Wine and Cheese #1 - Cheese with Friends

 

Our first wine and cheese adventure!

Cheese #1 - Parmigiano Reggiano

Name of Wine: Pinot Gris (Cline)

Variety of Grapes: Pinot Gris 

Bottle Description:
"Refreshing, bright with exquisite notes of tangerine, grapefruit, and a hint of honey with some vibrant acidity."

My Review:
The first thing I noticed about the wine was the smell of apples. Upon tasting, we noticed a dryness followed by a slight acidity. We paired this wine with parmigiano reggiano. This pairing made the wine less dry, and it balanced out the acidity of the wine. Overall this was a good pairing. 

 

 

Cheese #2 - Parisian Style Brie

Name of Wine: Dolcemente Binco (Cantine Gabrielle)

Variety of Grapes: 70% Chardonnay and 30% Malvasia 

Bottle Description:
"Dolcemente's secret is the blend of the refined character of the Chardonnay with the fruitiness and sweetness of the Malvasia. Tropical fruit with an excellent balance of acidity and sweetness."

My Review:
The first thing I noticed with this wine was its tropical fruitiness. I could not place the specific fruit, however. I also noticed a slight dry finish. We paired this wine with Parisian Style Brie. This was a good pairing as the creaminess of the cheese complimented the dryness of the wine. The wine and cheese did not overpower each other, but I could not taste any more flavor in the wine or cheese when consumed together. 

 

 Cheese #3 - Mild Cheddar 

Name of Wine: Simonet Sparkling Wine Rose

Variety of Grapes: Syrah and Grenache

Bottle Description:
"The selection of the best grape varieties, a natural second fermentation and all the attention of our oenologist! This is the secret of this sparkling wine, with fine persistent bubbles, sweet red fruit notes."

My Review:
The first thing I noticed with this wine were distinctive floral and rose notes. The bottle description identified red fruit notes, but I was not able to distinguish these from the overwhelming floral notes I tasted. We paired this wine with a mild cheddar cheese. I did not like this cheese separately, so I also did not like it when it was paired with the wine. The cheddar cheese flavor overpowered the wine and left an unpleasant flavor in my mouth.

Dinner #1 - Food with Friends

Our first three course meal with wine pairings this semester.

Appetizer

For the appetizer, we had homemade bruschetta paired with Roscato Rosso Dolce.

Name of Wine: Rosso Dolce (Roscato, NV)

Variety of Grapes: Lagrein, Teroldego, Croatina

Vintage Cellar Description:
"Northern Italian. Violet-hued red with aromatic notes of cherry, blackberry, and red raspberrry. A touch of sweetness and bright acidity underlies the appeal of this charming wine. Traditional style compliments regional 'heart and soul' cuisine: bruschetta, calamari, pasta in red and cream sauces, breaded cutlets spicier fare. Enjoy chilled."

My Review:
For our first course we had bruschetta with a Roscato Rosso Dolce, a sweet red wine. On its own the wine had a strong aroma of berries with a distinctive light cherry smell. The wine tasted really good, which was not surprising since I have a strong sweet tooth, and this wine was on the sweeter side. I enjoyed the notes of berry. The wine paired well with the bruschetta as its sweetness counteracted the acidity from the balsamic vinegar of the bruschetta. Overall, the wine and bruschetta tasted very good on their own, but were excellent together.

Entrée 

For the main course, we had homemade steak with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Name of Wine: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (2017)

Variety of Grapes: Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero

Vintage Cellar Description:
"This Vino Nobile is produced and refined in the heart of the production area, between Val D'Orcia and Valdichiana. Characteristic bouquet, delicate with notes of violets and typical aromas of tobacco and leather. The linear palate features black cherry, cassis and oak-driven spice alongside agile tannins."

My Review:
Our second course of the evening was New York strip steak cooked to a perfect medium rare. We paired this course with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. From smelling the wine, I did not get any distinctive aromas. Upon tasting, I noticed a slight tobacco taste, but the wine was overwhelmingly dry for my palate. I think that the steak helped reduce the dryness of the wine, but not enough for me to thoroughly enjoy. The steak also made the wine smoother and less bitter. Overall, I did not like the wine that much and thought that it detracted from the steak. 

Dessert

For dessert, we had chocolate covered strawberries with Pear Dessert wine.

Name of Wine: Pear Dessert wine (Horton Vineyards, NV)

Variety of Grapes: Blend of white grapes (not specified)

Vintage Cellar Description:
"This fortified Pear Dessert wine is unique. A blend of white wines and pear juice combined with brandy. This dessert wine has sweet pear flavors and a warm brandy finish. Serve as a dessert, use to poach pears or combine with a cheese plate or cinnamon ice cream. Residual sugar: 14.4%."

My Review:
Our final course of the night was chocolate covered strawberries. We peared this course with Pear Dessert wine. The wine had a very noticeable aroma and taste of brandy which gave it a long warm finish. There was also a very faint taste of pear, but this was quickly overshadowed by the brandy. This was the first fortified wine I have tried and it was a little stronger than I would prefer. This wine tasted much better when it was chilled. Unfortunately, it did not pair well with the strawberries. The brandy in the wine was too strong for the chocolate and strawberry flavors. However, the sweetness of the strawberries did lessen the burn and warmth I felt in my mouth from the higher alcohol content of the wine. I would not consider buying this wine again.

Tasting - White Zinfandel (Canyon Road)

 

Name: White Zinfandel

Variety of the grapes: Zinfandel

Country of origin: USA

Region of origin: California 

Vintage year: 2021

Price: $7.95 

Vintage Cellar Description:
"This wine is light-bodied with hints of strawberry, cherry, and watermelon flavors and a smooth crisp finish. Serve chilled with appetizers, fresh fruits, or summer salads."

Wine Folly Text:
Page 189 of the text talks about the Zinfandel variety of grapes. This grape is lower in acidity and sweetness, and higher in body, tannins, and alcohol. This wine was 8% ABV, so it was on the lower end of what a Zinfandel can be, but it was also the highest ABV wine I have tried thus far. 

My Review:
The most notable thing about this wine was a distinctive watermelon flavor. I did not taste any other notes of flavor. I enjoyed this wine quite a bit, but it was not as sweet as I thought it would be. Both wines I tried this week were less sweet than I expected them to be, which made them good starting points to try drier wines. I did not pair this wine with any food.

Tasting - Roscato Rosé Dolce

 

Name: Roscato Rosé Dolce

Variety of the grapes: Pinot Noir, Teroldego, Croatina

Country of origin: Italy 

Region of origin: Northern Italy

Vintage year: NV (No Vintage)

Price: $13.95 

Winery Review (Roscato):
"From the spectacular backdrop of northern Italy comes this delicate Roacato Rosé Dolce. This charming wine exalts fresh notes of strawberry and raspberry combined with a touch of sweetness. Rich and refreshing, it is wonderful on its own, but also a great pairing wither with spicy foods, barbecue dishes, fresh fruit and dessert. Enjoy chilled."

We got a little carried away and
drank it before we took a picture.

Wine Folly Text:
On page 150 of Wine Folly, Pinot Noir is described as a light-bodied red wine that has a "long, smooth, soft-tannin finish". I noticed this while drinking wine, especially since it was drier than I was originally expecting. 

My Review:
This was the first Rosé wine I have every tried and I liked it. I was not able to smell any distinctive smells from the "swirl and sniff", but I was able to detect distinct notes of strawberry when I drank it. I was not able to detect any of the other flavors that were described in the review. This wine was also drier than I was anticipating. I did not pair this wine with any food.