Wine and Cheese Pairing #3

For this wine and cheese paring I chose a Sauvignon Blanc, a Rosé, and a Riesling. For the cheeses I chose a white sharp cheddar, a Colby Jack, and a Fromager D Affindis.

Trying the Sauvignon Blanc, the first notes that I smell are floral, like gardena and it has a more green smell. It’s extremely white in the glass and it almost looks like water. Having my first taste it was not very acidic, it was a little buttery, the acidity does come out as an after taste. It still has strong floral notes but also some fruit notes of green apple. 

When smelling the Rosé first, it smells a little musty like wet laundry left out for too long but it also smells fruity and floral. When tasting, it was very mellow in flavor and it was hard to pinpoint exactly what I was tasting. It does have some red fruit notes like raspberries and strawberries and there is little to no acidity, and it even smells more acidic than it tastes. 

Immediately smelling the Riesling, right off the bat, I could immediately smell the distinct smell of elderberries and echinacea. It's a very nostalgic smell from my childhood when I would get sick and my mom would give me cough syrup. Tasting the wine, it was very sweet, and who would have guessed... It tastes like echinacea and elderberry, and the wine feels thicker, so it really resembled cough syrup. 

Now for the cheeses. The cheddar is not my favorite cheddar I've ever tried, it is very sharp and not creamy at all. It's also very brittle. The Colby is very mild, there is a sharpness that tastes like cheddar but it is also very soft and chewy. The last cheese I selected is called Fromager D Affindis. I usually like creamy cheeses but this one has a very distinct flavor of rotting lettuce in the fridge, I don't know how else to describe it, it was not a pleasant first taste.   

To begin the pairings, I'll begin with the Sauvignon Blanc. Trying this wine with the cheese, my immediate first thought was these do not compliment each other. The flavors do not mix, the sharpness of the cheddar brings out an acidity in the wine that tastes bitter and acrid. There was no mixing of flavors in the mouth, and the wine turned into something rather unpleasant. I was expecting the same to be with the Colby but I was surprised at how the sweetness of the wine is brought out. The wine mellows out the slight sharpness of the Colby and both the wine and the cheese turn into a slightly sweet, mellow taste. The greenery of the wine is not as noticeable and the acidity mellows out as well. I did not have high hopes for the Fromager but the creaminess of the cheese comes out from the wine, this wine transforms the cheese into something I can tolerate, the rotten taste subsides and the earthiness comes out. The wine mellows out and theres a buttery feel on the mouth. The green flavors of grass are heightened and I enjoyed this cheese way more with this wine than the cheese on its own. 

For the Rosé, I was also surprised as to how the cheddars sharpness compliments the fruity strawberry and raspberry flavors of the wine. This is a lovely pair, it felt like I was eating a strawberry off a fruit plate with some cheese. The cheddar is very distinct and the sharpness is complimented by the sweetness of the wine. 

I was expecting something similar with the Colby but the wine turns bitter with this cheese. It feels very slimy on the mouth and the acidity of the wine is brought out. The sweet fruit flavors are hard to find as the cheese kind of coats the mouth with this wine. For the Fromager, the the creaminess of the cheese is brought out, and the rotten garbage taste goes away. The fruit flavors compliment the earthiness of the cheese and it feels like this pairing is enjoying a summer salad. 

I did not have high hopes for the Riesling because of the cough syrupy tastes I got earlier. For the cheddar, the sweetness of the wine turns to a metallic penny taste, which I’ve noticed happens with a lot of Rieslings, these two don’t pair. The sweetness of the wine overpowers the cheese and the floral notes of the wine are heightened and it just tastes too strongly of elderberry. For the Colby, I had to choke down this combination, it’s awful. There was absolutely nothing that complimented this pairing. The wine almost curdles the cheese and both the wine and cheese being sweet, it just overpowers the palate. For the Fromager, the creaminess of the cheese cuts through the sweetness of the wine and the earthy flavors are able to tone down how much this wine tastes like cough syrup. There is no acidic taste but the metallic taste of pennies still remains. 

Overall my favorite pairing was the Sauvignon Blanc and the Fromager. I probably won't be buying Fromager in the future because how much it reminds me of the smell of rotting lettuce but now I know! I think the Rosé best paired with the Colby and the Riesling paired best with the Fromager. The cheddar can beat it, it was not the best cheddar I have ever had but it left a lot to be desired.