Wine and Cheese Tasting 2

          I chose to do the second wine and cheese assignment at home with my family over spring break so that my parents could get some insight into what I do for this class (and why they are paying for so much wine as opposed to textbooks this semester).  Each person involved chose a wine and a cheese for tasting.

Dad: Lancer's Rosé with Jarlsberg

Mom: Voga Pinot Grigio with Cheddar

My fiancé and me: Simply Naked Chardonnay (my choice) and Parmesan (his choice)

Top left: Cheddar, Top right: Jarlsberg
Bottom: Parmesan

Simply Naked Chardonnay

          We started out tasting the wine that I chose: the Chardonnay.  The wine smelled very sweet right when we opened it and the smell of apple was rather prevalent.  It tasted plain and didn't have much going on.  It had a taste when I first had a sip, but it didn't do anything on the mid-palette or on the finish.  With the parmesan, the wine did not change much, but the parmesan flavor was highly amplified.  The cheddar was a really poor pairing with the Chardonnay and made for a sour taste.  The jarlsberg only slightly made the wine more flavorful, with small hints of fruit flavors coming through.

Voga Italia

          My mom's requirement when I went to buy wine was that I get a Pinot Grigio, which is the wine that my parents prefer.  The smell of this one was plain and didn't have a lot going for it and tasted like it had a high alcohol volume, despite the percent being lower than the previous wine.  Similar to the Chardonnay, it seemed plain and had no distinctive mid-palette or finishing tastes.  With the parmesan, it may have strengthened some fruity flavors, but not by much.  The second cheese, the cheddar, tasted stronger with this one and was certainly more tangy.  With this wine, the cheese that did not pair well at all was the jarlsberg.  It was very sour and made the wine taste disappointing.

Lancer's Rosé

          This wine was my dad's choice, and he said that he picked this one because his parents used to drink it with dinner years ago.  It had a very strong smell that lingered in the nose.  It did not really smell like anything in particular, it was just overpowering.  It was really interesting to drink because it had the slightest hint of carbonation going on.  I think it would have tasted better if it were fully carbonated.  This wine, strangely enough, was lacking on the mid-palette and finish like the other two.  My mom said, "This would be good in spaghetti sauce," like the cook she is.  With the parmesan, the carbonation aspect was strengthened strangely enough.  It also was less acidic.  The cheddar, like the first wine, was a terrible pair for this wine.  Very sour and unfortunate.  The jarlsberg added nothing additional and had little to no change with the wine.

Family Project!

          Overall, this was a fun assignment to do with my family.  I was able to teach them some of the things I've learned about glass size and decanting, and discuss their tastes as well as my own.  I enjoyed hearing the back story about my dad's choice in wine.  My parents expressed interest in doing the "fun parts" of this class, otherwise, they just want another excuse to try different wines.  I told them I could include them in some tastings over spring break and I would worry about the blogging while they enjoy the wine.