Last week, A few of my friends got together for a Wine and Cheese pairing. We started with 3 wines and four cheeses because there were so many of us and we each wanted to bring something. We also grabbed some grapes and crackers. We tried to get crackers that were not as flavorful/buttery to not ruin our palates. All in all we had a really great time, and have already planned our next one.
CHEESE:
Van Kaas Gouda
Applewood Cheddar
Jarlsburg Cheese
Herb Goat Cheese
WINE:
Tarima Monastrell (2013, Spain)
- Tasting Notes Alone: Very strong spice licorice flavor. Classic Spanish wine with an over the top amount of flavor. Too much heat to actually have by itself. This is a perfect wine/cheese bottle. Really made a difference to try with cheese.
- Jarlsberg: Jarlsberg didn't have enough flavor to compete with the Monastrell. I like that Jarlsberg is semi-creamy, and not the best pairing. Need something sharper
- Gouda: Gouda has that nice sharp flavor which really paired well with the Monastrell. Anything that can try and compete was good.
- Goat: This may have actually been too strong of a competitor. The creaminess of the texture was wrong.
- Cheddar: The smokey flavor was awesome with the Monastrell. It also has that sharpness that was perfect with it. 10/10 would recommend.
Blackstone Pinot Noir (2013, California)
- Tasting Notes Alone: This has some spices, and that earthiness of Pinot Noir is definitely present. It was smooth and very drinkable by itself. It did have a higher alcohol content, so it drank a little like a port or something. That sweet alcohol taste. It was an interesting wine. I may have to buy a bottle to try again. This may sound crazy, but it tasted almost like a McDonalds hamburger. My friends thought I was crazy. Whatever.
- Jarlsberg: Meh. Nothing exciting. Jarlsberg is a weird cheese. I don't remember it too well; it was very forgettable
- Goat: This adds that weird sharp Goat Cheese flavor to balance the smooth Pinot mouthfeel. I don't know if its the goat imagery pairing with Pinor Noir, but its a good combo.
- Gouda: Yes. Very tasty. Again, that strong flavor balanced well with the smooth Pinot.
- Cheddar: This may have been too strong. The smoke flavor really wasn't doing it any flavors. Wow. This cheese pairing really makes a difference.
Entrada Chardonnay (2013, California)
- Tasting Notes Alone: This was a wine that we had all had before. I referred back to my notes, and I have definite additions this second time through. It was still smooth, and the fruits I noticed were lemons and maybe a baby peach. Nothing too fruity, but that early sweet taste. These are all hints of flavor; its not a very strong wine. Especially having after the other two (rookie move) this was very underwhelming. Still a good wine, but not as bold as the first two.
- Goat: It has that creamy smoothness that added complexity to the Chardonnay. That sharp goat cheese flavor was also really nice with it. We all agreed that this was a fantastic pairing. Boom. Great serendipitous pairing ya'll.
- Gouda: This was actually not a strong enough flavor pairing. It just kind of melted together without any life changing additions to either the cheese or the wine. Shame.
- Jarlsberg: Again, poor Jarlsberg. I'll have to try it with the Jarlsberg dip; that creamy stuff probably changes these wine/cheese pairing a lot. It was good with the last wine I had.
- Cheddar: It has that nice sharp strong flavor that paired well with the Chardonnay. That smoke was also really pleasant.
