Cheese Tasting Uno- A New Hope

Alright ladies and gentlefish, we have a Wine and Cheese pairing post that will absolutely knock your socks off. I had the great fortune to join a group of friends for a wine and cheese tasting bonanza this past Friday. Enlightening conversation was had, bonds were strengthened, but most importantly WINE AND CHEESE WERE CONSUMED. 




Pictured here is our cheese board near the beginning the night. Starting clockwise we have a Port Salut, Drunken Goat Goat Cheese, a Cheddar (don't eat the wax), and a Smoked Gouda. 








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To start, I had this here Marcel Rose. I have a very limited experience with Roses but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It was quite sweet, I was getting lots of fruity flavors like pear and peach. We decided the Brie paired the best with this wine. Both were rather mild. With that being said, I feel this rose would go much better with a sweet desert. I enjoyed both independently of each other and would like to explore further pairing options with rose. 




Next up to bat, we have Imagery; a Pinot Noir that I was quite fond of. The first characteristics I noted were the spice notes, similar to the Tempranillo I had last week. I also noted a woody-ness and earthy flavors. I paired this one with the Goat cheese I brought to the event. I felt the two paired very well. The dryness of the wine complimented the savory cheese. The rind in particular had a distinct earthy flavor that paired well with the pinot noir. This may have been my favorite pairing of the night.




 


To conclude tonight's post we have Frico's 2020 Friulano. I had not heard about this type of wine previously but I was pleasantly surprised. Not as sweet as the rose from earlier but lacked the dryness of the red's. Definitely notes of fruit, citrus to be exact! This friulano went down quite smoothly. I love gouda, so I decided to pair these two together. These went decently well together though I believe the friulano would be better suited for salads and fresher foods. I wouldn't say either aspect necessarily complimented the other, nor would I say the experience was inhibited. 






We all had a fantastic night, this class has ushered in a new generation of wine heads. Hopefully by the time of our next tasting our palettes will be more refined and our pairings will be even more complimentary. Until next time!


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