Cheese Pairings!

Special tasting event: Wine and Cheese night!

Don't mind the girl passed out on the left. She's fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine...

So tonight, in addition to the wines that follow, we had 3 cheeses and tried them alone and with the wines! Plus a bonus pepperoni pack because that spit is on. point. with the spicier red wines. Also, we had some Kroger crackers, but you get the point with those. Now, onto the good-a (gouda, get it? okay sorry, I have to keep myself sane somehow) stuff:

Name: Red Apple Cheese, Apple Smoked Gouda

Price: about $5

Notes: This one is very mild, be really tasty among all of the Gouda's I've had this semester.

Favorite wine pairing: Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc

Reasons: I always seem to favor white wines when I have milder cheeses, and I don't know if that's the right way to do things or if my palate is just whack, but either way, the dryer style of the Sauvignon Blanc really brought the smokey, complex flavors in this Gouda, and enhanced both.

Name: Private Selection Pepperjack

Price: about $5

Notes: Okay, sorry, we ate this one before I got a picture of it all pretty like the other ones, but that's because it's one of my favorite cheeses, and splitting that with friends means it's gone before I turn back around. Anyways, this one was mild as jacks ususally, are, but the little bits of peppers thrown in each bite are what made this cheese versatile.

Favorite wine pairing: garnache de Fuego

Reasons: the Grenache-and-jack cheese combo worked surprisingly well, I guess because Grenache is full of body, and the spicy peppers in mild cheese brought out more of the fruit components in it.

Name: Stella Aged Asiago

Price: about $5

Notes: Now, Asiago must be an aquired taste, and I guess I haven't really aquired it yet. This cheese pretty much overpowered everything at the table, and only the dark red wines stood a chance in battling the pungent, detritus-aromas in this dairy block.

Favorite wine pairing: Rosemount Estate Shiraz

Reasons: I guess these two went together best, but honestly, I still think the Asiago was still too much, and that a Havarti might be better suited for this wine. But well, that's just, like, my opinion, man.

Name: Private Selection Old World Pepperoni

Price: about $7
Notes: I buy this baby every wine night, and it never ceases to deliver!
Favorite wine pairing: Cortenova Primitivo
Reasons: For not even knowing what this wine was, I really did like the pepperoni mixed with it! There was something about their spiciness complimenting each other that made me eat a whole pig's worth (maybe exaggerating. probably not). This meat has increased the appeal of Chardonnays, Petit Syrahs, Zinfandels, and now Grenache, Primitivo, and Shiraz! Bravo, little private selection piggies, bravo!