Wine and Cheese Pairing

 

Name: Santa Julia 

Grape Variety: Pinot Grigio

Country: Argentina 

Region: Mendoza

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $11.99

Review: This wine is not very sweet at all. It is extremely dry which usually I do not like as much but I actually enjoyed this one a lot. It had some tannins as it made my mouth pucker a little. I had some acidity like lemon and green apples. There are even some mineral, earthy tones that make the wine have a refreshing taste. 

Name: Electra Moscato

Grape Variety: moscato

Country: United States

Region: Madera, California 

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $14.99

Review: This wine is very sweet, especially compared to the Santa Julia. It is bubbly and has strong fruit flavors of peach/nectarine. It also has hints of honey that highlight the sweetness. There is maybe some hints of earthy flavors or floral tones as well. It must be low in tannins because the wine does not make your mouth pucker a whole lot.  

Name: Fetzer

Grape Variety: riesling 

Country: United States

Region: California 

Vintage Year: NA

Price: $7.99

Review: This wine is sweet and my favorite of the three wines. It is refreshing and has acidic flavors. It must have a good amount of tannins because it definitely makes the mouth pucker. I think the most defining flavor in this wine was peach, and the acidity really brought in the fermented fruit flavor of the peach.  

This is an orange blossom honey goat cheese. It was really soft because it is goat cheese and has a super strong, pungent flavor. I thought this cheese paired best with the Fetzer because the peachy-acidity of the wine went well with the hint of honey in the cheese. 

This is a vegan cheese that really did not have much flavor. Honestly, I bought this cheese because I am lactose intolerant and so this and the goat cheese has low lactose in it. This one really did not taste good though. That being said, I thought it paired well with the moscato because it is so sweet that it balanced out the bland flavor of the cheese. 

This is a garlic and herb goat cheese, so it also had a super strong pungent flavor. This cheese paired best with the Santa Julia because the wine was acidic and dry, and brought out the strong garlic and herb flavors in the cheese. This situation was more one of strong flavors bringing out even stronger flavors, rather than balance.