Wine and Cheese Blog - 4/15

 

My mom was up again for the 3.2 for 32 remembrance walk... and what better way to finish our walk than with some wine and cheese? As always, it was my mom and I enjoying these pairings. We also added some bread/crackers to help add more sustenance. 

Our wines were: Dear Mom-Oregon Rose, Gemma di Luna-Moscato, and Field & Farm-red blend.

The rose was very dry and minimally sweet, with some raspberry/strawberry notes. The Moscato was very sweet and light with green apple/pear flavors. The red blend was rather dry and slightly sweet, with cherry/raspberry and maybe plum notes. 

 

We took the advice and went to Eats for our cheese. We picked out four kinds of cheese because we couldn't decide on three... 

We picked a Kerrygold Blarney gouda style cheese, a havarti soft cheese, an English white stilton with mango and ginger, and a smoky brie. 

We used small bottles we had left over from our last trip to the Vintage Cellar for the wines. This included a Moscato, rose, and a red blend. 

My personal favorite pairing was the Kerrygold gouda with the red blend. This surprised me because I don't typically go for strong cheese, and I am usually not a huge fan of red wine. The red blend by itself was very dry and heavy in tannins. It was almost bitter to me and didn't taste much like fruit... it had the leather taste I don't like about red wines. Once I took a bite of the cheese, it completely cut the dryness/leather taste. The wine became very sweet and tasted like I was drinking cherry/raspberry juice. The strong taste of the cheese also got lighter with the wine. I thought this was so interesting and ended up eating most of this combination. 

The brie would've been a better pairing without the smoky flavor. I am lactose intolerant, so I was naturally drawn to this one for that reason. I should've just gotten a regular brie. But, I experienced how the light creaminess paired with the bubbly wines. From my research before, pairing soft cheeses with champagne/brut wines is recommended. This cheese with both the Moscato and rose brought out the fruity flavors and made the wine taste a bit sweeter, not to the extreme of the red/gouda combo, but slightly. The brie cheese made the Moscato sweeter and more flavorful while the cheese flavor became more muted.

The havarti paired well with the Moscato (this was another internet recommendation). The sourness/tartness of the wine complemented the sourness of the cheese. The cheese made the wine taste sweeter/more complex. Also, the cheese was mild enough to not be overbearing to the sweeter wine. A sharper cheese would not have been pleasant (like the sharp gouda). 

The Stilton cheese was also an interesting pairing because it was less conventional. This cheese was already rather sweet because of the chunks of mango. We were curious about this and didn't expect it to pair as well as it did. The mango flavors complemented the apple/pear flavors in the Moscato. Since the cheese has sat with mango in it, the cheese itself has become kind of sweet. This made it only pair well with the Moscato because it made the rose taste drier and more bitter. 

We did enjoy the "spread" on the couch because we were tired from the walk... we also ended up cutting more of the cheese than we started out with, but we wanted to make sure it paired before we committed to a large amount of cheese.

Tasting - Castle Rock Rose

 

Name: Castle Rock Rose of Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: Monterey County 

Bottled: Monterey County, California

Country: USA

Year: 2021

Price: on sale for $6 usually $12, Fresh Market 

Winery Review: (From online, in-store sheet attached below) crisp, fresh, and floral with bright acidity and aromas of rose petals. On the palate, it is supple and harmonious with flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and citrus, with a smooth lingering finish.

Wine Folly: (https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/what-is-rose-wine/) finishes of red fruit, flowers, citrus, and melon. Pinot noir rose, specifically, is often crabapple, watermelon, raspberries, strawberries, and wet stone. 

My Review: I got definite raspberry flavors first, and maybe light sweet cherry or pomegranate. It was very sweet up front and not dry like other roses I have tried. There were faint lemon/citrus flavors which tracks with the wine folly summary. This is my favorite rose I have tried, and I hope to find a full bottle on another discount wine day at Fresh Market. I really liked this rose (as did my mom, who was with me shopping). We happened to stop at Fresh Market during a tasting. I would've gotten a bottle, but they had already sold out of the Rose. I attached the information sheet they provided below. 

