Sunday, April 3, 2016

Wine & Cheese Pairing #2 (With Family!)

      I chose to do this wine and cheese pairing with my parents while I was home for the weekend, and had my mom at the store to pay for the wine and cheeses! Thanks, Mom! My parents love wine, so it was fun to do it with them. My Dad's first comment was, "Wow! It's finally fun to help with my kid's homework!" So I think it's safe to say they enjoyed the experience.
     Since I'm not usually a fan of red wines, my mom encouraged me to try some new ones, so we did 2 reds and one white. We tasted a Merlot, a Zinfandel, and a Sauvignon Blanc. The cheeses we paired with them were Gouda, Double Gloucester, and Gruyere respectively. 
     Our first pairing we did was the Starborough Sauvignon Blanc, which we paired with the Gruyere cheese.
Name: Starborough
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Country: New Zealand
Region: Marlborough 
Year: 2015
Price: $13.99
Wine Critic Review: Linda Murphy from winereviewonline.com gave this wine 90 points and said: "This clasically styled Sauvignon Blanc is complex, with generous lime, kiwi fruit, and green melon flavors, with hints of fresh-mowed grass and jalepeno."
My Review: 
The nose on this wine was sweet. It had a floral honeysuckle smell. It also had a fruity smell with hints of citrus, specifically grapefruit. This wine had a slightly bitter palette. However, it was very fruity. I tasted hints of grapefruit and other citrusy fruits. I also tasted a hint of watermelon. This was a very light, slightly sweet wine. The Gruyere cheese was very strong tasting, I was not a fan of this cheese by itself. The cheese brings out the bitterness of the wine. The cheese also brought out stronger floral tastes, and made the wine taste like it had a higher alcohol content. The wine made the cheese taste stronger and gave it a weird, chalky taste.
Name: 14 Hands Winery
Variety: Merlot
Country: USA
Region: Columbia Valley
Year: 2013
Price: $12.99

     The second pairing we did was the 14 Hands Winery Merlot, which we paired with the Gouda cheese. 
Wine Critic Review: Great Northwest Wines
The aromas are layered with hints of Rainier cherry, smoky milk chocolate, light tar, toast and a pinch of Italian herbs. Its structure carries some grace with a smooth entry of black cherry jam, blackberry, earthiness and saddle leather. The medium body to the tannin structure leads to a dazzling finish of sweet dried cherries, coffee and cocoa. It’s billed as a barbecue wine, but suggested pairings also include Pasta Marinara.
My Review:
The nose of this wine smelled of dark fruits and wood. It almost smelled like a campfire, with a charred, burned wood scent to it. It smelled kind of oaky. It also smelled of cherries. This wine had a bitter taste. It had a hint of mocha taste to it. It also had hints of blackberries and plum, with a dark, fruity palette. It had a strong tannic taste and a slightly buttery finish. The Gouda cheese was very buttery tasting. The cheese brings out the tannic taste of the wine even more. It cut the the fruitiness of the wine, and made it taste more bitter. The wine made the cheese taste even creamier. 
     The third pairing we did was the Cupcake Zinfandel, which we paired with the Double Gloucester cheese.
Name: Cupcake
Variety: Zinfandel
Country: USA
Region: California
Year: 2012
Price: $9.99
     Wine Critic Review: I could not find a critic review of this wine, but the sign at the grocery store where I purchased it, Fresh Market, said: Experience waves of blueberry, spice, and ripe raspberry jam, along with hints of black pepper. Serve with seared tuna and tropical salsa or linguine with clams and lemon-garlic olive oil. 
     My Review: This wine had a very fruity, sweet nose. I smelled hints of raspberry and pomegranate. I also smelled a slight hint of fresh, juicy apples. My dad described it as, "Smelling very sugary." The wine had a very sweet taste, but not overwhelmingly so. It tasted kind of like raspberry jam. It was very fruity but also light and fresh. My mom said, "It tastes like a fruity dessert." The Double Gloucester cheese was very mellow and creamy, but tasted of onions, because it had onion and chives in it. The cheese made the wine more mellow, it balanced out the flavors. The cheese took the sugary edge off and was a good counter balance to the wine. The wine and cheese both enhanced the flavors of each other. 
     I am really glad my mom encouraged me to try more red wines! Although I wasn't a fan of the Merlot, I did really like the Zinfandel! However, my favorite was the Sauvignon Blanc, as usual. I am partial to the sweeter, white wines. But this class has really made me expand my palette and appreciate some wines other than the super sweet Moscato and Riesling I used to drink exclusively.
     It was a lot of fun to taste the wines and cheeses with my parents! Tasting with people who have more experience with different types of wine was a good experience, and it was fun to compare what they smelled and tasted to what I did. My dog, Lucy, even enjoyed a couple leftover pieces of Gouda!
Starborough Sauvignon Blanc
Cupcake Zinfandel 
14 Hands Winery Merlot
Dad smelling the nose on
the Sauvignon Blanc!
              
                   Mom with the Sauvignon Blanc!
Me with the Sauvignon Blanc!



Mom and the Merlot!
    
Me with the Merlot!
Dad & the Merlot!

