Wine and Cheese Pairing

 

Yesterday, I completed my first Wine and Cheese Pairing assignment. I used the Wine Folly textbook's advice on cheese and wine pairings and decided on the following pairings: chianti and asiago, riesling and havarti, and red zinfandel and pecorino. I am not positive about this, but am fairly certain that I have never tried pecorino cheese, and it's possible that I've never had havarti either. I was a bit apprehensive, because I would hate to spend money on something I'd end up throwing away after the assignment and I am very particular about cheese. However, I ended up really liking them, especially pecorino! I would venture to say it's my new favorite cheese.

We also decided to add some special fancy jams and pita chips to the mix, just to see how they would pair. We bought them in the wine and cheese pairing section of the store, and were therefore excited to see how the different flavors would mix.

The wines we purchased were the 2021 gabbiano chianti, 2021 chateau ste michelle riesling, and 2020 bogle zinfandel. For starters, I liked all of these wines. I must say that this wasn't my favorite chianti in the world (chianti is quickly becoming my favorite wine), but on their own, I liked them all. My boyfriend and I deliberately decided to do these three wines because they are our three favorites, and we wanted to try some cheeses with them to elevate our experience even further.

The 2021 Gabbiano Chianti, which I thought wasn't very good compared to other chianti wines that I have tried. Perhaps this was a bad year for the vineyard, or something happened with this particular bottle. It originated in Mercatale, an Italian village in al di Pesa. It had a weird smell, and I think that was my main issue with it. It smelled a bit like rubbing alcohol, and the bouquet wasn't very complex in general. This brand of wine has existed since 1480, so clearly they've made at least a few good bottles along the way! It was hard to get past the rubbing alcohol scent, but I did taste a bit of dried cherry and it was medium-bodied with a nice mouthfeel.

It paired well with the asiago, just as I expected, but the asiago that we had was mixed with a blend of rosemary and olive oil (it was the only one we could find, but I thought it would taste nice anyway). I didn't like the cheese itself. I've had chianti with asiago before, and was pretty sure I liked them together, but I definitely thought that the rosemary and olive oil were not meant to pair with the chianti. It was alright, but not the best. There were too many flavors at once and even though none of them particularly clashed, it wasn't my favorite thing in the world.

The chianti went very well with the pecorino, especially because I really liked the pecorino. I thought that the pecorino rounded out the rough edges of the chianti in a way that it definitely needed. The smell of the chianti was still kind of weird, but the flavor and slight aroma of the cheese made it more bearable and brought out some of the flavors that I was looking for but couldn't find with the chianti on its own. I thought that the chianti almost tasted like pepperoni or some other peppered and dried meat when paired with the cheese, and the other flavors in the wine gave it the kind of flavor palette that cheese pizza gives me, where there are very different flavors all combined together in a good way (unlike the asiago).

I liked the havarti with the chianti, but not as much. I really did think they paired well together, as the havarti did the same thing the pecorino did: made the chianti taste better, take away some of the harsh flavors and smells, and the fat in the cheese softened the tannins. I didn't like it as much as the pecorino because I liked the pecorino better on its own, but thought, strangely enough, that the havarti brought out some coffee flavors in the chianti. It almost was like a hint of coffee with cream, the body of the wine felt fuller like coffee, and the cheese tasted different as well. It overpowered the wine in a good way.

The 2021 Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling, from the Columbia Valley in the state of Washington. We deliberately chose a dry riesling because we had never had one before, and thought it might pair nicely with the fats in the cheeses. It had a bit more carbonation that I've had in other rieslings, which I thought was great. I thought that since this was a "dry" riesling, that it would taste more tannic and less sweet, but I thought that it still was very sweet and not really tannic at all. It was interesting because I liked it more than other rieslings I've had, and I know that rieslings are notoriously the most variable of all the wines. I suppose I can't say for sure that I like "dry rieslings" because of this, but I certainly liked this one. It had a green apple and pear flavor which was very nice when paired with the bubbles.

