Wine and Cheese Night!

 

For our wine and cheese night we enjoyed seven different cheeses (Gouda, Vermont Cheddar, Brie with Pepper, Colby Jack, Goat, Parmesan, and Onion and Chive with three wines (Reisling, Pinot Noir, and a Malbec)

Fish Eye Riesling

Year 2011

Varietal Wine

South Eastern Australia

Chile

Price: $12.00

Winery Review: Fresh picked apricots with floral aromas.

My Review: Fruity nose with hints of floral. Pear and apple flavors.

Cheeses: The Chive and Onion was a good pairing, the fruitiness of the Riesling balanced out the very strong onion flavor of the cheese. The Goat Cheese brought out the acidity in the Riesling. While the Brie cheese was a little too light to pair with this wine, the combination didn't make much flavor in either the wine or the cheese. The wine really calms down the Vermont Cheddar making it slightly milder. The Riesling is definitely best paired with the Goat cheese.

 

The Little Penguin Pinot Noir

Year 2011

Varietal Wine

Australia

Price: $8.00

Winery Review: Medium body red with no edges, pleasant, ripe fruit flavors abound.

My Review: It is very musty and earthy with hints of bark, but balanced out with black cherry flavors and a touch of pepper.

Cheeses: The flavors of the wine are very strong with the Chive and Onion cheese. With the Colby Jack cheese the wine is less dry and the cheese's creaminess is really brought out. Definitely brings out the goat cheese flavor. The Parmesan is too dry to be paired with the wine while the Brie's creaminess helps enhance the wine's very light fruitiness. The Vermont Cheddar overpowers the wine's flavor but the Gouda is just the right match for this Pinot Noir bringing out all of the wine's distinct flavors including the cherries and peppers. 

Alamos Malbec

Varietal Wine

Year 2012

South America

Argentina

Price: $12.00

Winery Review: Marries rich fruit flavors with dark, earthy notes

My Review: Cherry nose with a hint of citrus. This wine has a strong blackberry taste and very dry mouthfeel.

Cheeses: This wine really brings out the Gouda's delicious flavors. It really compliments the Onion and Chive cheese, however the cheese makes the wine slightly more bitter. The onion doesn't overpower the fruit flavors in this wine. Somehow, despite it being so dry, this wine makes the Goat cheese even creamier. The pepper in the Brie cheese becomes very prominent paired with the wine. Just like the previous wine, it is just too dry to be paired with a dry cheese like Parmesan. On the other hand, the Colby Jack is a great pair with this wine bring out the earthy notes in the wine while keeping its amazing creaminess and flavor.