Wine and Cheese Pairing 2
My friends had so much fun at our last wine n' cheese pairing, that THEY put together the second one!
We all headed to Crest for cheese again and forgot they also sell wine or else probably would've picked that up from there too, but whatever. Trips to the liquor store are always fun anyway.
This time, we picked out asiago, provolone (my favorite cheese everrrrr), and more havarti since it was a hit last time. Evan also grabbed some little jars of jam and some honey. We also nabbed two types of crackers. For the sake of tasting the wine and cheese primarily, I did not attempt wine tasting with the fancy pita ones.
(Our wonderful crackers and cheese spread! Featuring the same group of friends lol).
When we got to the liquor store, we once again broke off to pick out our wines of choice. I knew that we didn't always finish the wines, so I headed for their half bottle selection. They didn't have a riesling, but I'd heard that pinot grigio could be something I enjoy! I love crisp white wines!
I picked out a half bottle of Cavit Pinot Grigio. It was around $8 and it's from Italy!
I've included a picture of my in progress tasting notes for fun!
The Sidekick had a strange dusty taste that I associate with Cabs now simply because it's very noticeable in them. It was pleasantly dry with a muted dust taste, and tasted like dark red fruits like cranberries. It had a bit of jam to it because of it's medium body that felt thick when you drank it. Not overly tannic.
The Prosecco is about what you'd expect from a cute sparkling wine. Bubbly and light, crisp, felt fizzy on the tongue, and was deliciously peachy. It tasted somewhat floral, like when you walk through the garden section at Walmart. It also felt spicy because of the carbonation and somewhat grassy.
When tasting the pinot with the cheeses, the asiago cut the heat from the alcohol and made it smoother to drink. It also added a floral element to the wine and the cheese itself tasted sharper. I loved this.
The provolone didn't have much taste to begin with until I tried it with wine. It made the wine crisper and sharper, gave the cheese an added pop, and also tasted a bit like pee with its strong sharpness. It made the wine seem salty.
The havarti (ever the difficult cheese) made the wine extra spicy and imparted a similar cat pee taste. The herbs were increased in their flavor and the cheese felt thicker. It did cut the crispness of the wine.
The Sidekick was actually great with the asiago! The delicious nuttiness of the asiago went well with that dusty taste, and helped the dryness not bother me as much. It made the wine taste smoother and lighter bodied to me, and really brought out the creamy nuttiness that I like about asiago.
The provolone didn't change too much, just tasted smoother. The wine was smoother as well, and the dustiness was increased (which I didn't mind). The medium body felt really thick over the cheese.
The havarti once again showed its true colors by getting spicier with the taste of the dry red wine. I could especially taste its herby notes. The dustiness was muted even more within the wine, but it made it seem bubbly! It seemed crisper and lighter bodied, and was
Finally, the Prosecco was paired with the cheeses. The asiago was fine, but the nuttiness of it was hindered by the bubbles of the wine. The flavors seemed a little more lemony within the wine, and it was almost sour. It remained very smooth.
The provolone actually tasted better! It has a distinct sharp taste that was increased with the carbonation, and I loved the smoothness of it with the bubbles! The wine was a little less crisp with this cheese, but it brought out the peachiness I first tasted.
Finally, the havarti was overwhelming.With the sparkling wine, it was so herby and spicy, it's like drinking soda after eating a mint. It was hopping! The wine was weirdly spicy and it was hard to taste anything from it OR the cheese. It was a lot of fun to eat though! The creaminess of the havarti was the saving grace, as there was a smooth undertone beneath the bubbly spice.
My little sister (again, she just joined for the free snacks, I'm not an enabler. We're pretty sure she's allergic to wine anyway because she broke out in hives after making and eating a wine sauce) and my friend Liz! We had a great time as always.
We all headed to Crest for cheese again and forgot they also sell wine or else probably would've picked that up from there too, but whatever. Trips to the liquor store are always fun anyway.