Wine Dinner #3 - Pizza Cornicione (4/7)

I came home for Easter weekend, so naturally, that meant we needed to do our final wine dinner. Our local co-op grocery store had its wine on sale, so we stocked up. We also went to my FAVORITE pizza place (it is a must-eat whenever I come home). For dessert, we hit up the pastry aisle in the co-op and our favorite local chocolate shop. The whole family was involved for this one: my mom, dad, and of course Dobby. My mom is fully committed to our wine dinners at this point :)

**As always, the cat did not partake in any wine tastings... only wine sniffings 

Course 1: Parmesean/Garlic Breadsticks with Pinot Gris

Name: Underwood Pinot Gris

Variety: Pinot Gris

Region: Oregon

Country: USA

Bottled: Union Wine Company, Tualatin, OR

Year: 2021

Price: $5 at our local co-op

Tasting notes: stone fruit, pear, rose (from can). I definitely taste the pear and maybe some subtle vanilla.

Website listing: "Underwood Pinot Gris is a bright and refreshing white wine that brings the Pinot flavor experience to more people. Reflecting the character of the region, this wine was made for backyard BBQ’s and summer evenings. "

I decided to pair the Pinot Gris with breadsticks because I didn't know what would go with garlic and it was a suggestion I found online. When talking to some friends, I was told I was crazy for trying to pair with garlic... but this one was actually very nice. The wine was very smooth and sweet at first sip, and with a bite of breadstick this changed the flavor to rich and creamy. The garlic in the breadsticks brought out almost a thickness in the wine and made it very rich. 

I liked the wine better with the breadsticks because it complimented the parmesan/garlic flavor. With the tomato dipping sauce, it became bitter, but with the plain breadsticks I really enjoyed the combination. The tomato clashed with the wine and made it too acidic. I did have some left and tried a sip with a bite of pizza, this became a totally different wine and was very sour. My mom said this was a "very successful" as she has suffered through some of the more unsuccessful pairings in the past... the dumplings and prosecco still haunt her. 

Course 2: Margherita Pizza with Chardonnay 

Name: Freakshow, Chardonnay 

Variety: Charonnay 

Region: Lodi, California

Country: USA

Bottled: Michael David Winery in Lodi, California

Year: 2021

Price: $5 at Vintage Cellar

Tasting notes: (from website) juicy apricot, citrus fruit, sweet honey, cantaloupe, grapefruit and lime. (my review) definite grapefruit and honey, it is very smooth and sweet without being too dry, maybe a little lemon

Aging: (from website)  

74% barrel fermented 5 months - 70% new American oak / 30% new French oak, 26% stainless steel fermented - no oak / 97% of the wine goes through malolactic fermentation

We picked up this Chardonnay at the Vintage Cellar because of the can, and I wanted to find a meal that would pair with it. I was looking into how to get the "creamy" taste mentioned in class. I knew I was going to eat pizza while home, so I figured it was worth a shot. In the past, I did not like the Chardonnay I tried, so I have avoided it since. This one I actually really enjoyed on its own, and I think it paired nicely with the pizza. 

This was a very smooth semi-dry/semi-sweet wine. It was dry without feeling like it dried out my entire mouth. With a big bite of the cheese, it became thick and creamy like the Pinot Gris, but in a fruity way. This was my favorite wine of the three courses, and I will definitely be investing in a full sized bottle. My mom approved of this pairing, too and said this was also her favorite wine. 

Course 3: Chocolate-Almond Bark and Chocolate Mouse with Pinot Noir

Name: Le Charmel Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Noir

Region: Pays d'Oc

Country: France

Bottled: Sager & Master Pere et Fils, Paus d'Oc, France

Year: 2020

Price: $13 at local co-op

Tasting notes: (from bottle) aromas of raspberries and cherries, and the palate is soft but with a good fruit and long finish.