I thought the asiago was nice with this one, the issues that I had with it when paired with the chianti were endearing in this case. I liked it with the herbs in the asiago, and the texture of the hard cheese was nice when paired with the bubbles in this wine. It brought out some of the flavors of the asiago, strangely enough, and not vice-versa. I thought that the wine enhanced the cheese and gave it a nice finish with lots of nutty flavors. The wine was not necessarily enhanced by the cheese, I felt that I liked it equally as much on its own. I think this is because it was not as dry as the red wines, so pairing it with cheese didn't really help soften it in any way. But pairing the cheese with the wine helped break it down a bit in my mouth and I thought they were very nice together because the wine made the cheese sweeter (in a good way).

The pecorino was my favorite with the riesling, probably for no reason other than the fact that I was experiencing pecorino for the first time and absolutely loved it. I thought the pecorino was the perfect texture for the wine, it had a nice simple but salty and greasy taste which worked very well with the light flavors of the wine such as pear and lemon, and just in general was delicious together. Unlike the asiago, I did feel like the wine was better with the cheese.

The havarti was my least favorite, and I think it was because it was a little too creamy to be paired with the light acidic taste of the riesling. Some people might think it works, in fact my boyfriend said it was his favorite pairing, but I couldn't get into it. I could definitely see how they would work together, but it wasn't my favorite. In a way, I felt that the havarti tasted more bland when paired with the wine than it did on its own, and I wasn't a fan of that. Havarti is a buttery cheese and was perhaps sweeter than the wine, which was part of the problem for me I think. It made the wine taste almost sour. However, when I ate the havarti on a pita chip and combined it with the wine, I thought that made the two flavors work a bit better together. Maybe it was the salt on the pita chip, or adding a neutral base, but it did work better this way.

The 2020 Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel from Clarksburg, California. This was a great wine! Probably my favorite on the table. It had a blackberry and plum flavor with a very full aroma. I thought it was the perfect blend of tannins, sweetness, and body. I especially liked the scent of the wine, but thought that it had a very nice and complex flavor as well. I liked it very much on its own, but could tell that I would enjoy it more with the cheese to break up the dryness a bit. It almost had a cinnamon flavor, but only on its own.

I thought this wine went very well with the asiago, perhaps better than the chianti (although that could be because of the weird situation with the chianti). Even though the rosemary and olive oil didn't really work with the chianti and asiago flavors, I thought the zinfandel brought them together nicely. The cheese tasted more creamy with the zinfandel, and since zinfandel already has a strong body, they seemed to be strong together and created a full and rich taste. This was almost the equivalent flavor profile of those people who dip strawberries into hot cheese. I don't like it, but I feel like this more classy version of it made me appreciate that urge more than I have in the past. The zinfandel also brought out the nutty/almond flavor along with the herbs that the asiago had and broke it down enough that it was soft and mild. I thought that the zinfandel tasted even better with the addition of the asiago, even though I thought it was great on its own.

The pecorino, again, was my favorite. But I really think it was perfect for this wine. Further, I really liked the pairing of the red pepper jelly on a cracker with pecorino, and a sip of the zinfandel. I haven't really mentioned the jellies that we bought because they hadn't really paired well with the wines (even though they were both great with the cheeses!) and I thought it wasn't worth mentioning, but this combination is certainly worth bringing up! This is especially because the spicy jelly was mellowed by the cheese, and then complimented by the strong, almost distracting flavor of the wine, all combined with the pita chip as a hearty base. Alone, though, the pecorino was very nice with the wine. It broke up some of the tannins while simultaneously adding body. The slight plummy and jammy flavor of the wine went with the cheese in the same way that the literal jams went with the cheeses. I thought that the opposite flavors were perfect together, and the cheese brought out some more fruity flavors.

