Wine and Cheese Pairing 1

Wine and Cheese Pairing Part One

Wines

• 14 Hands Hot to Trot Smooth Red Blend, Columbia Valley, 2016
• DaVinci Chianti, Vinci, 2019 
• Coast Road Collection Pinot Grigio, California, 2019

Cheeses

• Mild Cheddar
• Colby Jack
• Gouda

Wine Tasting Notes Without Pairing

• Chianti: Not fruity, high in tannins which leaves a dry feeling in my mouth, maybe slight notes of plum but not getting much of anything. 
• Red Blend: Notes of black cherry, fruitier than the Chianti, lower in tannins so its not as dry.
• Pinot Grigio: Not too sweet or acidic because it has a short finish, notes of lemon or lemongrass 

Wine Tasting Notes With Pairing

• Chianti with
• Gouda: muted the flavors of the cheese (the Gouda was strong/funky by itself) but the wine remained the same.
• Mild Cheddar: blended better, the flavors did not conflict with each other but I also would not say either one was enhanced. I guess the presence of any cheese enhanced it in a way because I was not detecting many flavors from the wine by itself. 
• Colby Jack: the wine actually popped more, something about the cheese made the plum notes more apparent.
• Red Blend with
• Gouda: the funkiness of the Gouda was actually enhanced by the wine.
• Mild Cheddar: the cheese was overpowered by the wine, I did not get the cheese only the black cherry notes of the wine
• Colby Jack: blended well with the Colby Jack, I would say flavors of both either remained or were slightly enhanced. 
• Pinot Grigio with
• Gouda: definitely overpowers the wine, with the short finish of the wine and the strong funkiness of the Gouda the cheese is really the only thing I got. 
• Mild Cheddar: this pairs well because it is a milder cheese, the flavors of both are in harmony
•  Colby Jack: this also pairs well however you may say the Colby Jack is brought out a little more than the wine, but certainly not overpowering.