Wine and Cheese 1

Wine photos:  

Cheese photo:  

Photo of me:  

Pairing 1:  Starborough Sauvignon Blanc w/ Roth Kase Havarti Dill

• Wine alone
• Distinct pear aroma and flavor.  Slight acidity with a gentle finish.
• With cheese
• The cheese was very creamy, but surprisingly it took away some of the pear flavor.  Perhaps the fats in the cheese absorbed some of the acids and took some flavor with it.
• The two feel like a decent pairing, but I can't say it was great just because the flavors slightly canceled out
• The cheese flavor was more prominent of the two
• Despite the acidity tempering the richness of the cheese, the combination had an overall pleasant taste.
• The fattiness was brought down by the acidity of the wine

Pairing 2:  Cline Mourvedre Rose w/ Murray's Gruyere

• Wine alone
• Raspberry or blackberry initial flavor with a peach after taste.  The aroma was piercing, almost to the point of being able to taste the wine itself without needing to drink it.
• With cheese
• The berry and peach flavors were still present in the profile
• The cheese was rather dry and sharp, and took away from some of the wine's acidity
• Unlike the last pairing, the flavors of both remained throughout the tasting, lending to a more complex flavor profile
• I feel that both the wine and the cheese were able to sing through individually, neither overpowering the other
• However, they did not really have a cooperative flavor.  Both were equal, yes, but they did not have complementary flavors
• I do not think this pairing was a success, it felt a bit like oil and water.

Pairing 3:  Cline Mourvedre Red w/ Murray's Young Manchego

• Wine alone
• Strong alcohol smell.  Intense fruity and alcohol smell, but the taste is much milder.  There is a cherry or raspberry height to the flavor, with a texture in the mouth resembling that of dark chocolate after the swallow.  Very tannic
• With cheese
• The cheese brings out the fruity flavors, canceling out the acidity
• The wine flavors complemented the smoothness of the cheese
• I bit some of the cheese, chewed it until almost swallowing, then drank the wine and finished off the cheese.  Compared to the last two pairings, I could not make a distinction between the flavors of the wine and the cheese.
• The fats of the cheese absorbed some of the wine and allowed its flavors to blend with the wine, making both flavors better.
• The cheese was not very salty or sharp, but had a nice creamy and rich flavor for the wine to mix well with.