I thought that the havarti was pretty good with this wine, but it was a little more buttery than I would've liked with it. Cheese that tastes like butter is not something that I look for, and it tasted more like butter when paired with this wine than I liked. I think I liked both better on their own than together, because the wine didn't exactly taste great with the addition of the cheese. Even though it was a fatty cheese, it didn't break up the tannins in the wine in a good way, and the cheese was sweeter than the wine which tasted a bit off. I also thought that the wine tasted more acidic with the cheese.

Overall, I thought most of these pairings were average, if not great. Even the ones I didn't particularly like weren't terrible. However, I will definitely be purchasing fresh pecorino in the future for wine and cheese nights!

Tasting - "Sterling Merlot"

Name of the Wine: Sterling Merlot

Grapes in the Wine: Merlot

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California (Napa)

Vintage Year: 2017

Price: $8 per 5 oz glass, $26.95 per bottle

Review of the Wine: From the Vintage Cellar, "aromas of blackberries and blueberries and hints of hot stone. Chocolate, too. Full body, round and juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Delicious red. Drink or hold."

Wine Folly: Page 131: Merlot

Merlot's flavors include cherry, plum, chocolate, herbs, and vanilla. This one tasted like cherry pie filling, or maybe like blackberry jam. I almost tasted vanilla, but more of a vanilla extract flavor as opposed to the smell of vanilla. I didn't really taste any herbs, but if I focused hard enough I could almost detect a slight rosemary scent.

My Review: I enjoyed this wine's flavor profile and appreciated that it was fruity without tasting overly sweet. I didn't quite like it at first, but once I was used to the taste (it was the heaviest of the wines I tried during this week's wine tasting) I began to notice the more subtle flavors in its full complex taste. It was full-bodied and it felt crowded in my mouth at first, but since I enjoyed the finish and the slight dessert flavor, I enjoyed the second sip even more. I think this wine would taste best with a hard cheese like asiago.

Tasting - "Josh Pinot Noir"

 

Name of the Wine: Josh Pinot Noir

Grapes in the Wine: Pinot Noir

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $5 per 5 oz glass, $15.95 per bottle

Review of the Wine: From the Vintage Cellar, "a bouquet of dried cherry and cranberry laced with traces of leather, earth, and  eucalyptus. Light-bodied and clean on the pallet with juicy, cherry-flavored fruit; the tannins are soft and subtle leading to a moderately long finish."

Wine Folly: Page 150: Pinot Noir

Pinot noir has flavors of cherry, raspberry, clove, mushroom, and vanilla. I think cranberry was a good description for this wine, but it tasted more like jam to me.

My Review: I thought this wine was okay. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad. The worker at the wine tasting said that this brand of wines were made for restaurants to serve with their food, and it was intended to pair well with any dish. I could definitely see how this wine is noncommittal in that way. It had a mild flavor which in most cases I would appreciate, but in this case I thought just made it taste kind of weird. It did truly taste like cranberry to me, though, so I think this could be a good winter holiday wine.

Wine Dinner 2: Salmon, Pasta, and Ice Cream

For our second wine dinner, my boyfriend and I decided to try some different wines with fish and cheeses. I also wanted to try a sweet wine that would work with chocolate ice cream, because I know that the wine should be sweeter than the food, which I thought was an interesting concept because chocolate ice cream is the sweetest thing I can think of.

For the first course, we made Asian sheet pan salmon with vegetables. The flavors of all three mixed together in a really nice way, and they were cooked in garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame seeds. This created a delicious sweet yet savory flavor. The wine that I intended for this dish was a grenache blanc. I chose it because of the toasty flavor with a slight sour flavor, similar to the rice vinegar and soy sauce. I also read in the wine folly textbook that it would pair well with "steak-like fish" which I thought would work with the strong flavors of the Asian-inspired sauce. I think it worked really well!

The second course was macaroni and cheese which was made with a variety of cheeses including cheddar, colby, and jack. It also had bread crumbs and italian herb seasoning. I chose chardonnay to pair with this wine because the textbook said it would pair well with "creamy, buttery flavors and soft textures," and there's nothing, to me, that fits that description better than mac and cheese! I liked them together but have found that I don't like chardonnay as much as I used to (I have began to appreciate and enjoy more tannic wines like chianti more than lighter-bodied wines). Therefore, I think they paired well, but wouldn't say that this was my favorite flavor combination of the meal.

