Wine & Cheese Pairing #1

 

I went to Krobar with my roommate Forbes, where we got a wine flight and some cheese to go with it. The cheese we purchased included: Murray's Gruyere, Smokey Pepper Fantina, and Cave Aged Gruyere. The wines I had to go with the cheese included: Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, Borsao Cabriola Red Blend, and Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon. 

1) Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc:

The White Haven Sauvignon Blanc was from Marlborough, MA with a vintage year of 2021. Before trying it with cheese, I tasted a tart green apple with some burnt ash on the back end; however, on the second sip the wine tasted mostly like cat piss.

Murray's Gruyere: The cheese lessened the flavor of cat piss and brought out more of the green apple.

Smokey Pepper Fantina: The cheese mellowed out both the fruity and tartness of the green apple flavor and transformed the wine into water.

Cave Aged Gruyere: The cheese brought the tartness of the green apple with the aftertaste, but didn't change much on the front end of the sip.

2) Borsao Cabriola Spanish Red Blend:

The Borsao Cabriola Spanish Red Blend comes from Campo de Borja, Aragon and has a vintage year of 2018. Before trying it with cheese, I noticed a combination of a sweet cherry sensation on the front end, and then a dry aftertaste in the throat after swallowing. 

Murray's Gruyere: The cheese brought out both the fruity and tart flavors of the cherry, but made the wine loose its viscosity and thickness.

Smokey Pepper Fantina: The cheese really amped up the tartness and killed the fruit flavor of the wine. It left a very dry aftertaste at the top of my mouth

Cave Aged Gruyere: The cheese killed the fruit flavor more than the Smokey Pepper Fantina cheese and left a tart aftertaste in the throat that left rather quickly.

4) Austin Hope Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon:

The Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Monterey, CA with a vintage year of 2022. Before trying it with cheese, I noticed a combination of sweetness and dryness, although the dry trumped the sweet. It had no aftertaste and smelt like a pansy.

Murray's Gruyere: The cheese toned down the thickness of the wine and brought out the tartness. It felt like I was taking a shot of vodka. 

Smokey Pepper Fantina: The cheese really brought out the dryness of the wine. I tasted a hint of pomegranate on the front end, and then an aggressive dryness towards the back of the throat on the back end. 

Cave Aged Gruyere: The cheese paired well with the wine. It brought out a smoky oak flavor and leveled put the fruit while leaving a slight dryness on the top of my mouth.

Conclusion: Cheese really makes a difference when drinking the wine. Dorris was very helpful with providing Forbes and I plates for our cheese and crackers as well as recommending some good wines. I'm glad we were encouraged to do this tasting because I would have never gone out of my way to think about the changes in flavors, let alone pair wine with cheese.