Wine & Cheese Paring #3

 

The Experience:

The Wines:

   

I enjoyed a wine & cheese paring at a wine club in Leesburg, VA over Spring Break with my mother. We got a cheese and charcuterie board that we paired with three different wines: Luis Canes Rosa Valance Viejas, Pago de los Capellanes Tinto Joven, and Thorn-Clarke Single Vineyard Grenache. The cheeses included: Blue DiCapra, Grafton Cheddar, and Melassndinmae Ada Brie.

1) Luis Canas Roja Vlanco Vinas Viejas:

The wine has a vintage year of 2022 and is from Rioja, Spain. It is made up of 85% Macabeo, 10% Malvasia Riojana, and 5% Tempranillo Blanco grapes. Originally, it smelt like slightly cooked white fish. It gives a salty finish on the back end of the throat. There was not much acidity or tannins and went down like thick water.

Blue DiCapra: The cheese tasted like clothes straight out of the dryer without a dryer sheet (very dry). Tannins fill the mouth for a second, but then eventually just tastes like cheese. The cheese definitely overpowers the wine.

Graftin Cheddar: This is the sharpest cheddar cheese I've had to date (something I quite enjoyed). With the wine, I got a full mouth tastes of green apple with heavy tartness. There was not much acidity, but rather a sharp tartness. The cheese and wine evened out nicely.

Melassndinmae Ada Brie: The cheese tastes like cream cheese, yet more fulfilling. I was overwhelmed with tannins, which went away quickly and left only a taste of cheese. The wine and cheese evened out, but not in a great way.

2) Pago de los Capellanes Tinto Joven:

The wine has a vintage year of 2023 and is from Castille and Leon, Spain. It is made entirely from the Tempranillo grape. The wine had a high acidity and was very pungent in the back of the throat. It smelt like cherry alcohol and gave off hints of tobacco.

Blue DiCapra: The cheese mellows out the acidity of the wine and leaves a warm sensation in the back of the throat. They pair well, but I'd say the cheese overpowers the wine just a little bit.

Graftin Cheddar: The cheddar flavor slightly overpowers the wine on the front end; however, on the back end the wine is very pungent and full of tannins. After the cheddar overpowers the wine, the flavors of cherry and tobacco kick in.

Melassndinmae Ada Brie: With this combination, the wine really overpowers the cheese. The wine gave off a strawberry flavor and left a little taste of rubber in the mouth on the back end.

3) Thorn-Clarke Single Vineyard Grenache:

The wine has a vintage year of 2021 and comes from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. It is made up of 85% Macabeo, 10% Malvasia Riojana, and 10% Tempranillo Blanca grapes. It smelt very fruity, like a strawberry, with notes of vanilla. It tastes a little like black pepper with a syrup consistency and a slight hint of rubber.

Blue DiCapra: The cheese definitely overpowers the wine. It makes the wine lose its flavor, but gives a slight spike in tannins. 

Graftin Cheddar: I enjoyed this combination. The wine and cheese stuck to the tongue, making the wine taste like cheesy strawberry.

Melassndinmae Ada Brie: The cheese shuts down the strawberry flavor and makes the wine taste mostly like rubber. I wouldn't say the cheese overpowers the wine since it left a slight sensation of tannins that lingered in the back of the throat.

Tasting - Portillo Malbec

                              Label: Me:

The Wine: Portillo Malbec is made with the Malbec grape. It has a vintage year of 2023 and is crafted in Mendoza, Argentina. The bottle has an ABV of 13% and costs about $36. 

Critic Review: James Suckling gave it a review of 90 points with tastes of black plum fruit, violets, and fresh mushrooms (https://www.palmbay.com/wines/portillo-wines/malbec-2/)

Wine Folly: Page 125 says the Malbec grape has notes of chocolate, raspberry, and red plum. The body is high in the wine wheel with alcohol and tannins in the middle level.

My Review: The wine smelled really good. It combined the smell of pomegranate and strawberry, giving off a sweet sense. The viscosity was really thick, similar to that of chocolate milk. Although tannins being in the middle of the wine wheel on Wine Folly, I'll say that tannins on Portillo hit the back of the throat pretty hard and lingered for a bit. I had the wine with a steak & cheese sub at a restaurant in San Antonio. The wine and steak & cheese did not play out very well, but I definitely enjoyed the wine on its own!

