Wine & Cheese #1

I've always thought that the best-added bonus to wine was its accessories, one of which being CHEESE. I have and always will love cheese, in pretty much any form, so being able to pair it with wine and blog about it sounded like a pretty sweet idea to me. Luckily, my roommates were on board, too!!

I did some prior reading and article-perusing and found a Wine Folly article about reliable wine-cheese pairings and sent it to the folks who joined me in this endeavor. We collectively decided on a Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and a Rose for the night's line-up, which definitely added a wide variety of flavors and additional cheese experience. The first two brands were two of many recommended to me by a family member, and the Rose was chosen as more of an economic choice...

1. Bogle Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

    Vintage Year: 2020

2. St. Chateau Michelle Sauvignon Blanc

    Vintage Year: 2021

3. Barefoot Rose

    Vintage Year: 2017

    

Our cheeses consisted of, from left to right, an aged cheddar, soft goat cheese, and Havarti, all from Kroger's finest fresh cheese selection. We added crackers upon request as some participants were first-timers with some of the cheeses... I won't say who, though!

Everyone, all geared up... even the dog!!

We began with the Sauvignon Blanc. Initial scents were light, with a lot of citrus and lime in particular, and floral notes that were met with approvals from the two white-wine fanatics in the group. Such citrus and lime absolutely made themselves known upon the first sip, as all four of us contested that those were the top flavors. It had an overall sweet disposition with hardly any dryness, and left a lightly fruity and refreshing finish. As someone who doesn't have a lot of practice with white wines, the thinness was surprising, in a neutral way that I'm not sure how to label. One member of the group said it tasted and felt like, "an adult Capri Sun", which accurately sums up the general rating. This wine was easy to drink and a solid opening act to the night. 

We paired the Sauv Blanc with the goat cheese, which turned out to be a MAJOR hit. I personally am not a goat cheese fan and was eager to see if the wine would help me palate the cheese, and it certainly did. The wine absolutely diminished the tanginess of the cheese and instead enhanced a deeper, warmer flavor that was almost brine-like and familiar. The cheese then reduced the acidity of the wine and made it less of a burn in your mouth, but at the same time, the cheese diminished some of the sweetness of the wine. Overall, the pairing made both the wine and the cheese better than they were by themselves, as nothing was overpowered, and seemed pretty balanced!

Next, we moved on to the Cabernet Sauvignon. I will say right off the bat that this was a FANTASTIC wine that I will be purchasing again! I, unfortunately, was alone in this sentiment until later on in the night. It had a dark, full aroma filled with a lot of dark cherry that carried right on into the first sip. It was only slightly dry which made it much more enjoyable for everyone, and it overall had a dark, fruity feel with some creamy vanilla mixed in there as well. It had a noticeable finish and went down quite smoothly. Some crowd comments included a "syrupy mouth feel", "lots of cranberry", and "alcohol". I loved this wine so much because it was just the right amount of dark fruit, mild tannins, but not too sweet or light. It had a very full flavor that wasn't too overpowering or hard to bear. 

We paired the Cab Sauv with cheddar, and as I expected, this was my favorite pairing. The wine immediately brought out the warmth and creaminess of the cheese, and the cheese balanced out the dry components of the wine completely.  It had a nearly perfect cheddar flavor that slightly emulated that of Cheese-Its, but I really wasn't complaining. The wine made the cheese taste almost buttery and sweet, and the cheese did a good job in cutting out the acidity of the wine. Everyone who had trouble with the wine on its own contested that the cheese made the wine much more palatable, and this quickly became a hit with one guest who at first was struggling to enjoy the wine by itself. Again, this was my favorite pairing, as the flavors really complimented each other and appealed to my own personal tastes, and brought about a great balance between all the components of each.

Lastly, we tried the Rose. This tasted as we expected, and it very much tasted as it smelled. It felt, literally, "pink", with a lot of floral and sweet notes that could really almost be taken as a subdued fruit juice. It did smell and taste to emulate its price, which might sound bad, but it did feel cheap. There was a slight bubbly and effervescent feeling to it once it was fully in your mouth, and a light cherry flavor was the strongest fruit we could taste. It was almost too sweet after a few sips, and eventually started to have a strawberry-lemonade aura to it that was slightly confusing. The individual who called the Sauv Blanc "an adult Capri Sun" noted this Rose to be simply "a Capri Sun", so I think that sums up the crowd evaluations quite well.

We paired the Rose with Havarti, which was a decent decision. The cheese complemented the wine on a very basic level in the sense that nothing was made worse by adding the other element, but honestly, nothing was made that much better compared to the other two pairings. Not much happened in terms of flavor change or quality enhancements, and I think this partly had to do with how Havarti cheese kind of takes a while to develop a flavor in your mouth. Additionally, the blandness of the wine limited it in its ability to influence the cheese in any meaningful way. Overall, it was a subtle pairing with a mediocre, dull flavor that definitely muted the sweetness of the wine (which could be a plus for some people, but not me personally), and brought out some more acidic components, which was a bit confusing after the initial sweet tasting. 

At the end of the night, we were all quite pleased with our wine and cheese selections! The biggest overall hit was the goat cheese and the Sauvignon Blanc, but my personal favorite was the cheddar and Cabernet Sauvignon. This was a great exposure to new wines, as I think I've found some brands that I particularly like! And, we have some leftovers for Superbowl Sunday!