Wine and Cheese Pairing #3

• Sutter Home Pinot Grigio
• Variety: Pinot Grigio/ Pinot Gris
• Region: CA
• Country: USA
• Year: 2018
• Price: $6.99
• Winery Notes: Fresh floral aromas and sweet flavors of white peach, melon, citrus, and tropical fruits beg your palate not to forget this night or this wine. Pinot Grigio wine's crispness primes the palate for food and pairs well with all seafood, cheeses, and spicy Latin and Asian fare.
• Tasting Notes (without cheese):  This wine smells very acidic, like apples and tropical fruits.. Immediately you are hit with sharp acidity from the apple and peach fruits, followed by a light sweetness accompanied with slight acidity. Overall it has a nice, soft finish.
• Paired with Aged Parmesan: I definitely think that the parmesan cheese helped take the edge off of this light, acidic wine. The cheese mellowed out the harsher notes and allowed the fruitier notes of apple and peach come through much stronger. The aged parmesan definitely held the finish touch with its strong flavors. I much preferred this wine paired with the cheese.
  
• Woodbridge Chardonnay
• Variety: Chardonnay
• Region: Monterey (CA)
• Country: USA
• Year: 2017
• Price: $6.99
• Winery Notes: With an aroma of green apple and a floral undertone, this Chardonnay displays a smooth elegance. The aromas and flavors show nuances of baked apples and cinnamon, ending in a rich oak finish.
• Tasting Notes (without cheese): This wine smells very light such as acidic grapes, apple, and perhaps some florals. Upon tasting, you are hit with light, refreshing fruitiness followed by deep oaky notes. Overall it had a very smooth finish.
• Paired with Beecher's Flagship Cheddar: Initially, the powerful cheddar and the acidic notes of the chardonnay mesh together. The definitely help balance each other out and in the end the deeper, bolder, and oakier notes from the wine come through with a nice finish. I think I preferred the wine alone because with the cheese, the bold flavors were a little too noticeable for my liking.
  
• Sutter Home Red Blend
• Variety: Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah
• Region: California
• Country: USA
• Year: 2018
• Price: $6.99  
• Winery Notes: This wine is a beautifully balanced blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch of Syrah. To the blend, Zinfandel lends its deep, bold berry flavors; Merlot contributes fresh, juicy fruit flavors and aromas; and the Cabernet adds elegant structure. One of the signatures of this blend is its smooth, luxurious mouthfeel. To enhance the wine’s texture and extract softer tannins, winemakers employ an aggressive early pump over regimen.
• Tasting notes (without cheese):  This wine smells deep and bold of cherries and spice. Immediately you are hit with strong tannins that are balanced with fruity cherries. The deep flavors hit full force but fade at the end with a soft, finish. Overall the wine is medium-dry.
• Paired with Florette Goat Brie: I definitely noticed that this brie helped soften the bold, dry notes from the wine. The brie definitely complemented this flavorful wine and allowed the cherry notes to shine through in the end over the bolder tannins. The flavors from the brie still came through but the goat cheese notes were subdued. Overall I much preferred this wine paired with the cheese.