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.

Tasting - Yalumba Barossa Shiraz

 

LABEL:  ME:

The Wine: Yalumba Barossa Shiraz is crafted in South Australia and has a vintage year of 2022. It is made with the Syrah grape. It costs about $18 a bottle.

Critic Review: Decanter from Wine.com gives it a rating of 94 (https://www.wine.com/product/yalumba-samuels-collection-barossa-shiraz-2022/2232180)

Wine Folly: Page 172 of Wine Folly gives the Syrah grape tastes of blueberry, plum, tobacco, and green peppercorn. The sweetness is on the low end; the acidity, high end. I definitely noticed the heightened acidity and low sweetness.

My Review: After a swirl and sniff test I got notes of melted cookie dough at first, and then potent pomegranate. On the first sip, I got a hit of acidity towards the back of the tongue and it left an aftertaste of paint. It tastes most similar to the Woodbridge I tried earlier this semester, but leaves a worse aftertaste. I did not have this wine with any food.

Tasting - MAN Chenin Blanc

 Label: Me:

The Wine: MAN Chenin Blanc is crafted in South Africa on the Cape Coast. This bottle had a vintage year of 2023 and is made with the Chenin Blanc grape. The bottle costs $13 dollars.

Critic Review: Platter's South African Wine guide gave the wine 4 stars describing it with notes of a crunchy apple, biscuits, and lime zest. (https://southernwines.com/product/man-chenin-blanc-2023/)

Wine Folly: Page 98 of Wine Folly gives the Chenin Blanc grape tastes of pear, chamomile, and yellow apple. I didn't get many hints of pear, but I did get some flavors of plants and a green apple. 

My Review: I enjoyed the wine the more I drank it. At first I got a shot of acidity towards the back of my throat, but the more I drank it, the more the acidity died down and it went down smoother. The aftertaste of the wine gave off notes of a green grape and squeeze green apple. After the swirl and sniff test, the wine smelled like a variegated liriope at the beginning of Spring. I did not have the wine with food, but I'm sure it would go well with some chicken or a rice dish. 

Tasting - Bieler Pete & Fils Rosé

 Label: Me:

1) The Wine: Bieler Pete & Fils Rosé has a vintage year of 2023 and made with the Shiraz/Syrah, Vermentino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache grapes. The bottle costs $12.

2) Critic Review: Deborah Schreiber from Vivino.com claims the wine goes excellent with a smoked salmon salad. I did not have this wine with food. (https://www.vivino.com/US/en/bieler-pere-et-fils-rose-cuvee-sabine/w/1124842)

3) Wine Folly: Page 156 of the book says the Grenache and Syrah grapes (GSM Blend) make for a sweeter wine with less body to it. I noticed the thin body of the wine and the lack of acidity.

4) My Review: I have never been a big fan of a rosé, but I enjoyed drinking a glass of this wine. It tastes like a dry, flavorless cherry, but goes down super smooth with a nice berry taste on the back end. For the swirl and sniff test, I got notes of a Mandevilla and Pansy. I did not have this wine with food, but I'm sure it would taste well with salmon and hollandaise sauce.