Wine and Cheese Pairing

From left to right: Ryan, Erik, Rachel (me), Randy,
Jackie, and Rob.

My trustee group of friends, also in Geography of Wine, joined me for a wine and cheese pairing at my apartment. Since none of us had actually done a wine and cheese pairing before, we kinda just went with it! There wasn't a specific theme or region, etc. Just three different wines and three different cheeses, left for us to taste, pair, and taste some more. The night was really enjoyable, and a definite learning experience. This post will attempt to describe the wines, the cheeses, and the how they paired with each other.

THE CHEESE:
The first cheese was Yancey's Fancy Smoked Gouda with Bacon. Why this cheese? Well, Ryan requested Smoked Gouda, and who doesn't like bacon!? The cheese was semi-mild, but extremely overpowered by the bacon. Don't get me wrong, I love bacon, but it would have been nice to actually taste more of the cheese. I only caught a slight smokiness. Unfortunately, on its own I was not a huge fan.

The second Cheese was Joan of Arc Tomato Basil Goat Cheese. This was a spreadable, very mild cheese. It was creamy, much like cream cheese, with hints of herbs and definitely basil. I was the most hesitant to try this cheese, as I am not a big cheese person, and having goat cheese seemed like a huge stretch! However, this ended up being my favorite cheese, and I will definitely buy it again.

The third cheese was Yancey's Fancy Chipotle and Habanero Aged Cheddar Cheese. This was a very bold cheese. And let me tell you...if you don't like spicy this is NOT the cheese for you! This cheese had a definite kick! I did taste some slight smokiness, but the dominate flavor was definitely the Habanero, making the cheese mouth-watering hot! I didn't like this cheese much.

THE WINE: The cheese was served with three different wines. Two of which were red and one white. Each wine was first tasted on its own and then again with each of the cheeses for comparison regarding both the taste of the wine and the cheese.

SHOTFIRE SHIRAZ 2012:

Winemaker's Notes: "On release the wine has a deep purple colour with a red hue. The wine has a lifted nose of clean blackberry fruit accompanied by mocha and spice. The palate displays sweet fruit characters dominated by blackberry and plum, complimented by cinnamon, clove and nutmeg characters. The wine is full bodied with natural tannin and oak maturation adding texture and complexity to the wine." (http://www.thornclarkewines.com.au/
wine/2012-shotfire-shiraz/)


The following reviews are my own:

On Its Own: Gosh darn, is this wine good! In fact, it's great, and probably my favorite wine to date. On the nose, this wine smells of dark fruit..maybe cherries and blackberries, with a hint of spicy! To taste, this wine was smooth, open, and fruity. The wine had many complex flavors. Once again, I LOVE THIS WINE.

With Smoked Gouda with Bacon: I think this wine was very complementary with the Gouda. Both the wine and the cheese had bold flavors that mixed well. The fruitiness (not sweet) of the wine balanced the smokiness of the cheese. The wine definitely made the cheese taste better.

With Tomato Basil Goat Cheese: This wasn't the idea pairing. While the pairing didn't taste bad, it definitely wasn't complimentary. The wine overwhelmingly masked the cheese, making it taste like nothing. The cheese didn't seem to have any effect on the taste of the wine.

With Chipotle and Habanero Cheddar: This was my favorite cheese pairing with the Shotfire. The deep, dark fruitiness of the wine evened out the insanely spiciness of the cheese. There wasn't a clash because the wine wasn't sweet. The wine definitely made the cheese taste better.

MUNDO DE YUNTERO 2012 TEMPRANILLO Y SYRAH:

Winemaker's Notes: "Cherry colour with purple tones, characteristic aromas with hints of ripe berries and wild red fruit. In the mouth, it is harmonious, structured and with character." (http://www.yuntero.com/index.php
/en/wines-and-vineyards/vinos-ecologicos/mundo-de-yuntero-tempranillo)

Winemaker's Food Pairings: "Blue fish, vegetables, stews, etc." (http://www.yuntero.com/index.php
/en/wines-and-vineyards/vinos-ecologicos/mundo-de-yuntero-tempranillo)

The following reviews are my own:

On Its Own: I was actually disappointed in this wine. I was expecting more, and really just got a lackluster wine out of it. In my opinion, this wine was mild in both smell and taste. Light fruity flavors..maybe strawberries? But other than that, I really couldn't taste much. Like I said, it was very mild and din't have a lot of flavor.

With Smoked Gouda with Bacon: This was a complementary pairing. The cheese actually made the wine taste better...more flavor, thank goodness! Neither the wine nor the cheese overpowered the other. Not a pairing I would go out of my way to have again, but it worked.

With Tomato Basil Goat Cheese: This was also a complimentary pairing, which I wasn't expecting (before tasting the wine on it's own). Since the Mundo ended up being very mild, it worked with the Goat Cheese, which was also very mild. This was a nice, light pairing.

With Chipotle and Habanero Cheddar: Awful pairing! The wine was completely lost underneath the heat of the Habanero Cheese. All I could taste was HEAT. I think the wine might have even covered the actual cheddar flavor, making the cheese seem even hotter. Never would recommend this pairing.

THE NAKED GRAPE SUMMER WHITE BLEND:

Winemaker's Notes: "It's a little less worry and a perfect time to go outside and breathe in the fresh air. The Naked Grape Summer White Blend captures that sunshine in a bottle so we can enjoy it no matter what the weather. This unique blend creates a perfect balance of fresh, tropical and crisp apple and citrus flavors that are irresistible, just like a long, warm summer afternoon. So let's raise a glass to enjoying the summer all year long. Bare it all." (http://www.thenakedgrapewine.com/
Wines/Summer-White-Blend.asp?pid
=1659&wine=Summer%20White%
20Blend)

The following reviews are my own:

On Its Own: This was a nice, little fruity white wine. Definitely light-bodied, crisp, and sweet. There was an overwhelming taste of apples! While I am not a huge sweet wine drinker, I wouldn't mind having this again as dessert!

With Smoked Gouda with Bacon: Oh goodness, was this a bad combination. Nothing really to say other than the flavors completely clashed making both the wine and the cheese taste bad.

With Tomato Basil Goat Cheese: This was a PERFECT pairing. The light fruitiness of the wine definitely complemented the light herbal aroma of the cheese. In my opinion, both the wine and the cheese tasted better when paired together.

With Chipotle and Habanero Cheddar: I didn't have high hope for this pairing, as the cheese and the wine were on completely different ends of the taste spectrum. I was right, this paring was just as bad as with the Gouda, if not worse. The sweet wine did not at all compliment the spicy cheese. The flavors were clashing all over the place. Just plain bad.

Overall, this wine and cheese pairing was a great experience. As like my first wine dinner, it was a little overwhelming because I didn't really know what I was doing. Next time, I will definitely research better wine and cheese combinations. I look forward to tasting wines and cheeses from the same regions and am hopeful I will get better at this!