Wine and Cheese Pairing

On Friday night I got together with a few friends to pair some wine and cheese. We bought three different wines from Kroger, and found six cheeses in Kroger's cheese section, which was far more extensive than I thought. We didn't really look up any recommended pairings beforehand because we wanted to try some solid experimentation (though one friend had learned online that Merlot and Gouda is supposed to pair well). 

The wines:

Name: Evodia Garnacha
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Calatayud 
Country: Spain
Year: 2012
Price: $8.99 
ABV: 14%

My review: The garnacha is very peppery and loud, as well as a little funky. However, the flavor doesn't back up the smell. It has a very thin body. 

Name: Menage a Trois Merlot
Variety: Merlot
Region: Napa Valley, California
Country: United States of America
Year: 2012
Price: $7.99 
ABV: 13.8%

My review: Peppery on the nose like the garnacha, but with far more dark fruit aromas, mostly blackberry it seems. Heavier, drier body than the Evodia, much to my liking. Fruitier aroma comes out in the flavor as well. 

Name: Rex Goliath Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: No Year
Price: $4.99 
ABV: 12.8%

My review: Strong peach on the nose, slightly acidic smelling, but ultimately transfers to pear and apple flavors, that even in it's rather warm state is really not bad. We have kept it warm so it will taste the same throughout our wine and cheese session. 

The cheeses:

Mirabo Walnut

Stella Romano

Bel Paese Italian 

Il Giardino Ricotta Salata Sheep's Milk

Maple Leafe Geliefde Gouda

French Brie

There was no real order to our pairings, but by the end of the night we had paired each wine with each cheese. It was truly an eye-opening experience: the already-complex world of wine was essentially doubled with the addition of the complex world of cheese.

Our setup:

To easily keep track of which wines and cheeses I had tried, I assigned letters and numbers to each wine and cheese:

1 - Mirabo Walnut

2 - Stella Romano

3 - Bel Paese Italian

4 - Il Giardino Ricotta Salata Sheep's Milk

5 - Maple Leaf Geliefde Gouda

6 - French Brie

A - Evodia Garnacha

B - Menage a Trois Merlot

C - Rex Goliath Sauvignon Blanc

6A: The brie is coated in black pepper, so it goes well with the somewhat peppery garnacha. The thinness of the garnacha also works with the creaminess of the brie.

4A: Kind of boring. A very crumbly cheese with a very thin wine is a weak and boring mouthfeel. the flavors subtly work together but the overall body overshadows this.

4B: The merlot goes great with sheep's milk ricotta. The cheese brings out a smokiness in the wine, and the wine accentuates and elevates the cheese's flavor.

6B: The flavors certainly clash. Brie seems overly creamy for the merlot. The augmented pepperyness is nice, but somehow out of place.

5B: Gouda by itself is wonderful. Merlot definitely brings out the smokiness as more of a pleasant skunkiness, or a more peppered smokiness. 

6C: The fruitiness of the sauvignon blanc dulls the pepperyness of the brie. Creaminess and thinness goes well together but the overall flavors don't really mix. 

2C: Worst pairing so far. The extremely hard and dry romano simply does not work with the light and fruity boozy white wine. Has some weird potential... but just not good. 

5C: Clashing flavors. The tolerable skunkiness that came out with the melot is just strange with the sauvignon blanc. 

4C: Great, great pair. Somehow the crumblyness and the light white wine work together. In addition to the overall body, the flavors definitely complement each other. 

3C: Combining the acidity and creaminess work well together, and the flavors by themselves are great, but they just don't really combine or belong together. 

3B: Amazing. The thin merlot and creamy, soft cheese are so complimentary. The cheese dulls the spiciness of the merlot, and the flavors inherently work well with each other. 

2B: Pretty good. Flavors are not perfect pieces of the puzzle but certainly can work. The merlot brings out a slight sharpness in the cheese that clashes with the peppery booze of the wine.

2A: Flavors definitely combine, spiciness with this cheese's sharpness is surprisingly good, given that I didn't think the last pairing was perfect. But again thin wine and hard cheese is not that great. Also I like this wine a lot more now that it's been opened a few hours.

3A: Not bad, flavors work well more than anything, but don't have much to say about it.

5A: Not necessarily comparable flavors but they force themselves to work together. 

1A: Cheese by itself is very earthy and moldy. Wine saves the pairing through its spiciness, mellows the moldiness. The cheese almost needs the wine, otherwise it's too salty and sour. 

1B: Pretty much felt the same as with the garnacha, given it has aired out a bit to be a little more like the merlot.

