- Hogue's 2012 Gewürztraminer from Colombia Valley, WA
- Château de Ségriès 2013 Côtes-du-Rhône from Lirac, France
- Bricco Del Tati's 2013 Piemonte Barbera from Piemonte, Italy
- French Camembert Suprême
- French Comte 3 Comtois
- Point Reyes Farmstead Original Blue Cheese
- Will, Oliver, Maggie, and Sarah
We began the party with a meal of chicken fajitas and potato pierogies (a weird combination, I know). After everyone had eaten and our palates had a chance to reset, it was time to taste the wine.
Here's our tiny table set up for fajitas followed by wine and cheese.
With the help of the friendly wine guy at Empo Kroger, I chose three wines for our tasting. A Côtes du Rhône with 14% alcohol by volume and no description on the label. The label did include, however, the fact that the wine was bottled at the chateau and had the vigneron independant label, so I trusted it would be good. The second wine was an Italian Barbera with 12% abv. This wine was suggested by friendly Kroger guy as an easier-to-drink red with fruity notes and a less acidic bite. The third wine was a Gewürztraminer chosen on the recommendation of the Kroger man as well as for the interesting name. This 13% abv's label boasted of, "intense aromas and flavors of sweet lychee, rose petal and grapefruit." Each of the wines were under $10. The cheeses were purchased at Eats and included a runny Camembert worthy of Zola's descriptions, a hard Comtois that was a buttery cheese somewhere in between a swiss and a parmesan, and a good old smelly blue cheese.
From left: Sarah, Maggie, and Oliver excited to start tasting.
We began with the Côtes du Rhône. It had a rich garnet color and medium legs (I'm not really good at legs yet, but they struck me as being medium for some reason). At first taste, I was struck with the biting acidity followed by a sweet lingering aftertaste of cherries or black currants. It had a metallic mid-palate. With the blue cheese, the tannins were killed and the wine was much more enjoyable, but bland. The Comte still reduced the punch of the tannins, but didn't overwhelm the taste of the wine. The camembert did not pair well with this wine at all as it seemed to accentuate the bite of the tannins and make the wine taste like the rind of the cheese. If you were looking for a pair which made the wine the most drinkable, go for the blue cheese. If you're searching to bring out the most flavors, go for the comtois.
Here I am in my pajamas using a fancy aerator to unlock more flavors.
Next was the Barbera. This wine was darker in color and the legs (if legs are actually how the wine drips down the glass after you swirl it) were dispersed further apart around the glass. The wine smelled flowery with a hint of a metallic scent. Upon tasting, I discovered a biting initial taste with a metallic aftertaste, and the heat broke through mid-palate (which I think is normal for a red wine?). The blue cheese completely overwhelmed my taste-buds for this wine, and the camembert made the wine taste even fruitier to the point of being nearly too sweet for a red. This wine paired the best with the Comtois, for the combination made the wine taste smoother and the cheese more buttery and smooth rather than Swiss-y.
Will really took the "get your whole nose in there" advice to heart.
We closed with the Gewürztraminer, a pale yellow wine with no real legs to speak of. This wine smelled crisp and fresh with hints of pear. It tasted even sweeter with hints of honey and rose and a spicy aftertaste. I'd say this was a great dessert wine, but it really did not pair well with any of the cheese. The camembert made the wine taste like vinegar, but left you with an apple aftertaste. The blue cheese made this already sweet wine even sweeter, but the tastes of the two did not clash as badly as the camembert combo. The Comtois and the Gewürztraminer effectively cancelled each other out and left a buttery aftertaste. All in all, this wine is best on its own (or maybe with chocolate?).
Leftovers for the rest of the week!