   
Mom & the
Zinfandel
Me & the
Zinfandel!
Dad & the
Zinfandel

Lucy sitting for
her Gouda!

Lucy licking her lips
after enjoying a small
piece of Gouda! 


  

Tasting - Beringer Chenin Blanc

Name: Beringer
Variety: Chenin Blanc
Country: USA

Region: California 
Year: 2014

Price: $5.95

Wine Critic Review:
A fresh green-apple aroma and vivid citrus and crisp apple flavors are supported by vibrant acidity in this medium-bodied wine. The texture is smooth but crisp, making lots of good food pairings come to mind, from pre-meal cheese, to salads, seafood and veggie pastas.

My Review:
I really enjoyed this wine. It had a slightly sweet, very fresh nose. It smelled like apples, citrus, and peach. It was very fruity. This wine was definitely crisp as the critic said. It was a refreshing taste, with hints of fresh apple, peach, and lemon. It was very acidic, but delicious. I would definitely buy this wine in the future. I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - Carraia Aglianico

Name: Carraia
Variety: Aglianico
Country: Italy

Region: Campagna
Year: 2013

Price: $9.95 (regular $15)

Wine Critic Review:
Produced in the Campania region of Italy, this Aglianico has delicious black fruit flavors with hints of licorice, volcanic soil and tar notes. Classic in nature, yet in a lighter, more crowd-pleasing style, the Carraia is made of the ancient Aglianico grape. This black grape originated in Greece and today is widely grown in Basilicata and Campania.

My Review:
This wine had a very strong nose. I really smelled the spicy smell of licorice, and the dark fruit scent. I was really surprised though by the taste. It was much lighter than many of the red wines I've tasted. It had a slightly spicy finish because of the licorice taste, but it also had a lighter, fruity taste of berries. However it was slightly bitter. I was happily surprised by this one, it was much more pleasant than a lot of the dark fruit reds I've tasted. 
I tasted this alone without food.

Tasting - Siema Vino Rosso

Name: Siema
Variety: Vino Rosso 
Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte
Year: N/A
Price: $6.95 (regular $10)


Wine Critic Review:
Intense ruby red with soft garnet nuances in the glass, the Rosso is intriguingly fresh, fruity and spicy on the nose. Perfectly round and balanced, the wine is particularly soft and dry. Pair with simple dishes like fresh cheese, ham, salami, or pizza for a divine culinary experience.

My Review:
To me this wine was just like a lot of reds I've tasted so far. There was a strong smell of cherry and blackberries. There was also a slightly woody smell to it. This wine had that taste of cough syrup that I didn't like, probably because I don't like cherry. It had a little bit of spice to it. I wasn't the biggest fan of this wine. I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - Dom de la Foret Grenache Cinsault Rose de Mediterranée

Name: Dom de la Foret
Variety: Grenache Cinsault Rose de Meiterranee
Country: France

Region: Provence
Year: N/A
Price: $8.95 (regular $13)


Wine Critic Review:
A stony, pure style, with a warm paving stone note framing the dried cherry and rose water notes. The long, watermelon rind—inflected finish is finely tuned. Shows length and cut, staying lacy in feel. 50% Cinsault and 50% Grenache.

My Review:
This wine had a really fruity nose. I smelled a strong peach smell. This was an extremely smooth, light, fruity wine. It didn't have a strong taste, but it had a nice light hint of citrus on the palette. I would've liked for it to be a little bit more flavorful, but overall I enjoyed it.
I tried this alone without food.

Tasting - Bricco dei Tati Cortese

Name: Bricco dei Tati
Variety: Cortese
Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte
Year: 2013
Price: $6.95 (regular $10)


Wine Critic Review: The Washington Post
Great Value! Treat this terrific little white like a red: Don’t chill it too much, then let it open for a half-hour to develop its enticing tropical fruit flavors. It’s dry, but the fruit gives an appealing illusion of sweetness. Great as an aperitif or with light seafood dishes.

My Review:
This wine was pretty dry, which I'm not a fan of, but it had a great fruity flavor. I smelled a little bit of pear, which I wasn't a fan of. I'm not a big pear person. There was a tiny hint of citrus, but the pear was overpowering. It was a slightly bitter, acidic wine. I probably wouldn't try this one again. 
I tried this without food. 

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Tasting - Peter Mertes Sweet Red Dornfelder

Name: Peter Mertes
Variety: Sweet Red Dornfelder
Country: Germany

Region: California
Year: 2014
Price: $6.95 (regular $12)


Wine Critic Review:
The trademark German red grape varietal Dornfelder has a lovely purity of soft red berry fruit. Integrated soft tannins combined with forward fruit flavors make for a perfectly balanced everyday sipping wine. Great with grilled red meat, sausage and chicken. Best served slightly chilled.

My Review:
I was extremely surprised that I liked this wine, as I am not usually a fan of reds. This was much sweeter and fruitier than most red wines I've tasted. This wine had a fruity, sweet smell, almost like raspberries. It was a very well-balanced, lighter taste. I really like that the fruity, sweet notes came through not only on the nose, but also on the taste. 
I tasted this without food.