a good pairing. When we had the cheese with the pepper coating, the wine was blasted with the earthiness and peppery flavors. However, even when we tasted the cheese without the pepper coating, it still brought out the spice of the wine. It was not a good pairing.
Overall conclusion: We thought that this wine was a pretty good wine. However, we were not able to find a cheese that could properly match well with the wine. Therefore, we thought that until we were able to find a good cheese that could go well with the wine, we will just recommend to drink the wine alone and not with a cheese pairing.


PRISMA Chilean Pinot Noir, 2011

Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Casablanca Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2011
Price: $15
Our Wine Review: This was a very light wine. However, it had a strong pungent smell that we described as body odor. But, it also had notes of strawberry and asparagus pee. When we tasted it, we were distracted by the sourness and bitterness. It was a questionable wine.
Paired with Singleton’s Double Gloucester Cheese (Britian): When we tried the wine with this cheese, it did not get any better. For some reason, the wine brought out the dry parts of the cheese out and it almost tasted like the cheese were like dry crumbs. The wine was still very sour. However, we had mixed reviews on whether the pairing toned down the cheese or toned down the wine, either way the mixing was not great.
Paired with El Cortijo Murcia Al Vino (Goat Cheese) Cheese (Spain): The pairing with this wine was interesting. The wine was not sour, nor overpowered the cheese. We were able to taste more fruity flavors and the acidity was decreased. We were shocked after having this tasting because we actually were able to figure out that this pairing worked! After all of the other pairs, we were growing skeptical about this whole cheese and wine pairing until we tasted this one. Best one of the night, hands down.
Paired with Swissrose French Fleurd Brie with pepper (France): After really enjoying the previous tasting, this one had huge shoes to fill and it did not. However, it still wasn’t bad. It was less fruity than the Goat cheese but not as sour as the Gloucester cheese. But, overall, it was not a good paring because the cheese overpowered the wine flavor.
Overall conclusion: We were able to find our first great pairing of the night which is the pinot noir with the goat cheese. However, this wine was terrible with the other types of cheese. Therefore, we would have to be careful to determine if the pairing works before throwing this wine into a wine party with any cheese and hoping they work.


We learned a lot on this day about how some wines work great with some cheeses but doesn’t work with other cheeses. We were surprised on how different the flavors would be amplified or diminished based on the different types of wine and cheese. It goes to show that some homework would have to be done before bringing a wine and cheese to a party. I know that I would have to try the pairing once to make sure that the pairing works before bringing the pair to a dinner party. However, I am looking forward to doing another pairing in the future to try and find some more fantastic pairings.