Tasting - Meiomi Pinot Noir

Label: Me:

The Wine: Meiomi Pinot Noir is made with the Pinot Noir grape. It has a vintage year of 2021 and is crafted in Acampo, California. The bottle has an ABV of 13.5% and costs about $51. 

Critic Review: John Rodgers from Honest Wine Reviews says he noted "classic pinot noir flavor with a bit of nutmeg or perhaps allspice." (https://www.honestwinereviews.com/meiomi-pinot-noir-review)

Wine Folly: Page 150 says the Pinot Noir grape has notes of clove and raspberry with high acidity, but low tannins. I definitely noticed the acidity, but didn't get any cherry flavors.

My Review: The wine smelled like a crushed grapefruit with lots of juice spilled out. It goes down really smooth (kind of like thick water) with a thick viscosity. It has a spike of acidity that does not stick around for a while. I tried this wine with a large pretzel (like the ones you would get at a baseball game), where the pretzels overpowered the wine, making it taste like salt.

Wine & Cheese Paring #2

 

I went to Krobar once again for the cheese tasting with my roommate Forbes. We got a wine flight and some cheese to go with it. The cheese we purchased included: Merlot Bellavitano, Appenzeller White Label, and wedge of Parrano. Interesting enough, none of the wines we had were Merlots, which would probably go well with the Merlot Bellavitano (a cheese aged in Merlot). The wines Forbes and I had to go with the cheese included: Emboli Sauvignon Blanc, Chateau Ste Michelle, and Toad Hallow Chardonnay Unoaked. 

1) Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc:

The Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc comes from North Coast of California with a vintage year of 2021. Before trying it with cheese, I tasted a tart green apple. I wouldn't say it was very acidic, but more pungent and tannin like.

Merlot Bellavitano: The cheese brings out the tartness of the wine and the flavor of the cheese. It doesn't bring much of the green apple out from the wine, rather just the tannins.

Appenzeller White Label: The cheese really overpowers the wine. It felt like I was sipping cheese flavored water.

Parrano: The cheese dampens the acidity and tannins of the wine, but removes the water like feel and increases the viscosity.

2) Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling:

The Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling comes from Colombia Valley, Washington with a vintage year of 2021. Before trying it with cheese, it smelt like a wet paper towel and tasted like a blueberry fermented pear. It left a little acidic feeling on the top of the mouth. The color of the wine was very clear.

Merlot Bellavitano: The cheese killed most of the wine and lowers the viscosity, almost making it taste and go down like water. It left a strong acidic feeling in the chest

Appenzeller White Label: The wine overpowered the cheese. The Riesling tastes much better with the cheese and contains a lot of green pear, but the flavor dies quick.

Parrano: The cheese spikes the pear flavor of the wine for about one second, but then the taste goes away. The aftertaste of the cheese lingers for a while.

3) Toad Hollow Chardonnay Unoaked:

The Toad Hollow Chardonnay comes from Mendocino, California with a vintage year of 2022. Before trying it with cheese, it tastes like tart cat piss and gives a quick shot of acid towards the back of the throat.

Merlot Bellavitano: The cheese makes the wine taste more fruitful throughout the entire mouth and kills the acidity. Overall, the wine overpowers the cheese by bringing out all of the wines flavors, making it taste better.

Appenzeller White Label: The cheese causes the wine to shoot the mouth full of acid and tannins. The cheese aftertaste lingers for a while, but the upon the first sip, it mostly tastes like wine.

Parrano: The cheese with the wine gives off a quick acidic flavor all around and then gives off an aftertaste of moldy cheese.

Conclusion: It was interesting trying these white wines with a merlot cheese. Each wine reacted differently to the different cheeses; some cheese overpowering the wine and vice versa. It's nice to do this tasting at Krobar because Dorris, Earl, and Jodie (some great people) are always very helpful and the cheese and wine can be bought and tested all in the same place.

Tasting - Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec

Label: Me:

The Wine: Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec is made with the Malbec grape. It has a vintage year of 2023 and is crafted in Mendoza, Argentina. The bottle has an ABV of 14% and costs about $18. 

