Wine and Cheese Pairing 1

          I wanted to go ahead and do this assignment because I still do not know much about wine.  I went to the grocery store not knowing what kinds of wines to purchase or what kinds of cheeses would compliment them well.  My idea with going in somewhat blind, is that further into the semester, when I do this assignment again, I will hopefully have a better knowledge of what wines I like and what they go well with.

          So, onto the process.  I left for the grocery store at about 11:45pm, spent about 20 minutes choosing my cheeses and wines, and got in the checkout line around 12:30am, after getting some other random groceries.  All of my perfectly selected wine was then taken away, because, as I quickly learned, you cannot buy alcohol after midnight in the state of Virginia.  Whoops.  Day two of trying to buy wine went far better, as I went to the store around 7:00pm.  Luckily, the day before, I took pictures of the labels of my selected wines and knew exactly where to find them again.

          Now, a little about the wines I purchased.  I went with two whites and a red so that there was some variety.  The first white, a Sauvignon Blanc called 'La Playa,' is a 2015 wine from Chile.  This wine intrigued me initially, because I saw the Spanish title and the bottle had a frosted look to it.  Being a Spanish major, I was interested by the wine's Spanish-speaking homeland.  This wine cost $9.29.  The second wine is actually the first one I chose in the store.  Because I traditionally do not like red wines, I wanted to get this choice out of the way and move on to my more preferred options.  This red was a 2014 Shiraz named 'Woop Woop.'  Honestly, this Australian wine drew me in with the off the wall name, which I now know is slang in Australia for 'in the middle of nowhere.'  The bottle also had a sunset on it, and I thought it looked pretty.  This was the most expensive bottle I bought, at $12.69.  The third and final bottle was chosen by my fiancé, Matthew.  He said that he chose it because of the name, 'Greater than One.'  He said it drew his eye and he hoped that it's boast of 'tropical and fruity' would prove to be fruitful (pun intended).  This 2013 wine was also the cheapest, at $8.99.

Receipt from the grocery trip

          Upon returning home, we chilled both of the whites and left the red out until we were ready to commence the wine and cheese experiment.  Our cheeses, bought the first time we attempted the grocery store, were an extra sharp orange cheddar, a parmesan, and an asiago.  We started our prep by setting out and cutting the various cheeses.  Once this was done and the wine was cold enough to serve, we began the tasting journey.

Top left: Asiago, Top right: Parmesan,
Bottom: Extra Sharp Cheddar

          We grabbed some wine glasses and got to work.  We assigned each wine and each cheese respectively a number from one to three.  The numbering system is as follows:

One- La Playa, Two- Woop Woop, Three- Greater than One; 

One- Cheddar, Two- Parmesan, Three- Asiago.  

Homework time!

          I have sort of devised my own rating scale for wines after watching the videos on the WLTV channel.  My scale is a 1-4 scale and is explained below.

                             4: Would buy again!

                             3: If it were served at a party, I wouldn't turn it down.

                             2: Not for me, but would recommend to a friend.

                             1: Would never buy again, nor would I recommend to a friend.

Wine One: La Playa Sauvignon
(Photo taken after pouring)

          This Sauvignon, for me, before even trying with cheese, is probably in the 3-4 range.  It was not something I'd scream about from the rooftops, but I didn't hate it.  When combined with the first cheese, I didn't notice a huge change.  Oddly, when paired with the parmesan, it seemed more bitter; those tastes did not mesh well together.  The clear winner for this wine was the third cheese, the asiago.  It made for a highly sweet aftertaste when the two were combined.  Their taste together was really pleasant.

Wine Two: Woop Woop

          As someone who doesn't like red wines very much, I was rather nervous to try this one.  After just drinking this one, no cheese yet, my nerves were confirmed.  In my head, I immediately rated this  a 1.  Maybe a 2, for someone who likes hearty reds, but that person is certainly not me.  It was a little difficult to continue on with this one because I just didn't like it so much.  The smell was also very overpowering, smelling somewhat like pepper and also being generally strong and hearty overall.  With the cheddar, this wine tasted a little less acidic, but it was still a very heavy wine.  Next, the parmesan flavor seemed to be much more heightened with this wine, which was a surprising result.  The third cheese caused the wine to taste slightly sweeter, but not by much.  I was not impressed with this wine, especially since it was the most expensive.

Wine Three: Greater than One

          This wine did have more of a fruity taste, but I thought it could have been even fruitier.  My score for this one is a 3.  I wouldn't turn my nose up at it, but also wouldn't go out of my way to buy it.  The cheddar did not change the taste much; there was a slightly sweeter taste, but mostly it just cut some of the alcohol's heat.  The parmesan proved to be too over powering for this wine.  Lastly, the asiago brought out some more of the fruity flavor, but again, it did not seem to do so very powerfully.

Corks are hard.

          Overall, this was quite an interesting experience.  I do not think I found a wine that I love, but this made me want to keep trying!  The Sauvignon was close, but not quite there.  My quest to find the perfect wedding wine continues.  

"Yes, Mom, it is a real class."