Wine & Cheese Pairing #1

TGIT - Thank God It's Thursday!  

 My roommates and I decided it was a definite wine night so we broke out two new bottles, bought some cheese, and tuned into our much loved TV shows.  Both of these wines were paired with tomato basil goat cheese and brie.  In addition, we had sharp yellow cheddar and white cheddar off to the side.  I do have to say I noticed a HUGE difference when pairing the

 cheese with our first wine we tried.

Coastal Estates Chardonnay, 

Beaulieu Vineyard, 2013 California.  

First off, this wine had 13.5% alcohol and boy did I notice that! It wasn't too strong on the nose but after constantly swirling the wine, scents of pineapple, citrus, and butter arose.  Also, I could smell the alcohol.  I'm not going to lie, trying this wine was very difficult.  Although I was able to taste some of the fruity flavors, I found the wine to be acidic and hot, two overpowering components that didn't allow the wine to be enjoyable.  After eating a bit of the goat cheese then taking a sip of wine, I noticed that the creaminess of the cheese dulled the alcohol component of the wine.  The cheese brought out more of the citrus flavors and it was a great pairing.  If I were to drink this wine again I would have to definitely eat something with it to really enjoy it. 

Now, I'm not a huge fan of reds but this was absolutely phenomenal.

 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley 2012. 

I stumbled upon this particular wine after Thursday's wine tasting at the Vintage Cellar.  I went up to the counter and said, "What affordable cab savs do you recommend for a broke college student?"  The lady led me right to this one and explained to me that this region in Washington, the Columbia Valley, produced great red varietals especially Cabernet Sauvignon.  I bought it and now I'm here, explaining to you all how life changing this red wine was.  This has to be my new "go-to" red wine.  Now, we tried pairing it with cheese but something about having cheese with this wine just didn't mesh well.  Similar to the Chardonnay I was talking about above, this wine also had 13.5% alcohol but I could barely tell.  The flavors definitely overpowered the heat.

We traded in our cheese for DARK CHOCOLATE and it was #amazing.

 So, about this wine... 

Color: Dark pink, magenta in the light

Smell: blackberries, vanilla, chocolate, smooth

Taste: As I drank this wine the texture of it stood out right away.  It was tart but a good kind of tart with hints of vanilla, black current, woody flavors.  When I swallowed the wine I could taste this distinct flavor then it would go away so fast and go down so smooth.  This was a wine that I really enjoyed and liked because it didn't leave this bitter after taste in my mouth that I would cringe at.  Even if you're not into red wines, you need to try this wine!