Critic Review: Michael Schachner from Wine Enthusiast claims it is "a wine that's good for all palates, wine novices and experts alike". (https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/trapiche-2015-perfiles-calcareo-malbec-mendoza/)

Wine Folly: Page 125 says the malbec grape has notes of plum, chocolate, and tobacco. I didn't get any of these flavors individually, but tasted a combination of them all (described below in my review). It has very little sweetness and a bold, thick body.

My Review: Although the wine smelt fruity (like a tub of paint overflowing with cherry juice), it didn't taste very fruity. Instead, it tastes like a rubber balloon, which is what I'd imagine a mix of plum, chocolate, and a smokey cigarette would taste like. I tried this wine with a slice of cheese, which only brought out more notes of a rubber balloon. 

Wine Dinner #2

 

THE FOOD & PEOPLE:

I enjoyed a wonderful meal paired with some good wine with my family back home over Spring Break. We cooked a flank steak marinated in soy sauce as our entree along had egg noodles with cheese, asparagus, broccoli, and salad as our sides. 

THE WINES & TASTING: 

Ghost Pine Cabernet Sauvignon ($20): Has a vintage year of 2021, comes from the North Coast of California and made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. The wine smelt like a cherry infused hand sanitizer. Without the food, the first sip was surprisinlgy flat and brought about a smooth water like cherry flavor. The steak brought out the tannins of the wine which filled whole mouth. The salad made the wine taste like rubber, but gave it a good kick to the back of the mouth which I enjoyed. The wine overpowered the egg noodles, making the wine taste better; egg noodles, worse. Overall, the Ghost Pine Carbent Sauvignon tastes better with food than without, and I recommend drinking the wine with the steak, asparagus, and salad... not so much with pasta and broccoli. 

Castillo di Bossi Chianti Classico ($40): Has a vintage year of 2020, comes from Tuscany, Italy and is made with the Sangiovese grape. The wine smelt like tart cherries, mixed with a hint of thyme. The first taste kicked my tongue and throat with acidity, which lingered for a little bit. It overpowered all the sides from the dinner, but balanced out the steak. The soy sauce from the steak went well with the wine, bringing out its cherry flavor and acidity through the whole mouth. The dressing form the salad really brought out the tannins and acidity of the wine, removing any taste from the wine and salad, leaving just pungent acid (something I don't mind). It overpowered the asparagus, but not in a bad way. The wine left a small flavor of vegetable on the back end of the sip. I really enjoyed the wine and am lucky to have had my parents buy a bottle for $40.

Tempora Sangiovese Di Romagna ($18): Has a vintage year of 2009, comes from Emilia-Romagna, Italy and is made with the Sangiovese grape. This may be the best glass of wine I've had. The smell was full of cherry and a ripe pansy. The first sip punched the whole mouth with tannins and cherry flavor. The wine didn't over power, nor under power any of the foods. It paired well with the steak, bringing out the juiciness of the steak, and the steak bringing out the ripe cherry in the wine. I definitely enjoyed the wine more by itself.

Conclusion: The wine I had during this dinner might be the best wines I've had all semester. I enjoyed the Tempora Sangiovese Di Romagna the best on its own and enjoyed the Ghost Pine Cabernet Sauvignon with food the most. I'd like to try the $40 bottle on its own without trying other wines to see if I can catch any other flavors and enjoy it to its fullest extent.

Tasting - Bogle Heritage Red Blend

 LABEL: ME: 

The Wine: Bogle Heritage Red is made with the Petit Sarah grape. It has a vintage year of 2020 and is crafted in California. The bottle has an ABV of 14.5% and costs about $12. 

Critic Review: Stacy Briscoe from Wine Enthusiast claims it is "a perfect sip for any casual occasion". (https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/bogle-2020-essential-red-red-california/)

Wine Folly: Page 147 says petit sirah has notes of plum, dark chocolate, black tea, and black pepper. I didn't get any of these flavors unfortunately. It has very little sweetness and a high level of tannins.

My Review: Interestingly enough, the wine smelt like a woman wearing heavy perfume. It tasted like a banana and had a slight acidity on the middle of the tongue. Apart from the banana taste and a medium viscosity, there isn't much flavor to the wine. I did not have this wine with food, but I'm sure it could go well with some beef.