(my notes) plum, and sour cherry, earthy and slight leather 

To complete our local dinner, we stopped by our towns' chocolate shop (Matthew's Chocolates in Hillsborough, NC) to get something for desert. When talking to him about his recommendations, he recommended Pinot Noir with his chocolates. We picked out some beautiful almond bark that he had made for the holiday to enjoy with our wine. We also grabbed some chocolate mouse to try. The assistant in the wine section at our co-op was suggesting we try the Pinot Noir with chocolate because it will completely change the flavor. He was telling us about how the chocolate will "coat your mouth" and "change the experience of the wine". 

At first sip, the wine was semi-sweet and flavorful. We weren't sure how to serve the wine, so we went slightly chilled (but had to take a break after the first two courses and left it too long)... the wine would've been better warmer, but it didn't get bitter like some reds do when I chill them (yeah... I know, I'm not supposed to, but I like my reds chilled). 

The very dark chocolate did not mix with the wine. Since the dark chocolate was slightly bitter, it overpowered the sweetness of the wine and made it just taste sour/bitter. The first bite/sip wasn't bad, but as you ate, it got sooo bitter. At the end, I was just choking down the wine. After like 3 bites of chocolate, it felt like I was drinking a sour acid. 

I finished a corner of the chocolate and let my pallet reset. Switching to the sweet mouse, this paired a bit better. The pinot noir was much less bitter, but still tart. The sweetness of the wine never came back after we began eating our desserts. We will be trying the wine again tomorrow, with something other than chocolate (and maybe warmer)... my moms report was "definitely not good with chocolate." We think a sweeter chocolate (milk or white) might be better, but to be safe this red should be left for meat and cheese pairings. 

Tasting - Lionne Royale Champagne

Name: Lionne Royale Brut Champagne

Variety: Champagne

Region: France

Bottled: Union Aubiose, Bar-sur-Seine, France 

Country: France

Year: Unlabeled

Price: $35 online at Walmart 

Winery Review:Bright and expressive, this delightful sparkling wine opens with aromas of fresh white flowers, followed by an elegant fruit-forward palate with a pleasant mousse and bracing acidity-a true hallmark of excellent Champagne. Notes of brioche and freshly baked bread mark the lengthy finish. (From the bottle)

Wine Folly: pg. 94, champagne's common tasting notes are citrus, yellow apple, cream, almond, and toast. Pairs best with anything fried or salty (not the cake that we paired it with)

My Review: I was at the beach this week for a friend's birthday, and her parents got champagne for the evening to go with the cake. This was a very dry wine; the name did not lie. We had it with a very sweet trifle cake (angel food cake with vanilla custard). The wine was very sour apple tasting, and the cake made the wine less sweet and dry. At first, before the cake, it was a sweet wine, but the sweetness of the custard in the cake cut the sweetness of the wine, and I got a lot more green apple or pear flavors. Maybe some citrus (grapefruit or lemon) too. 

The birthday girl's review: Cocktails were consumed with dinner, so the birthday girl was already rather tipsy. But she wanted to contribute to my wine review. She got "notes of...bubbles".

And, when she took a sip, "it made her go like this" *see photo*

Needless to say, it is a very dry wine and can cause you to scrunch your nose, apparently. 

Wine Dinner 2 - Ocean Samurai (3/18)

My mom was up for the woman's NCAA tournament games (Go Hokies!), so of course it was time to do another wine dinner. This time we wanted variety, and we got takeout from Ocean Samurai. We also loaded up on some good wines at Vintage Cellar. Unfortunately, the cat could not join us for this one. 

Course 1: Dumplings, Salad, Spring Rolls and Champagne

Name: Tendil & Lombardi Cuvee Brut Champagne

Variety: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay 

Region: Balnot-sur-Laignes

Country: France

Bottled: Cellars Vienna, VA

Year: Unknown

Price: $16 from Vintage Cellar 

Official tasting notes: "lovely toasty biscuit quality" and "minerality, freshness, and length" from the Chardonnay (from the website) 

My tasting notes: crisp apple, sweet, cinnamon, slightly dry but also sweet, slight lemon

We got three appetizers to try pairing with this wine... 