This time, we picked out asiago, provolone (my favorite cheese everrrrr), and more havarti since it was a hit last time. Evan also grabbed some little jars of jam and some honey. We also nabbed two types of crackers. For the sake of tasting the wine and cheese primarily, I did not attempt wine tasting with the fancy pita ones.
(Our wonderful crackers and cheese spread! Featuring the same group of friends lol).
When we got to the liquor store, we once again broke off to pick out our wines of choice. I knew that we didn't always finish the wines, so I headed for their half bottle selection. They didn't have a riesling, but I'd heard that pinot grigio could be something I enjoy! I love crisp white wines!
I picked out a half bottle of Cavit Pinot Grigio. It was around $8 and it's from Italy!
I had to use a pic from the internet because I forgot to take one in person. You can see the bottle in the above picture of the table!
The initial taste of the pinot was that of lemongrass, apple, sweat, a bit of cedar, and a hot aspect to the mouthfeel. The alcohol was easily noticeable, but it didn't hinder the crispness of it at all. Very light and tasty, but the sweaty taste was a bit off putting.
CJ picked out Sidekick cabernet sauvignon, and Liz picked out a light and sparkly prosecco. The Sidekick was about $14 and the Prosecco was about $11. The Sidekick is a 2016 from California, and the Prosecco is from Italy.
The Sidekick had a strange dusty taste that I associate with Cabs now simply because it's very noticeable in them. It was pleasantly dry with a muted dust taste, and tasted like dark red fruits like cranberries. It had a bit of jam to it because of it's medium body that felt thick when you drank it. Not overly tannic.
The Prosecco is about what you'd expect from a cute sparkling wine. Bubbly and light, crisp, felt fizzy on the tongue, and was deliciously peachy. It tasted somewhat floral, like when you walk through the garden section at Walmart. It also felt spicy because of the carbonation and somewhat grassy.
When tasting the pinot with the cheeses, the asiago cut the heat from the alcohol and made it smoother to drink. It also added a floral element to the wine and the cheese itself tasted sharper. I loved this.
The provolone didn't have much taste to begin with until I tried it with wine. It made the wine crisper and sharper, gave the cheese an added pop, and also tasted a bit like pee with its strong sharpness. It made the wine seem salty.
The havarti (ever the difficult cheese) made the wine extra spicy and imparted a similar cat pee taste. The herbs were increased in their flavor and the cheese felt thicker. It did cut the crispness of the wine.
The Sidekick was actually great with the asiago! The delicious nuttiness of the asiago went well with that dusty taste, and helped the dryness not bother me as much. It made the wine taste smoother and lighter bodied to me, and really brought out the creamy nuttiness that I like about asiago.
The provolone didn't change too much, just tasted smoother. The wine was smoother as well, and the dustiness was increased (which I didn't mind). The medium body felt really thick over the cheese.
The havarti once again showed its true colors by getting spicier with the taste of the dry red wine. I could especially taste its herby notes. The dustiness was muted even more within the wine, but it made it seem bubbly! It seemed crisper and lighter bodied, and was
Finally, the Prosecco was paired with the cheeses. The asiago was fine, but the nuttiness of it was hindered by the bubbles of the wine. The flavors seemed a little more lemony within the wine, and it was almost sour. It remained very smooth.
The provolone actually tasted better! It has a distinct sharp taste that was increased with the carbonation, and I loved the smoothness of it with the bubbles! The wine was a little less crisp with this cheese, but it brought out the peachiness I first tasted.
Finally, the havarti was overwhelming.With the sparkling wine, it was so herby and spicy, it's like drinking soda after eating a mint. It was hopping! The wine was weirdly spicy and it was hard to taste anything from it OR the cheese. It was a lot of fun to eat though! The creaminess of the havarti was the saving grace, as there was a smooth undertone beneath the bubbly spice.
My little sister (again, she just joined for the free snacks, I'm not an enabler. We're pretty sure she's allergic to wine anyway because she broke out in hives after making and eating a wine sauce) and my friend Liz! We had a great time as always.
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