Wine & Cheese Pairing

What better way to spend a Sunday evening than testing wine and cheese pairings with friends in your wine class? On March 24th, me and 4 others gathered for this event. We didn't have six people, so three of us brought wines, and two got the cheeses.

Over spring break a received a nice 2014 Medoc Bordeaux as a gift, and thought among "fancy" cheeses in a Foxridge apartment would be an appropriate setting to try it in. The next wine was a 2017 Malbec-Syrah (50-50 blend) from Argentina. The last wine was a Yellow Tail Moscato.

We picked two cheeses that we thought would pair well with our chosen wines, and one that was sort of a wild card. Our selection included a creamy, spreadable brie to go with the Bordeaux, a "drunken" goat cheese to go with the Malbec-Syrah, and cubes of Colby Jack, just for funsies. I was especially intrigued by the drunken goat cheese. Apparently it gets its name because the rind is treated with red wine, which is supposed to affect the flavor of the cheese! We also used tiny toasts as palate cleansers. Incredibly effective and incredibly adorable.

First, we tasted each of the wines on their own. The Moscato had an extremely sweet, candied fruit flavor. Since it was also slightly carbonated, it reminded me of Welch's sparkling grape juice. This seemed to be the favorite of the group. The Bordeaux, of course, was the boldest of the bunch. It had a smoky, burning wood, almost bacon-y smell. Very dry, with bold tannins. The Malbec-Syrah didn't smell like much, but I detected a hint of smokiness. Medium tannins, smooth, with a dry finish.

Now the fun part: combining wine and cheese, starting with our good friend, the Yellow Tail Moscato. The brie has a nice, creamy, butter-like consistency but no flavor, and doesn't affect the taste of the wine. Likewise, the wine doesn't do anything to the cheese. The goat cheese on its own has a very distinct, strong, robust flavor. The wine kind of melts it down, and mellows out the flavors, but not by much. As for the colby jack... the flavors kind of clash. It's not like one is overpowering the other, necessarily, it's just that they exist separately. And it's kind of gross.

Next is the Bordeaux. For the goat cheese, the wine sort of tames the strong flavor of the cheese and makes it more mild and enjoyable. Likewise, the cheese smooths out the tannins in the wine. They pair quite well. The colby jack also melts down the tannins, but the flavors do not go well together. With the brie, it was pretty good! It smooths down the wine; the cheese still doesn't taste like much but that melt-in-your-mouth texture is nice.

Finally, the Malbec-Syrah. This did not pair with the brie at all - it created a bitter sensation in the mouth that was just unpleasant. With the goat cheese, it was fine at first, but then it makes the wine REALLY strong/acidic and creates a weird sensation on the tongue. Surprisingly, it actually wasn't that bad with the colby jack; the cheese made the wine more mild.