Wine/Cheese Pairing 2
This last week I traveled back home to Texas to spend the holiday with my family. My grandfather is a wine drinker so I figured what better way to spend some time with him than a few wine tastings and a wine cheese pairing. My two previous posts were our wine tastings, which were fun to enjoy with someone who knows more about wine than myself. When we sat down to do this pairing, my mom decided to join us!
The Wines
The Seven Deadly Zins 2014 Lodi Old Wine Zinfandel
This wine was very strong on the nose and to the taste for a Zinfandel. My grandfather and I both noticed this, as it was not what we expected. Although you could smell the alcohol, the wine was very fruity to the taste. At first, it tasted medium bodied and I anticipated the little spice and kick that would come from a more bodied red wine. But as all the flavors kicked in, it mellowed out to a lighter, sweeter, and more fruity wine.
Ruffino Riserva Ducale 2013 Chianti Classico
For our next wine, I chose a Chianti. Chianti was my first real experience with wine when I visited Italy for a study abroad trip. Likely due to this, it is still my favorite wine and this Ruffino did not disappoint. To the nose, this Chianti was fruity and seemed to be fairly light bodied, but to the tongue it took on the classic Chianti characteristics. I loved how the tannins and bold flavor mixed with the fruity and spicy tones. An excellent wine for a great price, I loved this Chianti. As great as this Ruffino was, it was surprisingly not my favorite in the pairing.
Robert Mondavi 2015 Bourbon Aged Cabernet Sauvignon
I like most every Cabernet Sauvignon I have tasted, but it is not my favorite wine. Some are just a little to heavily-bodied for my taste and I like wines I do not feel the need to eat with. Due to this, I did not expect the Robert Mondavi to be my favorite wine, but I think it is the best wine I have ever tasted. I actually used a Robert Mondavi in my last pairing, but it tasted vastly different from this one. The different was the bourbon barrel aging. I never thought this could make such a substantial difference, but it absolutely did. The wine had similar aromatic characteristics to most cabernet sauvignon, but a very different taste. Many of the bold, acidic and alcoholic tones became soft, silky, and fruity. What remained was a wine with aggressive tannins, average acidity, and fruity vanilla flavors that was just biting enough to the initial taste but smooth thereafter. I even detected some brown sugar and cinnamon when pairing with the cheese. Probably the best wine I have ever tasted.
The Cheeses
I have never been a huge cheese person so I generally stick to the more basic ones that I know. In addition to this eliminating any surprises, it helps me to pair with wine because I know what flavors are coming from the cheese and what flavors are coming from the wine. I had not had swiss cheese with wine so I decided to give it a try. I know it is on the lighter side so I figured it would go well with the Zinfandel or Chianti (I was wrong). The apple smoked cheddar cheese is just my favorite cheese, has very prominent flavors and pairs well with most anything heavy enough to handle it. My grandfather recommended the Monterrey Jack as a medium cheese that should go pretty well with any of the wines but not risk overpowering any of them. The cheeses for this pairing did not pair as well as those in my last one. This might be because we did not have a lighter wine. The swiss just did not really add anything as it's flavors are just too light and far off from the wines. Although this was an issue, the cheddar and jack did pair very well.
The Pairings
The Seven Deadly Zins 2014 Lodi Old Wine Zinfandel
Best - Definitely the Monterrey Jack. With the fruity flavors behind some of the alcohol and acidity of the wine, the cheese did a great job allowing you to taste all the flavors from the get-go without having to work past the initial taste. I picked up more floral and earthy notes with the cheese as it allowed me more time to try and detect these flavors. The cheddar paired well but was just a little strong and overpowered the wine to the point of me detecting more flavors in the cheese. The swiss just muted the flavors of both the cheese and wine and left an odd sensation in the mouth.
Ruffino Riserva Ducale 2013 Chianti Classico
This wine had the same issues with the swiss cheese as the Zinfandel. It paired alright with the Monterrey Jack, allowing me to taste the wine for a longer duration, it just seemed to cancel out some of the flavors I was expecting to detect. The best pairing for this Chianti was the smoked cheddar. The bold flavors of the apple smoking drew my taste to the berry and spice undertones of the wine. Spice is usually a characteristic I struggle to detect, but not when pairing with this cheese. The smoke and fruit flavors of the cheese draw me towards these characteristics and allow me to fully enjoy them.
Robert Mondavi 2015 Bourbon Aged Cabernet Sauvignon
The Seven Deadly Zins 2014 Lodi Old Wine Zinfandel
This wine was very strong on the nose and to the taste for a Zinfandel. My grandfather and I both noticed this, as it was not what we expected. Although you could smell the alcohol, the wine was very fruity to the taste. At first, it tasted medium bodied and I anticipated the little spice and kick that would come from a more bodied red wine. But as all the flavors kicked in, it mellowed out to a lighter, sweeter, and more fruity wine.
