Wine and Cheese Pairing

 

    My roommate and I tried three bottles of wine and three different cheeses. We used extra sharp cheddar cheese, smoked Gouda, and cranberry stilton cheese. 

   

 

    For the Gouda cheese, we paired it with Winking Owl Chardonnay. The two paired really well together, despite the fact that I am not much for Chardonnay. The smoked Gouda was very creamy and had some flavors of nut, which coincided beautifully with the buttery Chardonnay. The Chardonnay definitely had strong fruity notes (I got apple, but no pear like the bottle suggests), and is quite oaky. I liked the two together, and the acidity of the wine was perfect for cutting through the creamy, smoked Gouda. 

    We paired the cranberry Stilton cheese with LandsHut Riesling. I tasted fruit in the wine, but I couldn't pick out specific ones. The wine was light and refreshing, and was very crisp. The cheese was a little salty and not overly sweet, since we assumed the wine would be quite sweet, but it was surprisingly only semi-sweet. The two worked very well together, and the aftertastes of both melded very well, as the cheese was thick and the wine felt very light to me. 

    The final cheese was extra sharp Cheddar, which we paired with Peaks and Tides Cabernet Sauvignon. We knew that the wine would be tannin-heavy, so we chose a more powerful and savory cheese. The wine had notes of vanilla and berry, which contrasted well with the sharp, almost salty cheese. My roommate picked up caramel in the nose of the wine, but truthfully I didn't get that. The cheese was very creamy, which also juxtaposed wonderfully with the dry, and full bodied wine.