The first was spring rolls, and this one paired the best. The tartness/sweetness of the sauce brought out the sweetness in the wine and canceled the bitter/dryness. This was our favorite paring across the board, and it was a bit unexpected. I read that doing a sparkling wine first helped keep the mouth "entertained" and warmed up for the meal. This was definitely a good choice. 

The blandness of the spring rolls complemented the wine and made those flavors stronger. All while the sauce brought out the fruity flavors of the wine. 

Our second pairing was goyza dumplings. These were beef dumplings and our least favorite pairing. The fat of the dumplings made the wine taste thicker and almost buttery. This was not a pleasant flavor with the sweetness of the wine. With the soy sauce that came with the dumplings also clashed with the wine. The salt made the wine taste a lot more bitter. 

The third appetizer was a salad that came with the meal. We forgot about this, and had already picked out some appetizers we wanted to try. This pairing wasn't terrible, but it wasn't as good as the spring rolls. The salad was rather bland, so it didn't do much to the wine. The dressing conflicted with the wine a bit and brought out the bitterness. 

Overall, our favorite pairing was the sweet sauce/simple flavors of the spring rolls. This wine was a suggestion from the Vintage Cellar based on the price point and flavor of the wine. I will definitely be getting more :)

Course 2: Hibachi Steak, Fried Rice, and Sake

Name: Ozeki Nigori Strawberry Sake

Variety: Sake 

Region: USA product

Country: USA

Bottled: Ozeki Sake, Hollister, CA (USA)

Year: Unknown 

Price: ~$15 at Vintage Cellar

Official tasting notes: "This cloudy sake beautifully combines the tropical sweetness and creamy texture of Ozeki Nigori Sake with a light and refreshing strawberry flavor. Using the best rice and strawberries grown in California." (from the website)

Tasting notes: melted strawberry milkshake, creamy, sweet, thick, strawberry

We wanted to be traditional and pair our food with sake. I really enjoyed this sake, but not with the steak. It was super sweet and tasted like a stand-alone desert. With the food, it tasted like two heavily competing flavors. We all agreed that it was better alone. This would pair well with fresh fruit or ice cream... maybe some bread, but nothing with a strong flavor. I know nothing about sake, and this was a recommended flavor by the staff. It also caught our attention because of the pink bottle. I will be trying this again tomorrow for desert after dinner. I am curious to try other flavors of sake. I have heard negative things, so we went with one that looked like it would be sweet. Next time I won't be scared to try lower sweetness sake. 

The sake tasted like a melted milkshake to me. I really enjoyed it, but with the steak, it tasted bitter. Also the salt of the fried rice made it taste like it was almost curdling in my mouth. 

Course 3: Takoyaki with Spritz Almare Orange Wine

Name: Spritz Almare - Aperitivo Italiano

Variety: Glera

Region: Veneto

Country: Italy

Bottled: San Pietro di Feletto

Year: Unknown 

Price: ~$15 from Vintage Cellar 

Official tasting notes: sunset orange color, refreshing, "citrus notes and a pleasant fruitiness", bubbles and "special taste of the real Italian craft Spritz" (from website) 

Tasting notes: very orange, sweet, spicey, cinnamon, orange zest, slightly bitter 

This wine caught our attention at the Vintage Cellar because of its color. We paired it with our desert. We get Takoyaki every time we go to eat at Ocean Samurai. It is a sweet red bean-filled fried dough patty shaped like a fish. The wine paired really nicely with it. The sweetness complemented the sweet dough. Also, the spices added to the red bean to enhance the flavor and add depth.

The wine bubbles also added an interesting mouth feel to the meal. I really enjoyed the wine and will be getting it again. I even have some left over for a wine night with my neighbor tomorrow! 

