Wine and Cheese Pairing!

 

    Well, hello and welcome back for a wine cheese pairing! This past week, two of my girls who are also in the wine class came over to do this pairing. We ended up enjoying it a lot, and it provided the perfect excuse to drink a little bit while we procrastinate our other assignments. 

    The 3 cheeses I used in pairing are below. The two Boursin flavors came in a pack from Costco, and I highly recommend them. It came in a pack of 3, which I thought was perfect until I realized that there were 2 garlic and fine herbs and therefore only 2 actual flavors of cheese. Luckily, I had some sliced white American in the fridge, and so we used that as our third type of cheese, and it actually ended up as a perfect complement and contrast to the others. The following is my initial thoughts on the cheeses by themselves: 

        Boursin Shallot & Chive – Soft, creamy, with a sharp oniony kick.

        Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs – Smooth texture with bold garlic and an herby backbone.

        White Sliced American Cheese – Yep, the classic. Mild, melty, nostalgic.

The 3 wines I used are all red wines, and additional details about them, along with my tasting of them by themselves and their smell, are below. Personally, I felt the Pinetti had the best overall flavor when only drinking wine, not with food. The other two were almost spicy- like there were too many competing flavors. 

       Pinetti Notte 2022 Sangiovese Rubicone (Italy)

                  -Medium body, slightly tart cherry, earthy undertones, subtle tannins

                  -Smelled like red berries and herbs

        Yellow Tail Shiraz Cabernet (Australia)

                    - Very bold and kind of jammy, dark fruits like blackberry and plum, some peppery                                                 notes, smooth finish

                    - Smelled like sweet spice and ripe fruit, almost like black cherry jam

        Mirassou Pinot Noir 2023 (California)

                    - Light and smooth, fresh raspberry and a touch of vanilla. Very easy                                                             drinking

                    - Smelled like floral with a bit of cherry cola on the nose

    After separately tasting all of the wines and cheeses, my friends and I started the pairing portion and took notes. Honestly, I do not know if my taste is super advanced yet, but I did feel as though we had gotten very good wines and cheese to take notes on. They all had pretty distinct flavors, so we could tell definitively what we enjoyed and what we did not- although we all had some differing preferences.

    The following is how I felt the Pinetti paired with the three different cheeses.

Pinetti Sangiovese + Boursin Shallot & Chive

• The tangy shallot notes in the cheese actually lifted the subtle earthiness in the Sangiovese, making the wine feel more vibrant.

• The acidity of the wine cut through the richness of the cheese nicely.

• Final thoughts: It was pleasantly balanced - brought out the best in both.

Pinetti Sangiovese + Garlic & Fine Herbs

• The garlic dominated here, almost masking the delicate nature of the Sangiovese.

• The herbs clashed a bit with the wine's tart cherry notes.

• Final thoughts: Not the best match - cheese overpowered the wine.

Pinetti Sangiovese + White American

• The cheese barely had a presence, so the wine just did its thing.

• No clash, but no real synergy either.

• Final thoughts: Honestly, meh. Neutral at best. Not good or bad. 

    The following is how I felt the Yellow Tail paired with the three different cheeses.

Yellow Tail Shiraz Cabernet + Shallot & Chive

• The wine's boldness held up, but the onion notes felt weirdly out of place with the fruit-forward profile.

• Slightly metallic aftertaste.

• Final thoughts: Kind of awkward - not harmonious.

Yellow Tail Shiraz Cabernet + Garlic & Fine Herbs

• Now this worked. The intensity of the wine and the punch of garlic were evenly matched.

• The herbs even added an interesting complexity.

• Final thoughts: A strong pairing - held their own.

Yellow Tail Shiraz Cabernet + American

• The smooth meltiness paired well with the jammy wine.

• Not complex, but comfort food vibes.

• Final thoughts: Basic, but cozy. Very good for my simple taste I believe. Just a good balance with the wine being so full of flavor, and the cheese being more on the bland side.

    The following is how I felt the Mirassou paired with the three different cheeses.

Mirassou Pinot Noir + Shallot & Chive

• This was one of the most interesting pairings. The soft texture and oniony sharpness played well with the fresh berry notes in the Pinot.

• Brought out a floral/sweet contrast.

• Final thoughts: Fun, unique - kind of a surprise hit. I thought the garlic one might have gone better but I was wrong.

Mirassou Pinot Noir + Garlic & Fine Herbs

• The garlic was too intense for the soft-spoken Pinot.

• It flattened the fruity notes and left the wine tasting thin.

• Final thoughts: Mismatch - the cheese stole the show. The cheese had way too much flavor.

Mirassou Pinot Noir + American

• Soft cheese, soft wine - nothing clashed, but nothing exciting happened either.

• Think: school lunch, but with wine.

• Final thoughts: Pretty good, just mostly mild.

    This concludes my tastings. Overall, I felt pretty fancy (even with the sliced white American) and like a proper wine drinker. It was quite good, and I was surprised by the pairings that I thought were the best compared to what I thought was the best when tasting both the wine and cheeses solo. It was very enjoyable. 

    The following are just some pictures from the little event.