Cheese Pairing - Sept 24

For our first wine pairing, a friend and I decided to follow the cheese pairing guide in the Zraly book to help us find a few cheeses that might pair decently with different types of cheese. So we started off at Sprouts and looked at the various cheeses that both fit the description and that we knew we would like. Then we headed over to the Cellar and picked up some of the recommended pairings before trying them all out.

The first wine and cheese pairing was an Australian Shiraz with smoked Gouda (the wine and cheese on the far left of the picture).

Shiraz before Gouda: The Shiraz was full bodied with a high alcohol content that contributed to the body. It was coupled with a high tannic structure. There was a fruity flavor which was predominantly blackberry and it had specific spice tastes. 

After Gouda: The Gouda definitely dulled down the big spices of the Shiraz and due to this, there was more fruity flavor and less tartness with that spice. It had a less sharp and more smooth finish when coupled with the cheese. 

The second was an Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza with an extra sharp cheddar which was said to possibly be a pair. 

Cabernet Sauvignon before Cheddar: The Cabernet had raspberry flavors on the palate with a short finish. Along with this, the tannins were not very light or very intense but they were noticeable. The body was surprisingly light and was coupled with a short finish. 

After Cheddar: This was probably the least appealing pairing of the three and it may have been more because of the cheese than it was because of the pairing between the two. Without the wine, the Cheddar wasn't my favorite and the sharpness was overpowering. This did play into the wine because it really toned down the flavors of the Cabernet and brought out more of the fruits, but the sharpness of the Cheddar still lingered and that was not very tasty.

The final pairing was our trip to the Old World where we tried to pair a Chianti Classico with a Parmigiano Reggianito, in truly Italian style.

Chianti before Parmigiano: The Chianti was left for last to try and open it up more with some slow decanting and it did end up being the most delicious of the three wines. It was the most fruity of the wines and also had some earthy qualities that were very appealing. The body and tannins where both on the medium side.

After Parmigiano: This didn't pair quite as well as I thought it would, but it was still good and was the best of the three pairings. The biggest thing that the Parmigiano did to the Chianti was mellow it down. After having a bite of the cheese, the tannins in the Chianti became much softer. This then made the wine smoother and helped to emphasize the fruit flavors as well.

Overall, the cheese paired fine with wines, and the wines themselves were very good. The classic Italian cheese and wine was the best pairing but it could be better, just as the other could be better. All of the cheese did affect the flavors of the wine and change what was represented. For the next time I really want to try out a Spanish cheese with some type of Rioja blend, as well as a French pairing.