Havarti, Cheddar, the center - Wine and Cheese 1

 

That's me on the left! We invited a couple of students of wine over to study the interaction between several wines and several kinds of cheese tonight. We had a Toscana Rosso, a Pinot Grigio, and a sauvignon blanc. We also had a gouda, a cheddar jack, a havarti, and a sharp cheddar. There were several things I discovered tonight. I will elaborate directly. 

First, we had the pinot grigio. I noticed pear and apple most prominently. I first had the cheddar jack with it. I was reminded of a snack my mom would make for us as kids. Apple and cheese on a cracker. It was refreshing and juicy and the cheddar jack was there too. I then tried it with the sharp cheddar. Not great. The pinot grigio was a little too sweet and it made the sharp cheddar feel unbalanced and abrasive. I then tried it with the gouda, and was very pleasantly surprised! The creamy fattiness od the gouda paired excellently with the sweetness of the pinot grigio! This was my first discovery. I enjoy sweet wines with creamy cheeses. 

Next, we had the Sauvignon Blanc. It became immediately obvious to me how much more body, acidity, and tannic capacity this wine had over the Pinot Grigio. I expected the acidity to once again pair with the creamy fatty gouda, but I was disappointed. Instead, the acidic quality of this wine went excellently with the "acidic" quality of the sharp cheddar! They met each other blow for blow! This was my second discovery of the night. I enjoy acidic wines with sharp cheeses. 

Lastly, we had the Toscana Rosso, Un litro. This is where I had my third discovery. At this point we had made our way through most of the 1.5L Pinot Grigio as well as the bottle of Sav Blanc. The third discovery was that my ability to distinguish subtle flavors and textures in the pairings of wine and cheese are significantly diminished as more alcohol enters my system. This became obvious when I realized I enjoyed EVERY cheese with this wine. Maybe this is a good thing? You tell me. See you in the next review. 

Here are pictures of me with each (empty) wine bottle. 

Carrots, Caccio, and California - Wine Dinner Report

This wine dinner was a bit different than our usual wine dinner experience in order to accommodate the requirements for the class. While it used to be very common for us to drink three or more bottles in an evening, the loss of one of our four usual members to the tragedy that is graduation slowed our roll a little. This combined with the fact that we usually serve the different elements of the meal simultaneously in an "entree and sides" fashion instead of courses, made this meal feel really quite special.  As such, we invested quite a lot of effort into its preparation, and I was quite pleased with the overall sensory experience. 

The first course was some lovely roasted whole carrots, with a garlic and honey glaze over them, topped with fresh leafy greens and blackberries. We paired this with "Our Dog Blue", a semi-sweet, mostly Reisling-based white from the nearby Chateau Morrisette winery. This pairing was my favorite of the evening. The sweetness of each component complemented the others, where I feel a dry wine would've been exaggerated in an unpleasant matter. They were sweet in very different ways. The carrots and honey in an earthy, grounded way, and the wine in a more tree fruit or citrus manner. I enjoyed this pairing more than I would've enjoyed either of its components separately. 

Our second course consisted of the only red of the night, Dry Canyon Cellars' Pinot Noir from California. We paired this with the pizza, as we felt the strongest flavors of the night would need the wine with the most body. And even though pinot noir is a light red, it best fit the bill. The pizza was my favorite food dish of the night. It consisted of a pesto and lemon base, with goat cheese and mozzarella baked on top. It was bright, herbaceous, a bit sour from the goat cheese and lemon, fatty from the olive oil and mozz, and the crust was cooked to perfection. The wine was not my favorite. It felt a little "hot" to me, in the sense that it felt like it had a bit more alcohol than it needed. It felt a little as though it were trying to drink me back. It was dry and acidic enough to cut through the fatty aspect of the pizza, which was a boon to the texture of each. However, it threatened to overpower the more subtle notes of the pizza if drunk directly before a bite, as its tannic and alcoholic levels were a little high. Overall, a decent pairing if the wine is drunk after, not before, a bite. If done in this manner, both the wine and the pizza are improved. 

Our third course featured another Chateau Morrisette wine. This time their Pinot Grigio. It was pretty sweet for a Pinot Grigio. Certainly the sweetest I have ever had. The cacio and pepe was the third course. It's an Italian dish that is white, so it made sense to us to pair it with the Italian grape white wine we had. This was my least favorite pairing of the night. Despite cacio and pepe being a white sauce, I feel it would've gone better with a red that could've matched its pepperiness. The subtle flavors on the pasta of pepper and cheese got mostly washed away by the over-sweet wine. A dryer wine would have also been more appropriate. Each of these would have been better on its own. 

