Tasting - Chablis La Chanfleure Grand Vin De Bourgogne

Name: Chablis Grand Vin De Bourgogne
Variety: 100% Chardonnay

Region: Chablis

Country: France

Year:  2010

Price:  $16 Regular on sale for $7.95

Winery Review: This Chablis « La Chanfleure » 2012 is a luminous light yellow in colour with pretty flecks of green. On the nose, floral notes are deepened with alluring citrus aromas. Round, this wine delivers a lovely freshness with lemon and herbal notes

Tasting Review: An Excellent Wine. Subtle floral, nutty with a little cream and a balanced minerality that all culminates in one grand and sensationally long finish. 

Tasting - Guenoc Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Guenoc
Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Guenoc Valley, California

Country: USA

Year:  2012

Price:  $16 Regular on sale for $7.95

Winery Review: The tropical flavors created by California sunshine separate Guenoc Sauvignon Blanc from the rest of the world. Leaving the grassy characters “down under” we craft our Sauvignon Blanc to enhance the mouthwatering flavors of grapefruit, pineapple and mango… don’t forget your sunscreen!
The protected in-land valleys of California get plenty of sunshine and the Guenoc Valley is no exception. Every day during the growing season, temperatures fluctuate nearly 50 degrees from a peak of nearly 100°F down to 50°F at night. The warm temperatures ripen the fruit and allow the pyrazines (the cut grass, green pepper or jalapeño flavors) to change into tropical notes, while the diurnal low temps keep the acidity bright. Warm climate SB has all the pineapple, guava and mango of a fruit smoothie!

Tasting Review: A good strong Sauvginon Blanc. It is definitely done in a California Style. Strong peaches on the nose with hints of mango. Dry Medium body that picks up and then ends with a pithy orange finish.

Tasting - Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio

Name: Tiefenbrunner 
Variety: 100% Pinot Grigio

Region: Alto Adige

Country: Italy

Year:  2010

Price:  $20 Regular on sale for $9.95

Winery Review: Light yellow to sandy-coloured in appearance, with an unobtrusive bouquet, and hits of pear and candied fruits, the strong harmonious structure emphasizes its dry full bodied taste and round finish. 

Tasting Review: An Ok sort of Pinot Grigio. The bouquet is very minerally green apple, pear. It has a medium body and a tart finish. 

Tasting - Louis Latour Gran Vin Marsanny

Name: Louis Latour Gran Vin Marsanny 
Variety: 100% Pinot Noir

Region: Marsannay

Country: France

Year:  2010

Price:  $35 Regular on sale for $17.95

Winery Review: Fermented in wooden vats. The wines stayed for about 4 weeks in vats, before they were put into oak barrels for 15 months aging before bottling.

Tasting Review: Great Old world Pinot. Funky smelling cherries on the nose that on the mouth transition to a high acid feel but one that quickly fades to a silky sensation. Very balanced with a long finish that changes character for minutes after being drunk.

Tasting - Fetzer Zinfandel

Name: Fetzer (1.5Liter)
Variety: 100% Zinfandel

Region: Valley Oaks, California

Country: USA

Year:  2010

Price:  $25 Regular on sale for $7.95

Winery Review: This is a wine with soft, supple tannins, easily identified as a Zinfandel, yet more elegant and easy drinking than many of the over-the-top powerhouse styles. Deep garnet colors lead to a ripe, medium-bodied wine with aromas of bright cherry, raspberry, clove spice, roasted nuts and a mild black pepper spice. In the mouth the wine is medium rich with flavors of red raspberry, strawberry and cranberry with a warm, woodsy spice. A special character from aging in Frech Oak lifts and provides depth and richness to complement the red toastiness and bright red fruits, a well integrated wine.  

Tasting Review: A good Zin, I've had better. Sweet clove and cherry on the nose with a spicy and medium body. Very mild tannins on the back end with a short finish. 

Dinner - Family Dinner (Blacksburg) Cajun

"Family" Dinner

My Mom and me

I am originally from Philadelphia so this was a rare opportunity during this class that I was able to have dinner with my mother and aunt. The two of them were driving up from Florida after having stopped to help my youngest brother move out of college for the semester. I choose to eat at Boudreauxs since my aunt is originally from Mississippi and I was excited to try pairing spicier foods. Plus it was Wednesday so half off bottles, that's a no-brainer. Naturally I invited along several friends to share in the hospitality. 

My aunt Jackie and friend David googling wine Reviews

We picked two whites and one red, once we had all decided what to eat, figuring that the dishes mainly called for whites.

Wine One Santa Julia Torrontes

Name: Santa Juila
Variety: Torrontes
Year: 2012
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina

Tasting Alone: It was ok on its own. Definitely a light refreshing wine. Very floral on the nose with a tart citrus note. High acid and a medium dryness. Crisp Finish. 

Wine Two Grayson Cellars Chardonnay

Name: Grayson Cellars 
Variety: Chardonnay
Year: 2012
Region: Napa Valley, CA
Country: USA

Tasting Alone: Better than the Torrotes in my opinion. On the nose it smelled of white flowers and honey. It had a very silky mouth feel that was sweet on the front end and dried out on the finish. There was a hidden malic component that showed as the wine warmed but overpowered the overall wine once it reached room temperature. 

