Wine/Cheese Pairing
This week I decided to do a wine/cheese pairing with a few friends in class with me. We had 3 different types of cheese, 2 red wines, and a white wine. We had three rounds of pairing, one round for each wine. For each round we got a slice of the three cheeses to see how it paired with the wine. This was my first experience with this kind of pairing and, to my surprise, there were definitely some pairs I much preferred over others.
The wines: Turning Leaf Pinot Grigio, Decoy Pinot Noir, and Robert Mondavi Merlot. All three are 100% their respective grapes and are 2015 vintage.
Turning Leaf California Pinot Grigio - this wine does not have any particularly strong aromas or flavors that are out of the ordinary. I tasted many of the typical fruit flavors in white wine as well as some of the minerals and acidity that usually accompanies a pinot grigio. Although these aspects were present, there were none that stood out to me in particular besides the lack of minerals and acidity. Because of this, the taste of the cheese really stood out when paired.
Decoy Sonoma County Pinot Noir - a medium bodied wine with many complex flavors. I had the most difficulty putting my finger on the aspects of this wine. This wine had sweeter fruit flavors such as strawberries when compared to the merlot, but this wine had far less tannins and body. When paired, the cheese allowed me to taste for of the flavors in this wine.
Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Merlot - this wine has the fullest body of the three wines. Very strong in the typical merlot flavors and aromas of plum, cherry, and berries with a fairly dry finish. Although more bodied than the pinot noir, this merlot was not as complex. When paired with the cheese, this wine was tamed down a little in the mouth, accenting the fruit flavors over the other aspects of the wine.
The Cheeses: Apple Smoked Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, and Sharp Provolone. Each had a different flavor and consistency from the others that factored into the pairing.
Apple Smoked Cheddar - definitely the most flavor, at times almost taking over the wine. Cheddar cheese is already very flavorful and the smokey addition made the cheese even more overwhelming.
Monterrey Jack - easily the mildest of the cheeses. Allowed more of the wine flavors to be detected without sacrificing other aspects.
Sharp Provolone - with the most distinct flavor, it either did not pair well with the wine or brought out flavors/sensations not as easily observed before the pairing.
The Pairings
Turning Leaf California Pinot Grigio:
Best - definitely the Monterrey Jack. I just don't feel as if this wine has enough body or tannins to pair well with much flavor, like that in the other two cheeses. When paired, the Monterrey Jack eliminated some of the minerals and acidity I detected before tasting with the cheese. I picked up more of the sweet fruit flavors that I had originally, but would still prefer the wine without any cheese.
Decoy Sonoma County Pinot Noir:
Best - the Sharp Provolone. Like many pinot noirs, this provolone had the most complex flavor. It had a uniqueness when paired with the pinot noir that none of the other pairings with any of the wine or cheeses had. Some sips I would taste things I did not in other sips, it was just very fun and interesting. I think much of it depended on how much of the wine/cheese I had at any given time. When I had only a little cheese with a lot of wine, I almost taste some floral flavors I hadn't even remotely originally detected.
Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Merlot:
Best - now for my favorite pairing of the night. While the other two wines paired well with some of the cheeses, I loved this wine with the Apple Smoked Cheddar. Both are incredibly flavorful, providing for some incredible clashes and very interesting combinations. With so much flavor in both, this pairing surprised me the most and made it the most enjoyable. The smoke in the cheese actually allowed me to get a taste of the smoke in the wine when tasting it a second time without the cheese, something I always have trouble identifying.
Overall, this was a great experience with both expected and unexpected results. I definitely plan on doing this more to better enjoy a variety of wines. Next time, I plan on getting more flavorful wines and cheeses to see what more complex flavors it will bring out.
The wines: Turning Leaf Pinot Grigio, Decoy Pinot Noir, and Robert Mondavi Merlot. All three are 100% their respective grapes and are 2015 vintage.
Decoy Sonoma County Pinot Noir - a medium bodied wine with many complex flavors. I had the most difficulty putting my finger on the aspects of this wine. This wine had sweeter fruit flavors such as strawberries when compared to the merlot, but this wine had far less tannins and body. When paired, the cheese allowed me to taste for of the flavors in this wine.
Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Merlot - this wine has the fullest body of the three wines. Very strong in the typical merlot flavors and aromas of plum, cherry, and berries with a fairly dry finish. Although more bodied than the pinot noir, this merlot was not as complex. When paired with the cheese, this wine was tamed down a little in the mouth, accenting the fruit flavors over the other aspects of the wine.
The Cheeses: Apple Smoked Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, and Sharp Provolone. Each had a different flavor and consistency from the others that factored into the pairing.
Monterrey Jack - easily the mildest of the cheeses. Allowed more of the wine flavors to be detected without sacrificing other aspects.
Sharp Provolone - with the most distinct flavor, it either did not pair well with the wine or brought out flavors/sensations not as easily observed before the pairing.
The Pairings
Turning Leaf California Pinot Grigio:
Best - definitely the Monterrey Jack. I just don't feel as if this wine has enough body or tannins to pair well with much flavor, like that in the other two cheeses. When paired, the Monterrey Jack eliminated some of the minerals and acidity I detected before tasting with the cheese. I picked up more of the sweet fruit flavors that I had originally, but would still prefer the wine without any cheese.
Decoy Sonoma County Pinot Noir:
Best - the Sharp Provolone. Like many pinot noirs, this provolone had the most complex flavor. It had a uniqueness when paired with the pinot noir that none of the other pairings with any of the wine or cheeses had. Some sips I would taste things I did not in other sips, it was just very fun and interesting. I think much of it depended on how much of the wine/cheese I had at any given time. When I had only a little cheese with a lot of wine, I almost taste some floral flavors I hadn't even remotely originally detected.
Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Merlot:
Best - now for my favorite pairing of the night. While the other two wines paired well with some of the cheeses, I loved this wine with the Apple Smoked Cheddar. Both are incredibly flavorful, providing for some incredible clashes and very interesting combinations. With so much flavor in both, this pairing surprised me the most and made it the most enjoyable. The smoke in the cheese actually allowed me to get a taste of the smoke in the wine when tasting it a second time without the cheese, something I always have trouble identifying.
Overall, this was a great experience with both expected and unexpected results. I definitely plan on doing this more to better enjoy a variety of wines. Next time, I plan on getting more flavorful wines and cheeses to see what more complex flavors it will bring out.
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