For dessert, we had Weight Watchers chocolate fudge popsicles. I mention the brand because I think it is important to note that while they are delicious, they do not have as much sugar or milk fat as "regular" chocolate ice cream. However, I would still definitely describe them as being sweet. For this part of the meal, we tried brachetto d'acqui, which is described in the textbook as being "a perfect match with rich, creamy chocolate truffles" and ice cream. Even if this popsicle wasn't as rich and creamy as those two desserts, it was still perfectly paired. I think in terms of actual pairing, this was the best. The wine folly textbook definitely did not steer us wrong here, it was like they were made for each other!

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Wine 1: Grenache Blanc

Name: Grenache Blanc

Producer: Laurent Miquel

Variety: Grenache Blanc

Country of Origin: France

Region: Languedoc-Roussillon

Vintage: 2019

Price: $13.95

Review of the Wine: I looked everywhere, but could not find a professional review of this wine, and the winery appears to have stopped making it.

My Review: I liked this wine with the salmon, I thought it went really well with it. It had  both a savory and tart flavor which went very well with the various flavors of the salmon. I could taste pear in this wine and thought that worked pretty well with the salmon and vegetables, which I wouldn't have assumed would work until I tried it.

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Wine 2: Chardonnay

Name: Chardonnay

Producer: Frontera

Variety: Chardonnay

Country of Origin: Chile

Region: Central Valley

Vintage: n/a

Price: $5.99

Review of the Wine: From Drizly.com, "The color of the wine is light yellow. It is an expressive wine with alluring aromas of pineapple, citrus, and vanilla. This elegant wine is balanced with an attractive acidity and a long, memorable finish. Food Pairing Frontera Chardonnay bears a distinctive varietal character. Excellent with light seafood and fish."

My Review: While I thought it went well with the mac and cheese, I probably wouldn't buy this wine again. Even though a lot of people don't like toast/oaky chardonnay, I actually really do. I think this wine would have been even better if it had that flavor in its profile, especially with the addition of the bread crumbs in the mac and cheese. I thought it was not very creamy or buttery.

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Wine 3: Brachetto d'Acqui

Name: Brachetto d'Acqui (or just Brachetto)

Producer: Rinaldi

Variety: Brachetto

Country of Origin: Italy

Region: Piedmont

Vintage: n/a

Price: $18.95

Review of the Wine: From TotalWine.com, "The bouquet is delicate with scents of ripe red fruit (strawberry, blackberry) and roses. There is a good balance between the sweetness and the freshness, which makes this wine very pleasant. Serving suggestions: strawberries, salad and desserts or as an aperitif."

My Review: This was by far the sweetest wine I have ever had. I knew it was going to be sweet like ice cream, but this wine honestly caught my off-guard with its sweetness. It was like drinking melted strawberry ice cream. Maybe it was because I wasn't expecting it, but it was just so strong in my opinion. I don't think I could drink this wine on its own, in fact I needed the ice cream to balance it because the ice cream wasn't as sweet! It had strawberry flavors mixed with a creamy texture. Even though the wine folly textbook describes it as 4/5 on the sweetness scale and 2/5 on the body scale, in my opinion the sweetness was 5/5 and the body was 4/5. It actually felt heavy and full in my mouth, like the way that milk feels as opposed to water.

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Grenache Blanc with Salmon and Vegetables: This was definitely the best pairing with grenache blanc. I really liked them together, and would probably pair them together again. I thought that they both had medium-strength flavors and therefore together they made a strong, but delicious flavor. The slight tartness in the wine went well with the slightly sour flavors of the vinegar and soy sauce, while also pairing nicely with the more savory flavors of the garlic. I think it also went well with the vegetables. I never really thought of this before this wine, but asparagus is slightly more tart than I once thought, because I thought the wine brought that flavor out.

