Wine and Cheese Pairing #2

For the first pairing we had Fragile Rosé with Feta cheese. The Fragile Rosé is a 2016 vintage from Maury, France. The varietal of this rosé was not listed on the bottle. The scent of the wine was strawberry, cherry blossom, and raspberry. On it's own the wine was plain. It did not have a lot of flavor. It was very dry and acidic and had almost a burnt taste.

Feta and Rosé

I do not think that the rosé and the feta paired well together. The wine cut the saltiness of the feta and masked the flavor of the cheese. The feta made the wine more acidic. The wine was overpowering with the cheese. I think that the wine's acidity definitely overpowered the cheese and they did not complement one another.

Bonarda and Brie

For the second pairing we had Tilia Bonarda from Mendoza, Argentina with brie cheese. This Bonarda is described as showing "juicy raspberry fruit flavors and aromas with a touch of licorice and finishes with, soft round tannins." The wine had a strong stewed cherry scent, as well as hints of cinnamon, black pepper, and other baking spices. On it's own the wine had a surprisingly light taste with light tannins and a toasted buttery oak flavor.

When paired with the brie the Bonarda's tannic flavors were brought out. The Bonarda brought out  the creaminess of the brie. I think because the Bonarda had low acid that it did not pair well with the brie it did not cut through the creaminess it made the flavor of the cheese more overpowering. I think that the cheese overpowered the wine when it was paired together ,yes, it brought the tannins but it also diminished the other flavors in the wine which made it a bad pairing.

Tempranillo and Havarti

For our final pairing we had El Conrtijillo Tempranillo from the 2016 vintage paired with Havarti cheese. The Tempranillo had a cherry, earthy, vanilla, and tasted oak smell. On its own the wine tasted like stewed cherry and had light tannins and the taste reminded me of unsweetened iced tea.

The wine brought out the flavors of the havarti and made the cheese creamier, it did not impact the fattiness or saltiness of the cheese. The cheese brought out a stronger cherry flavor in the wine and brought out the tannins in it as well. The cheese definitely made the wine more fruity. This was not my favorite pairing because the cheese was too overpowering for the wine.

I was not a big fan of any of the pairings at this cheese and wine pairing. They just did not complement each other or balance each other. However, even though I wasn't a fan of the pairings it was still a fun night.