1C: Absolutely terrible. The sour cheese is simply accentuated by the acidity of the sauvignon blanc. 

Here are a few more pictures from the night, the first one is of me:

Overall it was just an incredibly enlightening experience. One world I have learned a good amount about combine with a new world I knew nothing about made for some great experimenting and was a learning experience with a steep curve. It's all about getting out there and just trying new things!

Tasting - Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $1.25/187ml 
ABV: 13%

Their review: "Big berry flavors like currant, raspberry, and blackberry jam with a velvety vanilla finish. Lush and lasting, it's sure to make a big impression."

My review: Even darker than the merlot, perhaps more red than purple. There is more of a choclately perfumyness on this nose, but other than that it has that familiar black peppery smell of a cab sauv. Not much dryness to it, not very boozy, not very peppery, not very full-bodied... this is underwhelming. I should expect this given the quantity of wine Barefoot distributes and the price at which it distributes it... but the merlot really pleasantly surprised me and I was hoping this would too. I can faintly, faintly, pick up the aforementioned vanilla, but it is not "velvety" and is pretty late in the finish. The peppery nose does not translate to the flavor to any high degree either, and certainly not to a degree deserving of the praise "big impression." Again, a pretty underwhelming, one-dimensional wine, but drinkable and affordable. Would recommend it to somebody perhaps just getting their feet wet with cabernet sauvignons. 

Tasting - Barefoot Merlot

Name: Barefoot Merlot
Variety: Merlot
Region: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $1.25/187ml 
ABV: 13%


Their review: "The perfect combo of cherry, boysenberry, plum, and chocolate flavors. Raised right, it's well rounded with mild tannins."

My review: A wonderfully dark, inky, purple-black. Extremely enjoyable on the nose... a vegetal, perfumy, perhaps floral aroma that balances with the dark fruit. Contrary to how I feel about merlots in general, I could smell this wine all day. Extremely dry, not nearly as full-bodied as I expected. The vegetal perfumy flowers don't really come through in the flavor and thus give way to simply a fruity blackness. I'm also getting a slight weird metallic finish that doesn't linger so it makes you wonder if it's even there. There is a familiar spiciness in the finish as well. Overall a very simply wine but the dryness and interesting nose makes it fun to drink in my opinion, and you can hardly beat the price. 

Tasting - The Naked Grape Harvest Red Blend

Name: The Naked Grape Harvest Red Blend
Variety: Not Listed - Red Blend
Region: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $5.99 
ABV: 12%


Their review: "Aromas of raspberry and red plum. A smooth body that's blended to the beat of unrestrained character."

My review: Skinny slow legs on a very dark black and purple wine. Swirling it I can smell it from two feet away. Fairly spicy on the nose but balanced with a dark cherry or plum-y fruitiness. The taste is far more spicy than the nose gives hint to. But the body is very full. This has easily become one of my top five favorite wines. I would guess the blend is cab sauv and maybe merlot, because it is fairly dry yet robust and drinkable. It's possible it's cab sauv with pinot noir because of the drinkability I mentioned - it's hard to tell and I really wish I knew the composition now. Even with an allergy-ridden nose the spiciness and dark red fruit work so well together. I don't know if I could tell a plum from a cherry considered I can't recall ever having a plum, but this would probably lean more towards plum. I tend to really enjoy the pepperyness that the cabernet sauvignon grape offers, but I am very happy with how it's been balanced in this wine. 

Tasting - Redwood Creek Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Redwood Creek Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $4.99 (?)
ABV: 12%


Their review: "Zesty notes of lemon and grapefruit are balanced with refreshing hints of green herbs and melon."

My review: Very clear and very little color with wide, quick legs. Allergies are making it tough to get the full aroma but I definitely get some sort of melon on the nose. The bottle has been open for a few days which may explain the complete lack of boozy smell. Not as crisp of a taste as I would expect, but it's very good. The melon is unmistakable in the flavor profile. Reminds me of some sort of green melon. I can't get much more out of it now but I do enjoy it and it's certainly reinforced my liking for sauv blancs. 

Tasting - Attimo Winery Sweet Berry Sunset

Name: Sweet Berry Sunset
Variety: 50% Raspberry Grape Wine, 50% Red Table Wine
Region: Christiansburg, Virginia
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $15.00
ABV: 12.5%

Their review: "This is a sweet blend of berry and red table wine."

My review: Had a glass of a bottle my friend bought from the winery. Entirely, entirely, entirely too sweet for my liking. Sickly sweet. Pours a translucent, ruby red with quick, skinny legs. A very nice looking glass of wine. Smells of pretty much only raspberries, and hints at how sweet it's going to be. But holy cow I can not get over how sweet this wine is. I had a hard time finishing the glass. At that point it was more like alcoholic grape juice. Definitely confirmed my liking for much dryer red wines. 

