Wine and Cheese Pairing

    

An unattractive picture of our DIY cheese board 

 

My friend and I did our wine and cheese pairing together. We had brie, white cheddar and gouda. We paired our brie with Moscato, white cheddar with pinot grigio and gouda with cabernet sauvignon. 

Moscato

  This is a California Moscato by Liberty Creek Vineyards. The Moscato was fruity with hints of pear, peach and citrus. It was very light bodied and refreshing. We paired this wine with the brie.

  The brie really well with the Moscato. This pairing brought out the flavors of both the cheese and the wine. The sweetness of the wine cut the heaviness of the cheese. The cheese was very nutty and the sweetness brought that out of the cheese.

The white cheddar was not as good with the Moscato as the brie was but still a decent pairing. It made the wine sharper because of how salty the cheese was.

The gouda was not good with the Moscato. The wine completely overpowered the gouda and the tang of the gouda was not good with the sweetness of the wine. 

Pinot Grigio

This is a California Pinot Grigio from California. It had hints of citrus and apple. It was kind of acidic and very light-bodied. We paired it with white cheddar. 

  The Pinot grigio with the white cheddar was really good. The citrus of the wine with the saltiness of the cheese paired really well and it brought out the flavor of both. The wine brought out the deeper flavors of the cheese and the cheese made the wine more refreshing than it already was.

The brie was not as good with the pinot grigio. The wine slightly brought out the fattiness of the brie but the wine slightly overpowered the taste of the brie. 

The gouda was not good with the pinot grigio. The gouda took away the fruitiness of the wine and the wine overpowered the cheese. 

Cabernet Sauvignon 

  This a Cabernet Sauvignon by Vendange. It was woody, toasty and bitter. It had hints of cherry and black berries. We paired this wine with the gouda.

  The gouda was not good with the Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine really overpowers the cheese, and the wine was very bitter.

  The brie was not good with the Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine overpowered the flavor of the cheese and really brought out the fattiness of the brie. The cheese overpowered the deeper flavors of the wine.

  The white cheddar was really good with the Cabernet Sauvignon. It took down the bitterness of the wine and brought out the fruit. The wine brought out the flavor of the cheese and tasted much smoother with the cheese. 

Me with the wine

Wine Dinner #1

 

   My friend and I did our wine dinner together. We had three different wines, an appetizer, entree and dessert.

                                                            My friend and I drinking wine

   For our appetizer we had pork and vegetable steamed dumplings with soy sauce. We paired it with a Chardonnay. It is bottled by Joseph Carr and is a vintage 2023 from California. I personally am not a big fan of Chardonnay by itself, but it paired really well with these dumplings. The Chardonnay itself had hints of citrus, honey, pear and was oaky. It tested much better after it was chilled. The Chardonnay with the dumplings was surprisingly delicious. The wine took away the saltiness of the soy sauce and blended well with the pork. The dumplings brought out the honey and pear in the wine and made it more refreshing, taking the bitterness away from the wine. 

Steamed Dumplings                                         Josh Chardonnay

 Me with the Chardonnay

 For our entree we had a salmon bowl with rice. mango, cucumber, avocado and crispy onions. We paired it with a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from Kim Crawford. The Sauvignon Blanc is a 2024 wine from New Zealand. It had fresh grass notes with a hint of pear and cider. It smelled very heavily like grass and was a little bitter but still pretty sweet. It paired really well with the salmon. It brought out the flavor of the mangos and the spice of the salmon. It slightly overpowered the food, but I still thought it was a good pairing.

Salmon Bowl Entree                                       Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

Me with the Sauvignon Blanc

  For our dessert we chose lemon pie. We paired it with a Lamarca Prosecco. This went well together. The food lion lemon pie wasn't as good as we hoped it would be, but the Prosecco made it better. The prosecco was fruity and very light on its own. The prosecco had hints of lemon and a very strong taste of apple. The pie really brought out the lemon in the wine and the wine cut the sweetness of the wine. The wine was more refreshing after the pie.

Lemon Pie                                                     Prosecco

Me with Prosecco

Tasting- Snoop Dog! (19 crimes Cali Rose)

 

Name: 19 Crimes Cali Rose

Variety: Rose

Region: California

Country: USA

Year: 2022

Price: $12.59

Winery Review:  Ripe strawberry notes along with delicate floral, rose petal aromas. Fruit-forward notes of fresh raspberry, strawberry and red cherry. Pleasant mouth-feel with balanced acidity and sweetness. (finewinehouse.com)

Wine Folly: This wine is 75% Zinfandel and wine folly describes it as smoky with exotic spice notes and jammy fruit. (page 189). I did not get a jammy fruit taste but maybe an exotic spice note like cinnamon. 

My Review: I did not like this wine; it tasted like vinegar.  I could taste a tartness like grapefruit, it was definitely a fresh wine with a hint of eucalyptus. I did not eat anything with it and did not enjoy it on it's own. If you're looking for a cheap wine and you don't care about much else, then this isn't bad but definitely not something to sip on and enjoy. 

Tasting- Red Mountain Laurel

 

Name: Red Mountain Laurel Table Wine 

Variety: Niagara and Concord grapes

Region: Floyd, VA

Country: USA

Year: N/A

Price: $10.99

Winery Review: This is a distinctive dessert wine made from a blend of Native American grape varieties. It exhibits flavors of fresh grapes and cherries that are complemented by a sweet, smooth finish. (totalwine.com) 

Wine Folly: (page 102) The concord grape is most planted grape in New York, Wine folly says there is nothing better than a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of concord grape wine (together they make a PB&J). This is a good description; I think the sweetness of this wine would definitely compliment a peanut butter sandwich!

My Review: I loved it! I didn't eat anything with it, but it was delicious on its own! It was sweet and fruity, with hints of blackberry and blueberry. It's very light, smooth and refreshing.

Welcome to Jaime's Wine Journey!

   Hello! My name is Jaime, and I am super excited to learn about wine this semester! I recently turned 21 last September and wine was the first thing I bought. As a college student, I tend to go for the cheaper and sweeter wines, but I do enjoy drinking from my parents' expensive stash occasionally when I go home. I generally don't go for dry reds, but I am excited and willing to try!

   Most of my encounters have been with different flavors of Moscato and Reisling but my absolute favorite is a blueberry wine from Trader Joe's, (which is unfortunately unavailable here in Blacksburg). Most of my experiences have been in the comfort of my own home with my friends. Wine is perfect for a girl's night in. My roommates and I enjoy drinking wine and doing crafts with reality TV on in the background. 

  My hope for this class is to expand my taste in wine and learn more about the culture and history surrounding it! I am also excited to learn more about wine pairings to bring what I've learned home and elevate mine and my roommates craft nights! 

This is a picture of me (left) and my best friend (right) at the ring dance. She is also in this class! :)