Grenache Blanc with Mac and Cheese: This was a decent pairing, but not as good as the salmon and vegetables. I wasn't a huge fan of the tart flavors mixing with the cheese and butter, but I thought that it was okay. I hesitate to call this a "pairing" but I would consider having them together again if I wasn't paying as close attention to the flavors.

Grenache Blanc with Chocolate Ice Cream: This was surprisingly good! I liked how the "lighter" fruit flavors mixed with the "darker" chocolate flavors. I know that people say the wine should be sweeter than the food, but honestly the chocolate ice cream made this wine taste sweeter in general, which I thought was nice.

Best pairing with Grenache Blanc: Salmon and Vegetables

Chardonnay with Salmon and Vegetables: This was pretty good! I thought that the bites of salmon that had less of the Asian sauce on them were best with this wine, but in general I liked it. This salmon brought out the slight toasty flavor in the chardonnay, which I liked. I didn't taste that on its own, but I tasted that with the salmon which I thought was good.

Chardonnay with Mac and Cheese: I liked this together because the chardonnay went especially well with the herbs I used in the mac and cheese/ bread crumbs. I'm not sure why but I really fixated on those two flavor profiles together. The rest was good too, the creamy cheese was a nice pairing with this wine, but if I'm being honest, I kind of liked the mac and cheese better when I didn't have the wine in my mouth. Nevertheless, if I'm deciding the best pairing, these two matched the best.

Chardonnay with Chocolate Ice Cream: It was alright. Not good, not bad. It was almost like the aftertaste of the chardonnay ruined this for me. When it was in my mouth, it tasted fine. But the finish was too strong to match with the chocolate ice cream.

Best pairing with Chardonnay: Mac and Cheese

Brachetto with Salmon and Vegetables: This was not good together. It was in a way, too strong for the salmon. And simultaneously it was not strong enough. It was too strong in the sense that it was sweet which was kind of a gross flavor combination with fish and a pseudo-teriyaki sauce. It was not strong enough in the sense that it tasted a bit watery when paired with the fish.

Brachetto with Mac and Cheese: No, no, no! Do not eat these together. I definitely did not enjoy this. In the beginning, it was okay. I was sort of under the impression that they were mixing in the way that people sometimes dip strawberries in melted fondue cheese. But after maybe 3 bites I was thinking "I will never do this again." It brought out all the worst things about each of them. It made the mac and cheese taste like spoiled milk/cream and it made the brachetto taste like cough syrup.

Brachetto with Chocolate Ice Cream: This was delicious. The chocolate ice cream really filled out the semi-watery texture that I experienced with the salmon and brachetto combination. It was sweeter than the ice cream in a good way, and together they formed a flavor profile of chocolate-covered strawberries, which I thought was great.

Best pairing with Brachetto: Chocolate Ice Cream

Tasting - "Ramsay Pinot Noir"

 

Name of the Wine: Ramsay Pinot Noir

Grapes in the Wine: Pinot Noir

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California (North Coast)

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $6 per 5 oz glass, $19.95 per bottle

Review of the Wine: From the Vintage Cellar, "The nose shows classic Pinot Noir notes of raspberry and cherry, with lots of earthiness and lovely toasty oak. The mouth explodes with blueberry, Bind cherry, anise, and toast. Even more striking is the depth and richness of the mouth-feel, like a rich, thick, red pillow for the mouth. The wine is very fruity, with blackberry characters and a big, rich, tarry and solid balance. The oak is refined and quite opulent in its "warm" characters."

Wine Folly: Page 150: Pinot Noir

Pinot noir has flavors of cherry, raspberry, clove, mushroom, and vanilla. I could taste the cherry in this, but almost everything was overpowered by the flavor of the oak barrel it was so clearly aged in. I could almost taste a bit of the vanilla, but overall it tasted like I was eating a piece of toast (in a good way).

