Wine and Cheese 1

 Wine! Cheese!  I hear it's a good pairing.  To say that I don't often eat cheese would be an understatement, but... Well, I figured this would be worth a try.  And even if I don't like the pairings, I can still drink the wine, right?

So, the cheese!

Light gouda: light flavor, not really a whole lot there.  Certainly not my favorite, and I don't think a particularly good quality.

Aged English Sharp Farmhouse:  Rich, creamy, smoky flavor. Great with crackers.

Classic Double Cream Chive:  Luscious.  That's the best word here.  Creamy and full of chives; absolutely delicious on its own or with crackers.

Name: Famille Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve
Variety: A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $10
Shop/Critic/Winery Review: "This 2013 Reserve has a great minerality with abundant freshness. Primarily made from Grenache, it is the Syrah variety that dominates this vintage. Nice aromas of red and black fruit, with a strong aromatic concentration. The mouth is fresh and full-bodied. The tannins are soft and give a long aromatic finish."

My impressions:  Beautiful ruby color. Subtle nose.  Hints of red fruit - plum?  On the tongue, it's fruity, slightly tannic, with good acid.  Red fruit, maybe a bit of dark fruit as well.  Full body.  Very nice.

I chose a light gouda to pair with this one, pictured below.

Paired with gouda: The gouda was very light in flavor.  I found that it softened the wine a little, bringing out some more of the fruitiness.  However, it wasn't a huge difference.  Maybe the cheese just isn't very good.

Paired with Farmhouse: The cheese flavor was very strong and smoky, so it drowned out the wine a bit.  It definitely softens the wine, but a little too much.

Paired with the chive:  The wine tastes a bit fruitier with this pairing, with hints of an earthy quality.  Not as good as the gouda, but MUCH better than the Farmhouse.

Name: Vino de Eyzaguirre Syrah
Variety: Syrah
Region: D.O. Colchagua Valley
Country: Chile
Year: 2014
Price: $8
Shop/Critic/Winery Review: for the 2013: "Bright garnet blue violet color. Inviting, attractive aromas and flavors of baked berries, dried leaves, turned earth, and light pepper with a lightly tannic, bright, dry full body and a warming, interesting, medium-length finish with woody tannins and moderate oak."

My impressions:  Very fragrant, lovely nose.  Raspberry, blackberry, plum, jammy... Delicious.  Lovely fruit on the tongue too.  Medium acid. Full of fruit, with more blackberry jam.  Not spicy like many Syrahs.

I chose the Aged English Sharp Farmhouse to pair with this wine.

Paired with the Gouda:  Nothing very interesting here.  I can taste the wine so strongly, it's almost like I hadn't just had cheese.  I think a more delicate wine, like a white, or maybe a Beaujolais, would be better.

Paired with the Farmhouse:  The wine tastes quite nice with this; it's not out of balance, but I'm not getting anything special from it either.  The pungent smoky notes on the cheese paired well with the fruitiness of the wine.

Paired with the Chive:  Both wine and cheese still taste good, but I get nothing from this pairing.

Name: Castello di Montespertoli
Variety: A blend of Sangiovese,
Region: Chianti
Country: Italy
Year: 2008
Price: $15
Shop/Critic/Winery Review: Translated from Italian: "The color is deep ruby red. To smell the first impression is of a perfectly frank wine of remarkable finesse and elegance, the first notes of spices especially black pepper, then red fruits with plums and cherries, chocolate and purple. Good intensity aromas of wine that tastes of wine, scents that blend in unison, that make it pleasant to sink the nose into the cup. The taste you feel that is Tuscan with marked tannins but not intrusive, that does not bother soft, indeed. And dry, balanced, and the right flavor with a slight bitter note, long persistence.
In conclusion: a wine that is appreciated in the table but which can be happy companion in the living room ."

My impressions:  New leather.  Black cherry, or some other dark fruit. Nice acidity, good tannins.  A bit spicy, some dark fruit on the tongue.  That leather continues to come through nicely until the finish.

I chose the Double Cream Chive to pair with this wine.

Paired with the Gouda:  Like the other wines before it, I don't think that the Gouda offered much here.  The wine just overpowers the cheese, so it's like it's not there at all.

Paired with the Farmhouse: This cheese seems to just drown out the wine.  Great separately, but weak together.

Paired with the Chive:  This one didn't drown it out, but neither was it a great pairing.  Definitely softened the tannins though, on second taste.
      *The morning after the tasting, I tried this again. Here are my notes from then:*  This pairing didn't jump out at me at first, but now I can't get enough of it.  The flavors don't meld; they almost clash; but the juxtaposition of the herbal chive flavor and the fruitiness of the wine, and the spice that it offers, has me hooked.  I added crackers to the mix, and it improves it further.