Wine & Cheese Pairing #1

 

When I went home to NoVa for the weekend about two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do a wine & cheese pairing session with my family along with a wine dinner. The three wines we drank were a merlot, a pinot noir, and a chambourcin. The three types of cheese we paired were pepper jack, swiss, and mild cheddar. There was also colby jack, but we decided to exclude it for the pairing.

First, we paired the 2010 Chateu Ste. Michelle Merlot with mild cheddar cheese. This merlot had aromas of cherries, blackberries, and spice with layers of rich and dark red fruit flavors and a long, smooth, sweet finish. The mild cheddar cheese was less "in your face" with its flavoring and had a much less tangy background flavor than regular cheddar cheese, which tends to be very sharp. When paired together, the mild cheddar took down the spiciness of the wine and really let the rich and dark red fruit flavors shine through. Good pairing. Better than expected.

Next, we paired the 2012 Joseph Drouhin Laforet Pinot Noir with pepper jack cheese. This pinot noir had aromas of raspberries, red-currants, and black-currants. In the mouth, pleasant spicy notes with fresh and fruity berry flavors with light tannins came through. The pepper jack cheese had the intensity of spicy hot peppers. It was spicy, delicate, soft, and had a slightly tart flavor. This pairing was a disappointment, because there was too much spice. I think pepper jack cheese would pair well with sweeter wines.

Lastly, we paired the Rosso Dolce Chambourcin with swiss cheese. This chambourcin had aromas of red berries. The sweetness of the wine was very subtle and pleasant on the palate. The swiss cheese had a buttery and nutty flavor. The bland taste of the swiss cheese complimented the sweetness of the wine very well. However, the after taste of the swiss cheese didn't compliment the wine, which was interesting.

This wine & cheese pairing was definitely a learning experience. I always thought that any wine and any cheese would go together, but I was wrong. Through this experience, I realized how hard it is to match wines with cheeses.