Disclaimer: The only thing I know about cheese is that I like it. The only thing I know about wine is that I like it. :)
I'm no expert on either subject, so you won't find me spouting off about notes of fig and strawberry with undertones of pepper and tobacco. Oh no not me. No pinkies in the air over here. Just nice non-pretentious noshing where we separate our wines and cheeses into two categories: good or bad.
We had one of our girls' night in (plus B) so I put together a little cheese board and wines to go with each. Here's my amateur pairing. I'd love to get more suggestions from all y'all experts out there.
We started with a Humboldt Fog goat cheese paired with a bubbly Prosecco. Just like wine tasting, my research told me that the order of cheeses should go from mild to strong (aka stinky) or goat, sheep and then cow. I love goat cheese. Creamy and luscious with a line a vegetable ash running through the middle.
Next we had a nice Pecorino Ginepro (compliments of Misa. Thanks, girl!). This one was quite fancy. A lovely sheep's cheese washed in Balsamic vinegar and crushed Juniper Berries. Savory and sweet. I paired this with a Cab. Balanced wine plus balanced cheese is what the online experts suggest.
We moved onto a cheddar that was washed with Single Malt Whiskey for our third tasting. Here come the cow cheeses. I paired this with a fruity old vine Zinfandel to balance the hearty cheddar. Everything is better with cheddar! Nuff said.
Fourth was a smoked aged gouda and Shiraz. The nice sharp cheese complimented the full-bodied red nicely in my amateur opinion.
Lastly we had our stinkiest cheese. Or would have, I should say. Stomach capacity, or lack thereof, kept us from trying this one. Epoisses, a pungent cow cheese from France, would have been our final tasting along with a bottle of earthy Merlot blend from Listrac-Medoc.
I'm no expert on either subject, so you won't find me spouting off about notes of fig and strawberry with undertones of pepper and tobacco. Oh no not me. No pinkies in the air over here. Just nice non-pretentious noshing where we separate our wines and cheeses into two categories: good or bad.
We had one of our girls' night in (plus B) so I put together a little cheese board and wines to go with each. Here's my amateur pairing. I'd love to get more suggestions from all y'all experts out there.
We started with a Humboldt Fog goat cheese paired with a bubbly Prosecco. Just like wine tasting, my research told me that the order of cheeses should go from mild to strong (aka stinky) or goat, sheep and then cow. I love goat cheese. Creamy and luscious with a line a vegetable ash running through the middle.
Next we had a nice Pecorino Ginepro (compliments of Misa. Thanks, girl!). This one was quite fancy. A lovely sheep's cheese washed in Balsamic vinegar and crushed Juniper Berries. Savory and sweet. I paired this with a Cab. Balanced wine plus balanced cheese is what the online experts suggest.
We moved onto a cheddar that was washed with Single Malt Whiskey for our third tasting. Here come the cow cheeses. I paired this with a fruity old vine Zinfandel to balance the hearty cheddar. Everything is better with cheddar! Nuff said.
Fourth was a smoked aged gouda and Shiraz. The nice sharp cheese complimented the full-bodied red nicely in my amateur opinion.
Lastly we had our stinkiest cheese. Or would have, I should say. Stomach capacity, or lack thereof, kept us from trying this one. Epoisses, a pungent cow cheese from France, would have been our final tasting along with a bottle of earthy Merlot blend from Listrac-Medoc.
How funny. I just kinda got into the cheese and wine thing too. Mainly, because the beer was adding on too much weight. I must have got the bug when i went to a friends birthday party...unlimited cheese and wine = drunk. Anyhow, I like a sharp cheddar with a cabernet and some prosciutto. Your selection looks awsome though.
Posted by: MoOgooGuypAN | 04/11/2008 at 05:08 PM
lol... us too. By the end, we had each had a bottle and were quite tipsy. That makes it a successful tasting right? :)
Posted by: julie | 04/11/2008 at 05:12 PM
i'm so jealous... i want to be there...
candy
Posted by: Candy Sparks | 04/11/2008 at 05:40 PM
How fun!
Posted by: Strawberry | 04/11/2008 at 06:44 PM
look like fun! ;)
Posted by: NOOS | 04/12/2008 at 01:21 AM
"...notes of fig and strawberry with undertones of pepper and tobacco." i like that, I think i'll hi-jack that phrase if I may
all looks yummy and juicy
Posted by: MEK | 04/12/2008 at 03:35 AM
No Stilton = No good :)
Only because it's my favourite cheese
Posted by: cha0tic | 04/12/2008 at 06:47 AM
Mm..it all looks quite delightful. I sometimes wonder if I'm missing out on the whole wine thing..
But there's always cheese.
Posted by: Purplesque | 04/12/2008 at 07:01 AM
[this is good] Mmmm! This looks positively delicious and so much fun! I want to come! :)
Posted by: MegMeg | 04/12/2008 at 05:10 PM
Yummm!!!
I agree with cha0tic... you must try Stilton and a good port. Makes a nice ending. Maybe wait until winter though.
Posted by: Kimmers | 04/13/2008 at 05:33 PM
How funny! My husband and I just hosted a dessert wine tasting party this weekend. Parties of that sort are always tons of fun, and I love the experience of being able to figure out wine likes and dislikes first hand, rather than relying only on complicated ratings systems.
Posted by: Erin | 04/14/2008 at 03:34 PM
Promise to have Stilton next time... promise!
Posted by: julie | 04/14/2008 at 04:07 PM
my friends and i have had several wine and cheese parties. we try to pretend we have class.
i'm a fan of st. andre (it's like butter!), and porter (it's guiness mixed with cheddar). brie is always a winner as well.
and one time we brown bagged all the bottles and did taste testing and people voted on their favorites. then we unwrapped them and found out what we liked best.
Posted by: Mary Mary | 04/14/2008 at 07:32 PM
Absolutely wonderful! wish I was there. But it was a girl's night.
Posted by: cheff jonny | 04/15/2008 at 12:22 PM
I wanted to go to that party! It looked like FUN!
Posted by: Mr. | 04/25/2008 at 04:39 PM