Wine and Cheese #1

Of all the blog assignments, this is the one I was most excited about. I love cheese, and I have always heard about wine-cheese pairing, but have never done it for myself. For this tasting, my typical group got together and went out on shopping trip. We picked up the cheeses first, then headed down the block to the Vintage Cellar to pick up some wines to pair with them. We retuned home, at which time we cut up the cheese, opened up the wine, and got down to the tasting!

First Tasting

Wine: Peirano Estate Chardonnay 2018 Lodi, California, USA

Cheese: Bruggie Comtess

The wine was a medium dark gold, and was mostly clear. It had notes of apple, pineapple, and little bit of barrel must on the nose. On the palate, I got creamy butterscotch and some slight fruit notes, along with a slightly spicy finish. The wine had decent body, given the barrel character and dryness. The cheese was pretty hard, with a very creamy texture and slightly sweet overall taste. I really liked the cheese by itself. Together, the wine and cheese were not greatly changed by each other. The wine had less butterscotch characteristics, allowing the fruit flavors to come forward, but that was about it. Maybe I am just inexperienced and don't know what to look for, but I found this pairing to not be very interesting. 

Second Tasting

Wine: Summarroca Brut Bubbly Piont Noir Rose Cava, Spain 2020

Cheese: Sartori Bellavitano Garlic and Herb

This wine was a golden-pink color, which was mostly clear and had medium-fine bubbles. On the nose it was light and fruity, with notes of raspberry and strawberry. I had a hard time getting a good smell off this wine, since the carbonation would cover up much of the other smells. On the palate it had notes of strawberry and pear. The carbonation and dryness gave it good body and kept it from being overly sweet. The cheese had a lot of flavor, mostly from the herbs on the outside. It was softer than the previous cheese, and was less sweet. Together, I can't say I noticed a profound difference. With the cheese, I though the wine tasted drier and had less fruit notes, but that's about it. I'm not sure this was the best pairing, but it was still enjoyable.

Third Tasting

Wine: Palacio de Arganza Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Cheese: Sharp White Cheddar

The third and final wine was probably the best we had that night. It was a very dark, opaque ruby color. On the nose it had rich notes of blackberry and other dark fruits along with a little smoke. On the palate I got mostly dark fruit, like blackberries, along with chocolate and a slight spiciness on the finish. Decent tannins and slight acidity gave the wine good body. The cheese was typical sharp cheddar, soft and creaming with some acidic bite to it. It was not as sharp as I typically like, but it was still very good. Together, I thought they did pretty well. The wine become less tannic and smoother with the cheese, while the cheese got an extra boost to the sharpness that I really like. Overall this was the best pairing we did, and I would not hesitate to have it again in the future.

Overall, I had a great time with my first wine and cheese tasting session. I got to have good food and good conversation with good friends. I am looking forward to the next one!