Wine and Cheese Pairing

On a warm and sunny day in the beginning of February (never thought I'd say that), my friend and I decided to dive into the ultra classy world of cheese with wine.

The Wine

Name: Raymond
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Napa Valley, California
Country: United States
Year: 2014
Price: $10.95

Upon pouring this wine, it was apparent that tine bits of cork had fallen in the wine. Did not affect the flavor at all though. There was a mixed fruit aroma involving apple, pear, and a variety of citrus. Light to medium body with a very slight hint of honey. Also, when we tried this Chardonnay, it was not chilled and there was seemingly not much going on. The sweetness was almost overwhelming everything. Later that night when I went to have another glass, it was a whole different wine and the flavors came out much stronger.

Name: Cape Barren
Variety: Shiraz
Region: McLaren Vale
Country: Australia
Year: 2014
Price: $10.95

This wine smelled like candy, and though it tasted like raspberry, it was also very tannic and slightly Earthy. Did not really taste sweet at all, but I was a big fan of this Shiraz!

Name: Sinols Rosat
Variety: Grenache (60%) and Carignan (40%)
Region: Emporda
Country: Spain
Price: $9.95

Smelled of peaches. This wine reminded me of a beach; it had a very tropical flavor combination. Tart, with cherry some other berry flavors. This wine clearly should have also been chilled to better bring out the flavors.

The Cheese

Since this is not a blog about cheese, I'll keep this part simple.

Smoked Gouda: As the name suggests, this cheese tasted straight off the barbecue. It was smokey, salty, and reminded me of charcoal. Tasted like bacon.

Asiago: One of the greatest cheese I've ever tasted. Pungent, yet sweet with a very full mouth taste. Wonderful!

Cacio De Roma: Made from sheep's milk. This was very similar to the Asiago, but not nearly as sweet. Tasted very fatty, hence it was extremely smooth.

Wines with cheeses, (the Root: 1 wine was tasted just for fun, and is not included in this blog).
"My body says no, but my grade says yes" -Me, after consuming copious amounts of cheese

The Pairings

Raymond Chardonnay

Asiago: Delicious! Especially after being chilled. The sweetness of the cheese perfectly complimented the sweetness of the wine. Made the wine go down very smooth and created a sensation of a fuller body.

Gouda: Another good match. The smokey-ness of the cheese brought out the contrasting, sweet flavors of the wine. It was like having some sort of grilled barbecue dinner with a sweet wine for dessert.  Great!

Cacio de Roma: Not good at all. The cheese was far too pungent and it made the wine taste way too sweet. Just a weird, bitter mess.

Trying the wines outside since it was such a beautiful afternoon.

Sinols Rosat

Asiago: Again, sweet cheese with sweet wine. Fantastic.Very smooth wine with my favorite cheese. They complimented each other well.

Gouda: No good. The smokey cheese clashed big-league with the sweetness of the wine. It was like eating a burnt candy.

Cacio De Roma: This pairing was average. Definitely made the wine smoother, but also made it seem less sweet. The bitterness of the cheese was not great with this wine.

Pairing the Sinols Rosat with Smoked Gouda

Cape Barren Shiraz

Asiago: I expected this to be one of the best pairings, but it turned out quite the opposite! It made the wine taste more acidic. It was an amateur screw-up: the big, beautiful red wine with an overly salted cheese. Not great!

Gouda: Made the wine much sweeter. Softened the tannins to bring out more of the fruity flavors. Also, the strong pepper-y flavors of the cheese canceled out the spiciness of the wine exposing new flavors.

Cacio De Roma: The slight bitterness of the cheese made the wine taste beautifully sweet and smooth. Like the Gouda, the cheese reacted with the tannins to soften the overall feel. Excellent!

Overall, a great experience. Something I had never tried before but can not wait to do again soon. Now, I must go because I believe there is a pint of chocolate ice cream and a glass of port in the kitchen calling my name. 

This is me imagining myself as a Roman emperor with my loyal servants dangling fruit above my head.