The first pairing we did was the Gouda with the Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine by itself was good, it was dry, with hints of dark fruit such as plums and currents. A very dry yet fruit wine, the heat of the wine was a little strong with the alcohol content being 13.5%. The Gouda cheese was very rubbery and sticky kind of, I have heard lots about gouda but do not recall ever having any. The cheese was a little smokey and on the tongue it helped lower the heat from the alcohol, this cheese and wine pairing was hands down our favorite of the evening.
The next pairing we had was the Turning Leaf Merlot with the Asiago Cheese. The wine by itself I was not a fan of, it was very dry and the fruity aspects to it just didn't seem to mellow with me. The heat from this wine wasn't enormous but it was enough to turn me away. The jammy blackberryness of this wine just sort of made it bitter on my palate. I though that the cheese would make this wine taste a little better but it did not at all. I am a fan of asiago cheese but I feel this cheese would be served better in a grilled cheese sandwich and not just for table cheese. The cheese was very bitter and sharp, the bitterness of the wine along with the bitterness of the cheese made for a rather odd pairing but I guess it would work better with the more aged palate.
Last up on the agenda we had the Gruyere cheese paired with a favorite of mine, the Rex-Goliath Sauvignon blanc! I enjoy this wine and thought why not pair it with a cheese. The wine by itself tastes and smells of a lime, citrus, and green apple. A very refreshing wine that cleanses the palate. The wine was very nice and reminds me of summer time. The cheese however was not so light and refreshing. The cheese was not very good, it was very heavy and smokey, almost overwhelmingly smoky. Megan and I found this pairing to be counterproductive. After tasting the cheese and following it with the wine the cheese almost seemed to kill the fruit flavors of the wine and the heat from the alcohol more prominent. It was very odd to have a cheese actually bring out more heat as apposed to deteriorating it. At the end of the tasting we got a little carried away and started talking and then went back to our favorite cheese, the Gouda, and ate some of it while we were finishing our glasses of the Sauvignon Blanc. And sure enough the Gouda paired better with it than the Gruyere! We continued to enjoy the new found delicious combo until we realized that these blogs needed to be typed and submitted rather quickly.
Overall this was a cool experience and I am glad we decided to do it in such a spur of the moment thing! Below is a picture of us and our layout. We decided that today April 26th is now national Kyle and Megan wine tasting and adventure day for the years to come!
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