Wine & Cheese 1

This was one of the assignments I was most looking forward to because it combined my two favorite things - wine and cheese. Katie and I tried a variety of cheeses and paired the wines to best fit them. 


Here's our line-up:



From left to right we have Manchego paired with a Merlot, baked Brie with a Sauvignon Blanc, and Colby Jack paired with a Pinot Noir. While I am familiar with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, this was my first time trying Merlot, so let's get into it!




This is a 2019 Lindeman's Bin 40 Merlot. On it's own, the aromas were very fruity, specifically plum. I could somewhat pick up the oak-aged bouquet towards the end. The taste was very similar to the aromas, and the red plum was very prominent. Overall for this being my first sweet red, I very much enjoyed this wine.

With the manchego, the pairing was not my favorite. And by that, I mean my least favorite of the night. The lack of acidity from this wine made the cheese taste sharper. The cheese overpowered the wine and took away the smooth overall taste from the wine. I liked how the sweetness of the wine complemented the cheese, but I think if we had a more acidic wine with the manchego, it would have been a better match.


Next, we had our 2020 Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc. A few weeks back I did a review on this wine, which you can find on my page. This wine has very citrus-y and lemon aromas and flavors and is high in acidity. This wine is also very dry, and that is why we decided to pair it with the brie.

To my favorite cheese, brie. While I always thought nothing could make brie better (besides a little bit of baking and herbs), this wine was a strong match. The dryness of the Sauvignon Blanc perfectly balanced out the sweetness of the honey drizzled on the brie. Additionally, the fattiness of the brie cut through the acidity of the wine to make it more balanced. Overall, this was a great pairing and it made me enjoy the Sauvignon Blanc a lot more.


Saving the best for last (or I may be a bit biased), is this Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon from California. Upon first taking in the bouquet of this wine, I was a bit worried as its aromas were close to being a moldy basement. To my surprise, the flavors of this wine were wonderful - full of black cherry and blackberry flavors.

With the Colby Jack, this pairing was my favorite. The full-bodied dryness of the wine went well with the mellow-flavored, buttery cheese. This wine brought out the buttery flavors of the cheese and the cheese accentuated the fruit flavors of the wine. The wine and cheese balanced each other out very well and left a pleasant taste in my mouth.


Overall this was a very fun time and I cannot wait to try more pairings!


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