Tasting - Open Tasting at the Vintage Cellar 3/18

While shopping for our wine dinner, we sampled some of the wines leftover from the Vintage Cellar Saturday tasting. The four we got to try are shown below. I did not get a photo of myself with the wine, but both my mom and I participated in the tasting. Our proof of purchase of wine is in the next post for our wine dinner :)

Wine 1, Name: Korbel Prosecco

Variety: Prosecco 

Region: Italy 

Bottled: Prosecco, Italy

Country: Italy

Year: No year listed

Price: $14.95 from Vintage Cellar

Winery Review: "The aromas are of white peaches, pear, and lemon zest. The flavors are delicate, bright, and alive on the tongue. On the finish, it has an Extra Dry level of sweetness, which softens the wine without making it noticeably sweet". (From sheet)

Wine Folly: primary flavors: green apple, honeydew, pear, lager, cream, medium dryness and high acidity, would pair well with seafood or Asian cuisine (https://winefolly.com/wines/prosecco/)

My review: This was definitely a dry wine but it was also pretty sweet. I got crisp apples immediately. I had a completely plain pallet before this so the flavor was very strong. I also got the lemon and pear, but not the peaches. It was tart, so maybe that was the peaches. I got strong apple flavors, which wasn't listed as a flavor. 

Wine 2, Name: Oko, Organic Pinot Grigio

Variety: Pinot Grigio 
Region: Italy 
Bottled: Delle Venezie, Italy
Country: Italy
Year: 2021
Price: $14.95 from Vintage Cellar

Winery Review: "As you enjoy aromas of fresh fruit and bright flavors of citrus know this was all achieved naturally. As the crisp acidity grabs you, so will your appreciation for OKO. Boasts aromas of fresh fruit, bright flavors of citrus, and crisp acidity with just a hint of minerality". (From sheet)

Wine Folly: common flavors - white peach, lemon zest, cantaloupe, almond, gravel(??), medium dryness and high acidity (https://winefolly.com/grapes/pinot-gris/) 

My review: This wine was not my favorite... it was very dry and a little bitter. It was not as sweet as the first one which caught me off guard. It was very appely as well. There was a hint of orange or grapefruit because of how bitter it was. This one made me pucker my lips a bit at first compared to the sweetness of the first wine. In response to my reaction, the woman pouring agreed with me and said "she has always tried to like Pinot Grigio but just can't"

Wine 3, Name: Josh, Pinot Noir

Variety: Pinot Grigio 
Region: California 
Bottled: California
Country: US
Year: 2021
Price: $15.95 from Vintage Cellar

Winery Review: "A bouquet of dried cherry and cranberry laced with traces of leathers, earth, and eucalyptus. Light-bodied and clean on the palate with juice, cherry flavored fruit; the tannins are soft and subtle leading to a moderately long finish". (From sheet)

Wine Folly: common tasting - cherry, raspberry, mushroom, clove, hibiscus, also medium dryness and high acidity, this pairs well with duck/chicken and mushrooms (I would want to try this with a mushroom pasta dish) -- (https://winefolly.com/grapes/pinot-noir/)

My review: This wine was also not my favorite... leather was a good descriptor because it was the first thing I smelled when the glass was near my face. I could tell immediately I wouldn't like it... I actually made my mom finish this one for me because she liked it. The flavor was very strong and bitter to me. I couldn't get past the leather flavor. I tasted cherry, but they were almost rotten to me. 

Wine 4, Name: Merlot Napa 

Variety: Merlot Napa 
Region: California
Bottled: Napa, California 
Country: US
Year: 2017
Price: $26,95 from Vintage Cellar

Winery Review: "Aroma of blackberries and blueberries and hits of hot stone. Chocolate too. Full body, round and juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Delicious red. Drink or hold". (From sheet)

Wine Folly: Napa Valley Merlot is grown with rocky soil that causes "spice, color and mouthfeel". There was an unseasonably warm winter and spring in 2015 that decreased crop, this could have impacted 2017, but the vineyards were likely to have recovered by then.  (https://napa.guides.winefolly.com/wineries/merryvale-vineyards/wines/merlot-napa-valley/) 

My review: After the other red, I asked for a small amount of this one. I liked it better than the last, but I am starting to find that I like white wines better than red. This was a very thick wine to me, I got a lot more spices and deeper flavors. It was slightly sweeter and less dry. It was a very earthy flavor. The smell was a lot sweeter and spicier. There was a hint of cinnamon or nutmeg to me. 