Here are pictures of me with the various wines of the night. 

Chateau Bourdieu - Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux

Name: Chateau Bourdieu - Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux
Variety: 87% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc
Region: Bordeaux
Country: France
Year: 2019
Price: $19.95

Winery Review: "Flamboyant and deep, with ample, lush and fresh forest fruits, bramble and cassis, with cascading sweet spice swifty following. A super, brooding wine which will shine brighter with time"

Decanter, (November 2020), Platinum Medal - 97 points

Wine Folly: pg 158 "Bordeaux Blend" -I definitely noted the intense body and high tannin content of this wine the second it entered my mouth! Of the notes listed in the book the ones I got were Cherry and herbs. I am not sure what a black currant tastes like. 

Personal Review: This was one of two favorites from this weeks tasting of French wines at the Vintage Cellar. I liked this one because of its boldness. I imagine it would be good with food. It was not particularly heavy like some other bold reds I have tasted, and was actually quite bright on the finish. Lots of fruit, and some darker herby notes as well. 

I did not have any food with this wine.  

Rieslingfreak No. 33 Clare Valley

Name: Rieslingfreak No. 33 Clare Valley

Variety: Riesling

Region: Clare Valley

Country: Australia

Year: 2021

Price: $18.95

Winery Review: 93 points James Suckling

Outer quote mark Attractively fresh florals and lime, as well as pear, apple blossom and some more exotic spice notes. The palate has a richly fleshy feel with really generous peach, pear and lime flavors. (8/2021)

Wine Folly: pg 158 "Riesling" - I definitely noticed the pear note listed in this section. A lot of smells and tastes from the "tree fruit" section were present. 

Personal Review:  So I had said that the No. 44 was my favorite from the tasting last week but this was even better! It was a bit more dry, and had just as much citrus, however, there was a distinctly pleasant pear note that was not as prominent in the 44. Felt pretty acidic, and was a bit too dry for my amigo in the picture there. To me, it was simply crisp, refreshing, and very pleasant. One thing to note is that I had this wine slightly chilled which could have affected my perception. I also had it will food, buttery shrimp tacos, and buffalo dip. This wine very effectively cut through the fat and refreshed my palate. Excellent! Would buy it again. 

Sauvignon Blac 2022 - Mount Fishtail

Name: Sauvingnon Blac 2022

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

Year: N/A

Price: $17.95

Winery Review: Wine Orbit 94 Points (5 Stars)

It’s brilliantly expressed on the nose showing kiwifruit, golden peach, fig and lime zest aromas. The palate is equally satisfying with excellent fruit weight and power, beautifully complemented by refreshing acidity, making it instantly appealing. At its best: now to 2025.

Wine Folly: pg 165 "Sauvignon Blanc" - The book mentions New Zealand as a region that produces this wine. I did not have it at the recommended 45-55 degrees F, but at room temperature. I got maybe a bit of the honeydew flavor. I got apple that wasn't listed in the book. I did get some herbaceous notes although they were not altogether pleasant. 

Personal Review:  Not my favorite. I mostly tasted apple at the beginning which was very quickly followed by an unpleasant chemical sort of taste. Maybe a component of the acidity? However the wine was also watery to me. Maybe a mix of the herbal and other/earth notes listed in the book is just not to my tastes. I will have to try another sauvignon blanc to confirm. 

I did not have any food with this wine.

The Ball Buster - Tait Family Winery

Name: The Ball Buster

Variety: Syrah/Shiraz

Region: Barossa Valley

Country: Austrailia

Year: 2018

Price: $21.95

Winery Review: 91 points – Josh Raynolds: “Opaque ruby. Smoke-accented aromas of ripe dark berries, pungent flowers and vanilla, along with a hint of white pepper that adds spicy lift. Concentrated, expansive cherry liqueur, blackberry and fruitcake flavors become more energetic as the wine opens up. Round, well-knit tannins frame the appealingly sweet finish, which hangs on with impressive, dark fruit-dominated persistence.”

Wine Folly: pg 202 "Austrailia" - Apparently Shiraz is just an Australian invented word for syrah that comes from Australia. pg 172 "Syrah"  - This wine I would agree has the "rich, powerful" aspects listed in the book's description. 

Personal Review:  Very smokey on the nose. Smokey and oaky with a finish of berries on nose. Tastes even stronger than it smells! Very big full-bodied wine! Lots of tannins. Woody and dry with oak and smoke and berry on the finish. Pepper notes as well. These were also mentioned in the book. Big Big Big flavor very tannic. I kinda liked it but it was a lot to take in. Testing my love for bold reds. 

I did not have any food with this wine.