My Review: I don't think I've ever had a wine that tasted this toasty. And by toasty, I literally mean it tasted like toast. It was like eating a piece of toast. I love eating toast, so this wasn't an issue for me. But others might find this off-putting when they are expecting a more fruity flavor. This was the first example of a wine that truly had the flavor of a new oak barrel. I'm not sure exactly if they aged it in a new one, but it was a very strong flavor, so it must have been at most on its second or third use. I thought it would taste delicious with meat, cheese, or basically anything that you would put on a sandwich, but I had it on its own. I thought it was great on its own as well, and loved the warm and almost woody flavors.

Tasting - "La Playa Viognier"

 

Name of the Wine: La Playa Viognier

Grapes in the Wine: Viognier

Country of Origin: Chile

Region of Origin: Colchagua Valley

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $4 per 5 oz glass, $9.95 per bottle

Review of the Wine: From the Vintage Cellar, "Visually this viognier is a rich yellow color. There's aromas of jasmine flower and peach and the palate has a great balance of fresh fruit and a long finish."

Wine Folly: Page 186: Viognier

This wine's flavors include tangerine, peach, mango, honeysuckle, and rose. I could taste the tangerine, peach, and mango, but didn't really taste the honeysuckle or rose. It definitely had a mostly citrus taste.

My Review: I really liked this wine because I thought that it had a citrus-y flavor without the acidity. It had a medium sweetness which paired well with the floral orange blossom flavors. I thought that it also had an almost grapefruit scent, but couldn't quite taste it. It was rich and medium-bodied with very little tannic component which is something that I like. I thought it was very easy to drink and did not need any foods to balance the flavor.

Wine Dinner 1: Old World

I recently completed the wine dinner assignment with my boyfriend. We decided to try three different European wines which each pair with a different European-inspired dish, and mix them together. The first course was Italian-inspired homemade "pizza bianca" which means white pizza. We planned it to pair with the valpolicella wine, which pairs well with aged cheeses (according to the wine folly textbook), such as the ricotta cheese that was part of the blend we put on the pizza.

The second course was French-inspired, with a baguette/ribeye steak open mini sandwich, which also had cheese and red pepper jelly. Since chenin blanc and viognier both pair well with Thai food (which is known to be spicy), it went very well with the savory steak and spicy red pepper jelly. This was my favorite course and it paired especially well with all three wines.

For dessert, we had strawberry shortcake (a popular German dessert) which was meant to pair with the riesling wine. The dessert was the only thing that wasn't homemade, as they came frozen and we heated them up. They were delicious, and had a soft shortcake outside with a strawberry filling that tasted like pie filling.

Wine 1: Valpolicella

Name: Valpolicella

Producer: Bolla

Variety: Corvina

Country of Origin: Italy

Region: Veneto

Vintage: 2021

Price: $10.49

Review of the Wine: From WineSearcher.com, "Dusty, very slightly vegetal and green notes, with cherry fruit. Fruity, red fruits and cherry palate, dry, but slightly anonymous. Nice savory tannin and acidity, with a hint of spice though a slightly harsh finish."

My Review: I didn't really like this wine on its own, I thought it was too tannic and acidic. I thought that it could have been better balanced. I am sure it was not a flawed wine, but I thought that it had a burn that wasn't accompanied by any other redeeming flavors or characteristics. I could definitely taste spices and a slight fruity taste, but it was overall bitter.

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Wine 2: Chenin Blanc and Viognier

Name of the Wine: Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier

Grapes in the Wine: Chenin Blanc and Viognier

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: California

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $13.99

Review of the Wine: From James Suckling, "A bright and fresh blend of 75% chenin and 25% viognier, offering white peach and hints of candied lemon. Lightly steely with bitter-lemon notes. Just slightly off-dry."

My Review: I really liked this wine, I thought it had the perfect blend of tart citrus flavor and sweetness. I could taste pear and apple in the wine, and it had a light, crisp taste. The acidity was strong but nowhere near overpowering, and it was complimented by the lack of tannins. It tasted great on its own, but paired well with the foods.

