Pair #1: Dark Horse Merlot and swiss cheese
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2013
This merlot was recommended to us at the local Gucchi Kroger by an employee in the wine section, so Caitlin was doll and bought it and held on to it for a few weeks until we finally got around to doing this.
Without cheese, it had a strong, warm nose, with definite cherry and berry flavors. Was slightly dry without a strong front palate "attack" that I've found some red wines can have. Definitely dark fruit notes, with some slight spice at the finish.
The swiss cheese we had was typical swiss cheese. It's never been a cheese I typically will eat by itself; I've always thought it had somewhat of a plastic-y flavor, but underneath it's somewhat tart and maybe reminiscent of a tangy mozzarella.
With the cheese, the wine opened up nicely (to reference Boyer's lectures/book, the fat in the cheese was cutting the tannic content, softening their effect on the palate - science ftw!). The berry flavors were more pronounced when paired, and I definitely got more sweetness in the taste. The end notes were very much amplified when mixed with the cheese. Definitely a good pairing and for my first pairing, illustrated clearly how a cheese could affect a wine's flavor and composition.
Pair #2: Chateau Morriesette Petit Verdot and sharp cheddar
Variety: 100% Petit Verdot
Variety: 100% Petit Verdot
Region: Virginia
Country: United States
Year: 2011
This Virginia wine had strong berry (red berries? maybe strawberry or raspberry notes) aromas on the nose. Surprisingly spicy mid-palette. Possibly some acidity - tongue was stinging a bit. Full bodied, but the berries don't come through in the tastes as much as they did in the smell.
The cheese: definitely just a very good, higher quality cheddar than the kind you get in Kraft Mac&Cheese! Has that sharp quality to it, but till a very creamy texture and taste.
With the cheese, it was amazing how the fat in the cheese cut the spice of the wine. The end notes of the wine, which I barely noticed when drinking the wine alone, were much more pronounced. I wouldn't say I could detect berries more with the cheese, but with the cheddar cutting the acidity, I was able to taste more the wine itself instead of fighting tactile sensations.
Pairing #3: Kennedy Point Sauvignon Blanc and goat cheese
This Virginia wine had strong berry (red berries? maybe strawberry or raspberry notes) aromas on the nose. Surprisingly spicy mid-palette. Possibly some acidity - tongue was stinging a bit. Full bodied, but the berries don't come through in the tastes as much as they did in the smell.
The cheese: definitely just a very good, higher quality cheddar than the kind you get in Kraft Mac&Cheese! Has that sharp quality to it, but till a very creamy texture and taste.
With the cheese, it was amazing how the fat in the cheese cut the spice of the wine. The end notes of the wine, which I barely noticed when drinking the wine alone, were much more pronounced. I wouldn't say I could detect berries more with the cheese, but with the cheddar cutting the acidity, I was able to taste more the wine itself instead of fighting tactile sensations.
Pairing #3: Kennedy Point Sauvignon Blanc and goat cheese
Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough
Country: New Zealand
Year: 2013
I'm learning that I really like Sauvignon Blancs, so for this third wine I wandered the sauv blanc section at the Vintage Cellar and decided on this Kennedy Point - mostly because I could afford it, but also because we've learned that New Zealand makes good, more tangy sauv blancs so I gave it a shot! Right away when we opened it, the very first smell I got was cat urine. Yep, cat urine. As we let the wine open for a few minutes though, that note mellowed significantly and a lot of pear flavor came through on the nose. Without the cheese, this wine lived up to New Zealand's reputation: smooth, but certainly a bit tangy with some light fruit notes. I really enjoyed it actually and found it easy drinking.
The cheese: This goat cheese was characteristically smooth in texture, very tangy and gave off a tart aroma.
With the cheese: While our other two pairings worked really well, this one was not my favorite (despite liking goat cheese and the wine separately). The tanginess of the cheese definitely brought out more of the tangy and grassy notes of the wine. The fruit notes were a little downplayed when paired with the cheese. I think this was a case of having two very strong and similar flavor notes compounding, rather than complementing each other.
This was a great experiment, and I know Caitlin and are are trying to find time to do some pairings again! This was also the first occasion I got to use my Boyer-approved bottle opener from the Vintage Cellar. I was clearly excited:
I'm learning that I really like Sauvignon Blancs, so for this third wine I wandered the sauv blanc section at the Vintage Cellar and decided on this Kennedy Point - mostly because I could afford it, but also because we've learned that New Zealand makes good, more tangy sauv blancs so I gave it a shot! Right away when we opened it, the very first smell I got was cat urine. Yep, cat urine. As we let the wine open for a few minutes though, that note mellowed significantly and a lot of pear flavor came through on the nose. Without the cheese, this wine lived up to New Zealand's reputation: smooth, but certainly a bit tangy with some light fruit notes. I really enjoyed it actually and found it easy drinking.
The cheese: This goat cheese was characteristically smooth in texture, very tangy and gave off a tart aroma.
With the cheese: While our other two pairings worked really well, this one was not my favorite (despite liking goat cheese and the wine separately). The tanginess of the cheese definitely brought out more of the tangy and grassy notes of the wine. The fruit notes were a little downplayed when paired with the cheese. I think this was a case of having two very strong and similar flavor notes compounding, rather than complementing each other.
This was a great experiment, and I know Caitlin and are are trying to find time to do some pairings again! This was also the first occasion I got to use my Boyer-approved bottle opener from the Vintage Cellar. I was clearly excited:
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