Wine & Cheese Event

Wine & Cheese Pairings

The wines:
Name: Thorn- Clarke James Goaddard Barossa Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Year: 2011
Country: Australia

Name: Robert Mondavi Private Selection Merlot
Variety: Merlot
Year: 2012
Country: California, USA

Name: Gabbiano Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Year: 2012
Country: Italy

The cheeses:
(side note, I worked on a small artisan cheese making dairy for the last two summers, so the three Oak Spring Dairy cheeses are artisan cheeses that I helped make)

Name: Oak Spring Dairy Sundried Tomato & French Herb Derby
Type: hard cheese, cheddar variety
Aged: 8 months

Name: Oak Spring Dairy Marbled Colby
Type: semi-soft cheese
Aged: 6 months

Name: Oak Spring Dairy Yellow Cheddar
Type: hard cheese, cheddar variety
Aged: 16 months

Name: Vermont White Cheddar
Type: hard cheese, cheddar variety
Aged: 7 months

Name: La Bonne Vie Triple Creme Brie
Type: soft cheese
Aged: not aged

Name: Joan of Arc Brie
Type: soft cheese
Aged: not aged

Now for some fun….

The Pinot Grigio was pretty good on its one.  This is one of my favorite varieties of white wine, and I was a little disappointed in how it paired with the cheeses.  On its own, the wine tasted strongly of lemon, lime, and overall citrus notes.  It was light, dry and simple, with hints of straw flavor.  It was a pleasant and simple wine, nothing special.  When I paired it with the marbled colby cheese, it was not a good pairing.  It made the cheese taste sour and did nothing to improve the wine.  When I paired the Pinot Grigio with the Joan of Arc Brie it made the cheese sweeter and smoother, not as sour, and masked any off flavor in the cheese.  It made the cheese had a longer finish and was a great pairing with the wine.  The Pinot Grigio was paired with the Triple Creme Brie it had a similar effect.  It made the wine taste more acidic, tangy, and very strongly of citrus flavors.  This wine made the cheese creamier, smoother and much richer.  It gave the cheese a better aftertaste as well.  The soft cheeses were a much better pairing than the colby.

Next, I paired the Robert Mondavi Merlot with the cheeses.  On it's own this wine is hot, without a lot of standout flavor.  I could pick up hints of plum, dark fruit, raspberry.  At first this wine seemed hot but with the finish it comes across as more sweet, which was very interesting.  This Merlot with the Triple Creme Brie was the best pairing I had the whole night.  The Merlot made the cheese smoother, creamier and fuller flavor.  It improved the wine, making it sweeter and less hot.  With the other Brie, the pairing was not quite as good.  It made the wine more sour and hot.  It does not improve the wine flavor at all but it makes the cheese creamier and smoother.  I paired the Vermont White Cheddar with this wine as well, it made the cheese creamier and gave it more flavor.  This cheese was very mild on its own, and getting more flavor was an improvement.

Finally, we paired the Thorn- Clarke James Goaddard Barossa Shiraz with the cheeses.  On its own the wine is strong, dark and has berry flavors.  Interestingly, I could also taste strong spice flavor, especially clove and cinnamon.  Without food it is very strong and almost overwhelming.  I paired this wine with the hard cheeses.  It was an excellent pairing with the Sundried Tomato & French Herb Derby- bringing out the full flavors of the cheese while making the wine a little more balanced and easier to drink.  It made the Marbled Colby cheese seem more sharp and tangy, which actually made it a better cheese.  It made the Yellow Cheddar seem sharper, which is something that I enjoy.  However, it was not a good pairing with the Triple Creme Brie.  It made the flavor of the cheese seem off and the wine tasted musty and sour.

This was an interesting experience for me.  Overall I found that the Pinot Grigio did not pair well with the hard cheeses, but went better with the Bries.  Both of the red wines paired well with the hard cheeses, making them more flavorful and creamier.  The Merlot paired well with one of the Bries, but not the other.  The Shiraz was a good pairing for both of the soft cheeses, making them smoother, richer, creamier, and more decadent. This showed me that it can be difficult to pair cheeses with wines, and is not always straightforward. Red wines seem to be easier to pair with cheeses but I am going to keep trying to find a great white wine to pair with artisan aged cheeses!