Wine Three Tilia Merlot

Name: Tilia 
Variety: Merlot
Year: 2012
Region: Mendoza
Country: Argentina

Tasting Alone: It was ok. Only a cherry jam on the nose with a very loose and low acidic body. medium tannins and a small finish. 

Once the food came out we all drank each wine with everything but I have chosen the three best pairing for the wines that we ordered. Everyone ate mostly there on dishes however there was sharing and sampling among everyone so that we all got a taste.


Po' Boy Catfish Sandwich & Fries + Santa Julia Torrontes

This pairing worked well I thought because the high acidity of the torrontes cut the spicy Cajun mayo of the fish sandwich. I Also found that the wines simplicity went well with the simplicity of the Po' Boy. Neither over powered the other. It was a "salt of the earth" pairing. It didn't bullshit you, straight and to the point but good and solid in its foundation.  

Baton Rogue Chicken & Green Bean + Grayson Cellars Chard

For this pairing I thought that the honey notes from the Chardonnay are what balanced the dish. The chicken itself had been prepared in a white wine marsala sauce with black olives and red peppers, although I neglected to ask which white wine. Regardless the honey note melded with the saucing bringing much more sweetness to the bitterness of the olives toning them down and allowing the peppers a more prominent role. I know vegetable are a hard pair but I also felt that the floral notes of the chardonnay made for a nice vegetal sensation when paired with the green beans. 

Chicken and Shrimp Entouille + Tilia Merlot

The Merlot made things tricky. It was definitely the weakest wine at the table and it didn't really bring much to pair with. The best we came up with was to put its light body and medium tannins against the spice of the Entouille and let it just get obliterated. It's hard to sell this Merlot it was just that bad. Flabby and no complexity. Even when dessert came later it did pretty poorly. Not sure what else we could have done.

Getting silly

The "Gang"

Cheese Cake + Santa Juilia Chardonnay

We got dessert in an attempt to save the Merlot pairing but to no avail. The cherry notes form the Merlot didn't do anything for the cheese cake as i thought they should. I blame the wines lack of acid. Instead the true winner was the Santa Juilia Chardonnay. The Malic component had really started to show at this point and it was sensational with the sweet cheese from the cake. Almost like apple and cheese danish or similar. Very pleasing.




It was excellent to have my mom stop by for a bit especially so close to the end of the semester. I was also happy she had time to go out with a "wine tasting" dinner on her way home. Also I should say thank you for treated all of us. You're the best.

Wine Cheese Pairing

 The Spread

This is the wine and cheese pairing I did with several of my friends. We selected selected two reds and a white, one Merlot, one Petite Sirah and a chardonnay from Burgundy. I choose varietal rather than blended wines because I thought it would be easier to understand their character along side the cheese. 

We proceeded through the tasting systematically trying first all the wines before we had eaten any cheese. Then we cleansed our palates and sampled each cheese individually. After which we try every cheese with every wine.

First Wine Unpaired

Name: Stag's Leap Wine Cellar Merlot

Varietal: 100% Merlot

Year: 2010

Region: Napa Valley, California

Country: USA

Solo Tasting: Alone the wine smelled only and strongly of sweet red cherries but what it lacked in complexity of flavors it made up for in perfect balance. This wine was velvety and had the most pleasant balance of tannins, acid and alcohol and it finished up with a lingering sweet cherry finish.

Second Wine Unpaired

Name: Lot 96 Petite Sirah

Varietal: 100% Petite Sirah

Year: 2011

Region: Sonoma Valley, California

Country: USA

Solo Tasting: The wine was big and full with strong notes of plum jam and prunes with a little beefy flavor coming through. The wine was actually balanced in my opinion; the levels were equal but they were just set much higher. It did tone down once it had opened and even before it was paired with cheese.

Third Wine Unpaired

Name: Pouilly-Fuisse
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Year: 2012
Region: Pouill-Fuisse, Burgundy
Country: French

Solo Tasting: Very floral. It was a buttery sort of white flower that came through on the nose. Very dry palate with a high acid. It had a pleasant finish once the acid faded away though not very long.









For cheese we had purchased an assortment of hard, aged and cream cheeses. We had President Brie, a Boars Head Gruyere, a Bellavitano Merlot, a wedge of Black Diamond Aged Sharp Cheddar, a block of Rosemary Asiago and lastly a Dubliner.

Cheese is expensive...

Cheese Samples Unpaired

Brie: Creamy, Mushroom, Sweet

Gruyere: Waxy,  Musty, Mild

Bellavitano Merlot: Sweet, Cherry Parmesan

Sharp Cheddar: Sharp, Aged Stink, Balanced

Rosemary Asiago: Rosemary (duh) herbal, Dry

Dubliner: Dry, Chalky, Hay and Straw

With every thing now sampled alone it was time to see how pairing each would change their characteristics. There were a lot of things I anticipated and good few I didn't. Overall I think most pairings made for a better flavor experience than the parts alone. Because the last wine I tasted was the Pouilly-Fuisse I inverted the order when tasting the wine and food together by started with the white.