Tasting - Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier

Name: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier
Variety: Rauchbier
Region: Bavaria
Country: Germany
Year: No Year
Price: $4.25/pint
ABV: 5.1%


Their review: "Considered the classic example in its category, it has been brewed for centuries in the baroque town of Bamberg in Franconia. All its select barley malts are kilned over a fire of beech wood logs. Brewed in classic copper vessels and matured for months, it is truly a unique smoky beer experience. "

My review: Pours a deep brown, a few shades lighter than a black ale but darker than most brown ales yet still translucent. There is little to no head that doesn't last very long and leaves no lacing. Smells incredibly and overpoweringly of smoked ham. Upon tasting the smell turns into an equivalent taste of smoked ham for a second or two, and transitions into a pleasant roastiness. The flavor definitely fades quickly and leaves a faint, porter-esque aftertaste. Even warm, the body is much thinner than I would expect. Ultimately there were fewer complexities than I thought there would be, but what an interesting beer. 

Bay Bridge White Zinfandel

Name: Bay Bridge White Zinfandel
Variety: Zinfandel
Region: Central Coast, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $2.99
ABV: 9.5%

Their review: From tastings.com: "Pale pink hue. Subdued strawberry nose. A soft entry leads a gentle, light-bodied palate with supple acidity. Modest sweetness is balanced by acidity through the finish. Not overly flavorful, but pretty well balanced."

My review: Characteristic of the white zinfandel from Gallo Family, very pink hue with almost no legs. A much more sour smell, reminiscent of strawberries and peaches. I think the sourness as a substitute for sweetness leads me to enjoy this wine more than Gallo Family. It is interesting to compare the two. It is very light-bodied, and the taste doesn't have much more to offer than faint strawberries. Very drinkable. 

Gallo Family White Zinfandel

Name: Gallo Family White Zinfandel
Variety: Zinfandel
Region: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $1.25/187mL, $5/bottle
ABV: 9%

Their review: "Our White Zinfandel combines crisp refreshment with bring fruit flavors of fresh strawberry and hints of sweet, white peach."

My review: Very pink, approaching red, and almost no legs to speak of which tells me this will likely be a very thin, light wine. Almost sickeningly sweet on the nose - this has been a trend with the lighter wines I've tried tonight. Peaches everywhere. Tons and tons of peaches. Possibly perfumey peaches. Again a carbonated feel to it. The peaches dominate the taste, but it's not nearly as sweet as the smell would lead you to believe. Actually I prefer the taste greatly to the smell. I'm not excited about this wine, but given its sweetness I was expecting far worse. 

Gallo Family Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Gallo Family Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Modesto, San Joaquin Valley, California
Country: United States of America
Year: No Year
Price: $1.25/187mL, $5/bottle
ABV: 13%

Their review: "A full-bodied combination of blackberry and black currant, balanced by a hint of oak for a smooth mouth feel."

My review: A dark, ruby-purple with bold legs. Absolute black fruit on the nose - I would probably best describe it as blackberry, it's pretty enjoyable. If anything it's slightly more fruity than other cab sauvs I've tried. This fruitiness replaces a significant part of what is typically a peppery taste, but the pepper is still pleasantly evident. The mouth feel was describe as "smooth," with the exception of a boozy after kick I agree with this. On second-thought probably a little more alcohol taste than I would prefer. That slightly-more-faint-than-usual pepperyness comes out more in the taste, especially with aeration. Overall it seems like a pretty typical cabernet sauvignon but doesn't disappoint. It's familiar and nice. 

Gallo Family Red Moscato

Name: Gallo Family Red Moscato
Variety: Moscato
Region: Not listed - grown in Argentina
Country: Argentina, bottled in U.S. 
Year: No Year
Price: $1.25/187mL, $5/bottle
ABV: 10%

Their review: "Our lively Red Moscato brings sweet citrus and peach flavors, with a red berry finish."

My review: A deep yet translucent red with faint, lazy legs. I don't know if I've been to critical of wine lately - I don't think I have - but the nose really doesn't appeal to me. The red berry is there, but it's as if it were a red berry that went bad before it even ripened. It's almost a sour berry, and fairly intrusive. It has the same carbonation feel that the pink moscato had, and again is just overly sweet. I honestly don't have much more to say about it. The pink and red moscatos absolutely disappointed me with the excessive sweetness and lack of body.