Ruffino Riserva Ducale 2013 Chianti Classico
For our next wine, I chose a Chianti. Chianti was my first real experience with wine when I visited Italy for a study abroad trip. Likely due to this, it is still my favorite wine and this Ruffino did not disappoint. To the nose, this Chianti was fruity and seemed to be fairly light bodied, but to the tongue it took on the classic Chianti characteristics. I loved how the tannins and bold flavor mixed with the fruity and spicy tones. An excellent wine for a great price, I loved this Chianti. As great as this Ruffino was, it was surprisingly not my favorite in the pairing.
Robert Mondavi 2015 Bourbon Aged Cabernet Sauvignon
I like most every Cabernet Sauvignon I have tasted, but it is not my favorite wine. Some are just a little to heavily-bodied for my taste and I like wines I do not feel the need to eat with. Due to this, I did not expect the Robert Mondavi to be my favorite wine, but I think it is the best wine I have ever tasted. I actually used a Robert Mondavi in my last pairing, but it tasted vastly different from this one. The different was the bourbon barrel aging. I never thought this could make such a substantial difference, but it absolutely did. The wine had similar aromatic characteristics to most cabernet sauvignon, but a very different taste. Many of the bold, acidic and alcoholic tones became soft, silky, and fruity. What remained was a wine with aggressive tannins, average acidity, and fruity vanilla flavors that was just biting enough to the initial taste but smooth thereafter. I even detected some brown sugar and cinnamon when pairing with the cheese. Probably the best wine I have ever tasted.
The Cheeses
I have never been a huge cheese person so I generally stick to the more basic ones that I know. In addition to this eliminating any surprises, it helps me to pair with wine because I know what flavors are coming from the cheese and what flavors are coming from the wine. I had not had swiss cheese with wine so I decided to give it a try. I know it is on the lighter side so I figured it would go well with the Zinfandel or Chianti (I was wrong). The apple smoked cheddar cheese is just my favorite cheese, has very prominent flavors and pairs well with most anything heavy enough to handle it. My grandfather recommended the Monterrey Jack as a medium cheese that should go pretty well with any of the wines but not risk overpowering any of them. The cheeses for this pairing did not pair as well as those in my last one. This might be because we did not have a lighter wine. The swiss just did not really add anything as it's flavors are just too light and far off from the wines. Although this was an issue, the cheddar and jack did pair very well.
The Pairings
The Seven Deadly Zins 2014 Lodi Old Wine Zinfandel
Best - Definitely the Monterrey Jack. With the fruity flavors behind some of the alcohol and acidity of the wine, the cheese did a great job allowing you to taste all the flavors from the get-go without having to work past the initial taste. I picked up more floral and earthy notes with the cheese as it allowed me more time to try and detect these flavors. The cheddar paired well but was just a little strong and overpowered the wine to the point of me detecting more flavors in the cheese. The swiss just muted the flavors of both the cheese and wine and left an odd sensation in the mouth.
Ruffino Riserva Ducale 2013 Chianti Classico
This wine had the same issues with the swiss cheese as the Zinfandel. It paired alright with the Monterrey Jack, allowing me to taste the wine for a longer duration, it just seemed to cancel out some of the flavors I was expecting to detect. The best pairing for this Chianti was the smoked cheddar. The bold flavors of the apple smoking drew my taste to the berry and spice undertones of the wine. Spice is usually a characteristic I struggle to detect, but not when pairing with this cheese. The smoke and fruit flavors of the cheese draw me towards these characteristics and allow me to fully enjoy them.
Robert Mondavi 2015 Bourbon Aged Cabernet Sauvignon
I anticipated this wine to pair best with the cheddar because it is has a fuller body, but I enjoyed it's taste so much that I actually found the cheddar taking away too many of its flavors. The jack cheese found that happy medium, pushing me past the acidity and alcohol components without compromising any of the flavors I so much liked. Before pairing with cheese, I detected hints of cinnamon and brown sugar. After pairing with the cheese, I was sure of what I thought was there before. It's amazing what barrel aging can impart on a wine, but I have never tasted anything like this aged in a bourbon barrel. The barrel aspects are pushed further forward and the bourbon gives the wine flavors not usually present. While some might prefer more traditional tastes, I thought this was such a unique marriage, brought to the forefront by the cheese. I will definitely be pairing this wine with other cheeses in the future to even further enjoy it's unique tones.
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