Wine and Cheese Pairing #2
Provolone: I don’t think this paired well with the Pinot Grigio. Since the Pinot Grigio was so bitter, the provolone actually canceled that out a little bit, but kind of made the wine taste watered down. Even though Pinot Grigios pair well with Nutty, Hard cheeses (Page 60 Wine Folly), I still didn’t enjoy it very well.
Fontina: I didn’t really like this pairing either. The fontina was very strong so it overpowered most of the Pinot Grigio, which was a good thing because it masked the bitterness. But, the mixture of both these cheeses made a sour taste. I think both the strength of the cheese and the bitterness of the Pinot Grigio made for a bad combination.
Asiago: This cheese was kind of weak compared to the other ones, but I liked the pairing. I could still taste the bitterness of the wine, but the cheese had a good enough flavor to make a balance between the two. Because asiago is pungent, it goes with sweeter wines like Pinot Grigio. This is why I think this was the best pairing.
Provolone: The Chardonnay completely overpowered the provolone. I didn’t get that sense of bold flavor when I first tasted the Chardonnay, but when I paired it with the provolone it tasted powerful. It was almost like the provolone strengthened the flavor for the Chardonnay.
Fontina: This was a good pairing. It felt like I got a good compilation of both the sweetness of the Chardonnay and the nuttiness of the fontina. I felt like the Chardonnay also exemplified the melty characteristic of the cheese.
Asiago: I think this was my favorite pairing out of these cheeses for the Chardonnay. Similar to the Pinot Grigio pairing, the asiago was a little weak and didn’t overpower the Chardonnay, so there was a balance between the two. On page 60 of Wine Folly, whites like Chardonnay are best paired with Dry, Salty, Umami cheeses which is probably why I enjoyed this pairing the most.
Provolone: Like the previous wines, the provolone was overpowered again by this Red Blend. I am still trying to get used to reds with their bold and powerful flavors, and the provolone didn’t help mask them at all. On page 60 of Wine Folly, it states that reds like this one pair well with Nutty, Hard, cheeses but I wasn’t getting that at all.
Fontina: I enjoyed this pairing. The fontina flavor was strong enough to help mask the powerful punch this wine has. Reds like this one pair well with cheeses like fontina and I think the nuttiness of the fontina paired well with the notes of cedar in the wine.
Asiago: This was my least favorite asiago pairing of the night. I’m not saying it was bad, but it wasn’t the best of the night. Asiago pairs well with sweeter wines, and this one is a medium-to-high dry. So on paper, it’s not the best pairing. It helped mask the boldness of the red, but wasn’t as effective as the other cheeses.
And here is a picture of everyone at the tasting; I unfortunately am not in it because I took it. But, it's a good representation of us drinking wine, working on our blogs, and sharing good times.
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