Pouilly-Fuisse Chardonnay + Cheese

The buttery notes of the wine, for my palate at least, really created some tremendous pairings. There was just far more finesse when pairing this wine in the flavors it produced compared to the ones that the other ones later made.

Brie + Chardonnay: The cream of the brie really cut the acid on this wine bringing it into a perfect balance. The combination of elements really worked well to leave behind an earthy and loamy taste.

Gruyere + Chardonnay: The Gruyere did a tremendous job as well cutting the acid and bringing it to a more balanced level. The flavors they produced were overwhelmingly of dried flowers I think in part from the mustiness of the cheese and the floral component of the wine.

Bellavitano Merlot + Chardonnay: This was a very interesting one, the Bella added a note of cherry I can't imagine you'd normally see in a white. It also took the wine from a dry to a more semi-sweet one. I think the flavor it created at the end was cherry honey.

Sharp Cheddar + Chardonnay: Worst pairing of the whole thing. The cheese was much to strong for the elegance of the white wine and the combination of flavors was overwhelmingly one of mold and not the good kind. The cheese also just made the wine feel and taste flat and flabby.

Rosemary Asiago + Chardonnay: This pairing really enhanced the floral component of the wine and added an herbaceous note as well. It also did something for the acid but not as much as the softer cheeses.

Dubliner + Chardonnay: An excellent pairing. The level of complexity the cheese added was incredible. The wine went from simple floral honey note to a symphony of flavors. The Straw and hay component of the cheese definitely was the conductor. The flavors the two produced were, herbaceous, earthy, dry loamy, straw, barnyard, dried flowers, and dust.

The Critique and the Debate

Lot 96 Petite Sirah + Cheese

The boldness of the Petite Sirah was something hard for the cheese to compete with. In some cases the cheese did mellow out the wine most of the time it was drowned out.

Brie + Petite Sirah: The creaminess of the cheese was obliterated by the wine and what was left combined with the beefy component of the wine to make a sort of damp mushroom flavor. It was almost identical to a mushroom that you've just washed in the sink but haven't cook. This imagery conjured up the slimy feel the mushroom gets when wet... Interesting but not good in my opinion. 

Gruyere + Petite Sirah: A complete 180 from the last pairing the waxiness of the cheese protected your mouth from the full body of the wine. Additionally the wines beefy component combined with the musty portion of the cheese to give this incredible savory beef and cheese combo.

Bellavitano Merlot + Petite Sirah: The Petite Sirah strikes again. Its overwhelming structure, stripped the cheese to a meager cherry flavor and that was it.

Sharp Chedder + Petite Sirah: The flavor profile of the wine remain mostly unchanged by this cheese and the cheddar flavor dissipated but the overall effect was a balancing one. I guess the cheese packed enough punch to mellow out the full body of the wine.

Rosemary Asiago + Petite Sirah: Good pairing that in a way converted the wine from a New World to an Old World style. Together they took on an herbaceous beef and rosemary flavor. 

Dubliner + Petite Sirah: the wine wins again, it wiped out most of the cheese flavors but the cheese really augmented the beefy component of the wine leaving you with the impression that you had just eaten a steak.

"Windows of Wine"

Ben enjoys the Dubliner

Stag's Leap Wine Cellar Merlot + Cheese

This wine saw a lot of changes to its texture but not as much to its flavor. The powerful cherry notes of the Merlot mostly won out over the subtler ones belonging to the cheese.

Brie + Merlot: The wine definite beat the cheese the cherry flavor was strong but the Brie did add a creamy element so the overall effect was a sort of cherry pasty texture and flavor.

Gruyere + Merlot: The waxy component of the Gruyere really combined nicely with the velvet texture of the Merlot and the musty portion of the cheese overall combined with the cherries to give the effect of cherry smoke.

Bellavitano Merlot + Merlot:  This was one of the more interesting combinations but also predictable. It augmented the cherry flavor to a ridiculous level. It was like eating sweet red cherries.

Sharp Cheddar + Merlot: A somewhat disappointing pairing, the sharp cheddar was definitely my favorite cheese alone but when combined with the smoothness of the wine the sharp aged component of the cheddar took over and made the wine harsher. 

Rosemary Asiago + Merlot: The cheese had a similar effect on the wine as it did on the Petite Sirah. It created a New World Old World style shift and added herbaceous notes to created a herbal cherry flavor. 

Dubliner + Merlot: Great pairing maybe my favorite. I don't really understand how they combined but the end result was a delicious cherry spice bread flavor. 

(Sorry for the blurred image but it was three bottles of wine later)

Incredible experience and an incredible assignment I never would have sat down and conducted so thorough an investigation into the flavor combination of cheese and wine if it weren't for this class. When I do this again I will definitely add more variety to the styles of wines perhaps tasting a range of Merlots both Old World and New World and I will definitely do this again with a set of blended wines and see how they fair.