Wine and Cheese Pairing 2

 For this week's first pairing, me and my family did a Merlot and Gouda cheese. The wine was King Stag's 2022 Merlot from California. By itself, the cheese was pretty sharp and tangy, overall, but really good. As for the Merlot, it mainly smelled like cherry but also a little bit of plum. I picked up raspberry after a few more sniffs as well. For the taste, it was a little bit earthy and leathery. However, overall, it was spicy with a bit of pepper but not super tannic. Paired together, the cheese takes away the few tannins in the wine. It also brings out the fruit flavors, and I would say the cheese overpowered the wine. I did think these paired really well together, as they balanced each other out for the most part.

The next pairing was a 2023 Riesling from the Biltmore Estate and Balsamic cheese. The cheese by itself was pretty sweet and not tangy or salty. It was also very smooth, and I really enjoyed this cheese alone. For the wine's smell, I definitely picked up apple heavily. There was a slight cantaloupe aroma and maybe peach, but overall, very fruity. The taste consisted of lots of green apple flavors and was pretty tart and crisp. It was for sure on the sweet side and had tiny flavors of strawberry and honey. I loved this wine by itself! Together, the wine masked the cheese and took away some of the sweetness of the cheese. The cheese also brought out some of the alcohol components in the wine. I thought these did not pair super well together because they were too opposite of flavors and both sweet products. However, alone, the cheese and wine were amazing.

The last pairing was a 2023 White Haven Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and Camembert. The cheese I would say is very, very creamy and not salty. It has a bit of an olive flavor and oaky aftertaste. It was pretty smooth and not tangy in the slightest. I've always loved Camembert, so I was excited for this pairing! The wine by itself smelled VERY grapefruit with a bit of green apple. It was extremely fruity smelling with a touch of honey aroma. As for taste, it still had a very strong grapefruit flavor and was pretty tart and tangy. This was a very fruity wine with a tiny bitter aftertaste along with low alcohol and tannins. I really loved this wine alone. Paired together, the wine overpowered the cheese a little. However, the cheese took away the grapefruit elements of the wine and accentuates the tartness. I thought this was an amazing pairing and think they both balanced each other's components.

Essentially, I loved these pairings and found wines that are definitely some new favorites!

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