Wine and Cheese #1

Welcome to my analysis of my first wine and cheese night with my boyfriend, Patrick! Tonight is Super Bowl Sunday and we are boycotting the Super Bowl because our favorite team, the Ravens are not in it. So, we decided to do a wine and cheese (and homework) night instead! The theme for the first wine and cheese night is everything from Aldi, the cheapest I could find! I will note the individual wine pricing while talking about each wine. The total for tonight after buying three wines, three cheeses, and Ritz crackers is roughly $28. It was a super affordable night for two college students, and it allowed us to try different wines with different cheese pairings, which was awesome!

Pairing #1: 2023 Giretto Pinot Grigio from Italy with Dill Havarti Cheese

During this tasting, the first notes that I picked up on were the pear and green apple notes. This specific $5.99 Pinot Grigio is fruitier than other Pinot Grigios that I have tasted before, and I really enjoyed the light feeling of the wine. I also picked up on a secondary lemon zest note while tasting which I enjoyed. This wine had a medium acidity and a low sweetness. I thought the cheese paired pretty well with the Pinot Grigio, the chewiness texture of the cheese was made a bit softer by the acid from the wine and I thought that contributed to a better mouth feel for the Havarti cheese. The flavors of the wine and cheese complimented each other well. This was my personal favorite pairing of the night, I found a Pinot Grigio that I liked and would drink again!

Pairing #2: 2023 Evanta Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina with Garlic & Herb Goat Cheese

I have never tasted a Malbec wine before, and this $4.99 Malbec did not disappoint. I picked up on blackberry, sweet tobacco, and smoke notes during the tasting. I noticed this wine was a good middle of the road for red wines, with a medium body, mild acidity, and mild tannins. While this pairing may sound a little strange, I thought it was great. I grew up working on a sheep farm, and any cheese that is anything close to sheep cheese I absolutely love. This goat cheese is soft, rich, and lighter than a cow's milk cheese, so it allowed for a slight cut of the acid and tannic mouth feel caused by the wine, but still allowing the tasting notes to come through strong. It was a great pairing and I love that cheese!

Pairing #3: California Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon from Modesto, California USA with Aged White Cheddar Cheese

This Cabernet Sauvignon had no vintage, and was $4.95. California Heritage seems to be one of Aldi's main staple brands because they had a lot of different types of wine by them. We enjoyed this one and picked up on main blackberry and black cherry notes, with a cedar and smoke finish. I thought that this Cab Sauv wasn't as tannic as others I have tried before, which I like by itself, but it caused the cheddar cheese to over power the flavors of the wine a bit. This is just because cheddar cheese is so thick and coats your mouth immediately so it is hard to taste anything else while eating it. Overall, I thought this was a pretty good pairing and it ended up being Patrick's favorite pairing of the night.

Wine and Cheese Night! Me and Patrick!