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.