Wine and Cheese Pairing Report

The Five Wines Tasted

Four Students of Geography of Wine and One Guest

  

Pictured Left to Right

1. La Coudraie White Bordeaux

2. Vignoble Poiron-Dabin Pinot Grigio

3. Antica Terra Pinot Noir

4. Delta Landing Zinfandel

5. Villa da Filicaja Chianti

Cheese Pairing Participants

(starting left going around the table)

1. Peyton Howard, guest

2. Bryan Allen, student

3. Aaron Merkey, student

4. Tadd Hopkins, student

5. Henry Cantrell, student

                                                                            

 

8 Various Cheeses via Eats Natural Foods

 8 Different Cheese Varieties

1. Havarti Dill

2. Basil/Oliver Oil Asiago

3. Feta Goat Cheese

4. Bulgarian Sheep's Milk Feta

5. Mozzarella

6. Provolone

7. Smoked Cheddar

8. Smoked Gouda

The pairings:

1. Pinot Grigio with Feta Goat Cheese
2. White Bordeaux with Bulgarian Sheep's Milk Feta

3.  Pinot Noir with smoked Gouda and smoked Cheddar

4. Chianti with Provolone and Mozzarella

5. Zinfandel with Havarti Dill and Basil/Olive Oil Asiago

**Important Note**It's important to note that we did in fact tried every cheese with every wine, but the pairings listed above are the ones we chose to write about, as we felt they paired best with each other.

Name: Villa da Filicaja

Variety: 90% Sangiovese. 5% Canaiolo, 5% Merlot

Region: Tuscany

Country: Italy

Year: 2009

Price: $13.00

Wine Unpaired: The nose of this Chianti was very clean and well balanced as well as floral and perfume like. The Taste contained moderate tannins with a hot finish. There were also undertones of leather and oak barrel within this Italian Chianti. 

Italian Provolone Unpaired: Very good, super aged and his a kick!

Fresh Mozzarella Unpaired: Creamy, light, and delicate.

Paired with Provolone: The provolone and Chianti went hand in hand. They complimented each other nicely while still preserving their own distinct flavors throughout the taste. I would encourage this pairing to wine advocates. 

Paired with Mozzarella. This pairing was not too exciting. The mozzarella was somewhat bland which resulted in the Chianti being the dominant flavor with this pairing. By themselves they are very good, but together, it is somewhat boring. One thing the mozzarella did offer was a nice, creamy texture which accompanied the Chianti with texture, just not flavor. 

Name: Antica Terra
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Willamette Valley, OR
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Price: $50 (on sale for $30)

Wine Unpaired: The nose of this wine carried scents of plastic, earthiness, and sand. The taste possessed a hot finish and very solid/balanced. There were hints of mustiness as well within the taste. 

Smoked Gouda Unpaired: Smooth yet bold, creamy and delicious. 

Smoked Cheddar Unpaired: Very bold and sharp in cheddar flavor.

Paired with Smoked Gouda: Wow! What a flavor combination! The Old World style of this Pinot Noir truly brought out the deep richness offered by the Smoked Gouda. Neither one of this over powered each other and altogether was an excellent pairing!

Paired with Smoked Cheddar: Interestingly, the flavors within this pairing served to mellow each other out. More specifically, the oakiness of the wine mellowed out the sharpness of the Smoked Cheddar, and Vice Verse. All around a great choice of cheese to pair with the bold, sophisticated Pinot Noir. 

Name: Delta Landing
Variety: Zinfandel
Region: Lodi, CA
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $15

Wine Unpaired: After conducting a "sniffy sniff" I picked up on scents of leather, smokiness, and oak barrel. The taste seemed to contain moderate tannins with the leather and smokiness coming through strong from the nose. 

Havarti Dill Unpaired: Fresh, Creamy, and Delicate.

Basil/Olive Oil Asiago: Similar to a Parmesan Cheese with strong hints of Basil. 

Paired with Havarti Dill: Truthfully these two did not compliment each other very well. The basil was way too overpowering for the oak barrel flavor offered by the Zinfandel. Overall, the pairing was just nasty and not one I would recommend to wine advocates, mainly because of the overpowering basil. 

Paired with Asiago: A complete turn around from the last cheese. These Asiago paired much better with the Zinfandel as each flavor acted to mellow each other out. The smoothness of the Asiago complimented the dark berry finish offered by the Zinfandel. I would strongly encourage this pairing to any wine advocates out there. 

Name: Pinot Gris Tradition
Variety: Pinot Gris 
Region: Loire Valley
Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $13

Wine Unpaired: The nose of this Pinot Grigio was clean and very apple like with light hints of Peach. The taste was very smooth and didn't contain too much texture. Not too bold and very well balanced. 

Feta Goat Cheese Unpaired: SALT!!!!  or Salt Monster as Gary Vaynerchuk might say! Overall thischeese was crumbly and very, very salty!

 Paired with Feta Goat Cheese: The combination of flavors brought out a huge mozzarella flavor. The wine and cheese on their own were very bold, but together they mellowed each other out nicely.  

 

Name: Chateaux La Coudraie 
Variety: 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Semillon, 25% Muscadelle 
Region: Bordeaux
Country: France 
Year: 2011
Price: $11

Wine Unpaired: The nose of this wine was very acidic, soapy, and citrus like. The taste offered hints of sour apple while containing a very delicate texture. Well balanced and well rounded. It also possessed medium tannins and a warm finish. 

Sheep's Milk Feta Unpaired: Very creamy and subtle like a Mozzarella. 

Paired with Sheep's Milk Feta: The wine and cheese together was nothing like the they tasted separately. The deep richness of the feta was brought out by the citrus like flavor of the wine. It wasn't smoked but the wine made it seem like it had accents of smoke. I would encourage this pairing to any wine advocates.