Wine and Cheese Pairing 1

The fancy table setting, complete with grapes and crackers.

For our wine and cheese pairing, we chose an Albariño, a Chardonnay, and a Cabernet Sauvignon as our wines. To pair, we chose two types of Brie (triple cream and pepper) and two types of cheddar (applewood and white). Overall the experience was very interesting, but I think we could have probably chosen some better pairings.

From left to right: Toasted Head Chardonnay,
Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon, & Burgan's Albarino

We began with the Albariño and creamy/normal Brie. This white wine smelled a bit like Pinot Grigio. There were also hints of apricot, pear, and floral tones to its bouquet. On the palate it was very buttery and smooth, which I thoroughly enjoyed. With a silky, medium-bodied mouth feel, this was a great first experience with an Albariño!

Paired with the Brie, the wine only improved. I found the creaminess of the Brie really complimented the softness of the wine. Together, the smoothness gave an extremely pleasant feel in the mouth. I mostly noticed the texture pairing, but not much as far as taste and flavors go.

Next, we tasted the Chardonnay. On the nose the oak monster made a grand appearance, as expected. Its bouquet was very strong and a little bit too much for me to handle. On the palate, I liked the mango-y, vanilla hints coming through and with a second swirl I noted a subtle wet wood smell. What threw me off was a bit of a smelly feet component that I was getting, and I did not enjoy this. I really though I would enjoy as this wine, as I am generally a fan of oaky Chardonnays, but this wine was too unbalanced for my taste.

We paired this Chardonnay with both the triple cream Brie and the White Cheddar. Although suggested as a good pairing, I did not find the Brie and Chardonnay to go together. It was like the Brie brought out the hotness and punch of the wine, and like its bouquet, it was overwhelming. Oddly enough, I found it to pair very well with the white cheddar. The white cheddar actually brought down the hotness and reduced the overbearing presence of the oak monster this wine carried. It made it less offensive to my palate and much easier to drink.

Lastly, we sampled the Gen 5 Cab Sauvingnon. It had a nice rosy color to it that I liked, but its nose was rather disappointing. It smelled dirty and swampy, almost like a musty piece of clothing. There were some hints of dark, black fruits coming through, but this was quickly overpowered by all the wet, dirty smells. On the palate it reminded me immediately of licorice, a candy I am not particularly a fan of.

However, this wine became more pleasant when paired with the white cheddar. The cheese seemed to tone down the acidity and overwhelming richness of the wine. The black fruit tones I picked up on the bouquet of this wine were allowed to come out when paired with the white cheddar, and overall, the cheese really saved this wine! We also tried this Cab with the applewood cheddar. Although also a cheddar cheese, this one did not go well with this heavy red wine at all! It was extremely offensive on the palate due to the heightened acidity. The wine also seemed to bring out the meatiness of the cheese, which normally I would enjoy as it was bacon, but together with this wine it was simply not good.