Wine Dinner #1 - Olive Garden 2/19

My mom was up to visit for the series of basketball games this weekend, so we decided to do a wine dinner together with takeout from Olive Garden. And, of course, Dobby (the cat) had to be featured. 

Course 1: Olive Garden breadsticks and Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Proud Pour Save the Ocean

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Pays d'Oc

Country: France

Bottled: Morgan Hill, CA

Year: 2020

Price: $22 at a bookstore in Topsail Beach

Tasting notes: dry and fruity, some bitterness/tartness, definite flavors of grapefruit and maybe lemon/lime

We paired a Sauvignon Blanc with the breadsticks/salad for the first course. I chose this wine because, based on a google this was the best wine to pair with salad/bread. I found the wine to be very bitter/sour. It was not my favorite. I am not a dry white wine person. The breadsticks made the wine a bit better by cutting the bitterness, but it paired better with my mom's salad. Olive Garden salad dressing has a bit of vinegar; this really complimented the wine and made it more fruity by removing some of the acidity. Eating the breadsticks while drinking made the wine much sweeter. I liked the wine better with food than without. I was worried the garlic in the breadsticks wouldn't pair, but it was surprisingly good. I think the fattiness of the garlic butter helped cut the dry wine.

Note: I ended up not finishing this glass with the meal and had some a bit later. Once the wine had warmed up, I actually enjoyed it a lot more because it was much less bitter. 

Course 2: Pasta with red meat sauce and Cabernet Sauvignon 

Name: Terra Vega - Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: D.O. Valle Central Chile

Country: Chile

Bottled: Vina Luis Felipe Edwards, Nancagua, Chile

Year: 2021

Price: $5 at Vintage Cellar

Tasting notes: very dark and fruity, some black cherry/black pepper and definite spice notes

This wine paired well with the pasta and red sauce. I did chill it because I usually don't like warm wine, but this is the first one I thought needed to be served warmish. When it was cold, the wine was spicy to me. My mom didn't get it as strong, but to me, it was a very spicy sensation. Once it warmed up in my hand, there was no spice, and the fruity flavors were very apparent. 

The wine being cold overpowered the food, but once it warmed up, it paired nicely. The red sauce complimented the spices in the wine. I still had some breadsticks left, which also paired well with the wine. The red wine covered the garlic flavors to make the bread taste more buttery. 

My mom paired her cabernet sauvignon with marsala pasta. She said it paired well with the fattiness of the sauce. 

Course 3: Chocolate-Covered Strawberries and Sparkling Rose

Name: Pizzalato Paloma Rose Secco

Variety: 95% Glera / 5% Raboso

Region: Veneto, North of Treviso Italy

Country: Italy

Bottled: La Cantina Pizzolato, Italy

Terroir: Pebbly and permeable soil, allowing good drainage

Year: 2020

Price: Unknown, gift a year ago

Tasting notes: crisp apples, sweet yet slightly dry, slightly lemony/citrus

This was my favorite course because you can never go wrong with chocolate-covered strawberries. The wine was surprisingly sweet before eating any of the strawberries, but with the strawberries, the sweetness almost disappeared. The flavor of the wine changed with bites of more strawberry or chocolate. With the bites of chocolate, the wine was very dry and tart. With a bite of heavy strawberry, the apple flavors of the wine came out, and there was a hint of sweetness to the wine. I thought this was interesting as I ate the strawberries. 

I will definitely be getting a full-size bottle of this wine :)

Fun Fact: this cat enjoys the smell of red wine more than expected (no wine was consumed by Dobby)... and he does NOT like the bubbles popping in sparkling wine or soda, he is scared of those