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
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: 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.
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.
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