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Wine 3: Riesling

Name of the Wine: Childress Riesling

Grapes in the Wine: Riesling

Country of Origin: United States

Region of Origin: North Carolina

Vintage Year: n/a

Price: $9.79

Review of the Wine: From TotalWine.com, "The fresh, fruity and vivid personality of this off-dry white wine bursts with peach and floral aromas. Low residual sugar provides for the achieved off-dry characteristic desired by Riesling lovers."

My Review: This was my favorite wine from the dinner. It was sweet without tasting too sugary, had a fruity yet tart taste, and was lightly sparkling. It smelled like flowers and tasted like tropical fruits. It was light and and a bit acidic, but without the sharp and tart bite of some other similar wines.

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Valpolicella with Pizza: Since it was a white pizza, the extra flavors and spices of the valpolicella were complimented very nicely. This meal was the "canvas" that the strong flavors of the wine needed. The herbs and spices present in the wine were lessened and the chocolatey/plummy flavors of the wine were able to present themselves.

Valpolicella with Steak: These two paired decently well, but since the red pepper jelly, cheese, and steak were already very different (but delicious) combined flavors, this added one too many tastes to focus on. It was a bit darker with these, and made the steak taste worse than it actually did. This is probably because it felt like the baguette absorbed some of the wine, and I didn't really like that texture or taste.

Valpolicella with Strawberry Shortcake: I thought that the strawberry shortcake softened the valpolicella and made it taste better, but the valpolicella made the strawberry shortcake taste worse. If I had the chance to drink this wine with this dessert, I would take it. But if I had the choice between eating the dessert on its own or with wine, I would rather have the dessert on its own. That being said, the strawberry flavors brought out the fruity flavors of the wine, and the cream seemed to take in some of the wine and make it almost like a rootbeer float (but with cherry-flavored wine).

Best Pairing with Valpolicella: Pizza

Chenin/Viognier with Pizza: These two were great together, because they almost made the flavor combination of "baja Mexican food" (which, coincidentally, I do not like. However, this was pleasant). The combination of the savory pizza with the almost-sour lime taste was interesting and made me want more. I liked these two better than I thought I would, perhaps because the slightly dry wine was well-complimented by the fats in the cheese.

Chenin/Viognier with Steak: This was paired perfectly! The steak, pepper, and cheese along with the fruity flavors almost made this taste like a fancy salad. I tasted more honey when I had the wine with these flavors. Since it was chilled, it was even more refreshing with the dark flavors of the ribeye.

Chenin/Viognier with Strawberry Shortcake: These two tasted good together, but I'm not sure if they paired very well. At certain points during dessert, I made up my mind that they did, but at other times, I wasn't sure. I think that if I was very focused on the flavors, I didn't like them that much. But once I swallowed, the finish of the two were nice together. I tasted more of the sour flavors of this wine when paired with the sugary sweetness of the strawberry shortcake.

Best pairing with Chenin/Viognier: Steak

Riesling with Pizza: I thought that the pizza made this wine taste like slightly flat soda. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it was definitely interesting. I think it almost reminded me of sprite with the pizza, and kind of brought me back to my childhood, when sprite was my favorite drink and pizza was my favorite food. It was almost too sweet for the pizza, but I thought they still went very well together. The wine tasted less acidic in general, and the sweetness somehow went very well with the fats in the cheese and herbs in the bread of the pizza.

Riesling with Steak: These two paired very well together, most likely because of the red pepper jelly. The combined flavors of the food were all very different, but somehow the wine made them all come together quite nicely. The wine was almost a dry wine, and the grease of the steak made it very pleasant, along with the cheese in the meal. Since the jelly was a bit spicy, the sweetness was the opposite complement, and they made an entirely new flavor together.

Riesling with Strawberry Shortcake: These two were also very nice together. The wine and dessert were sweet, but the "cake" balanced the two. We have learned in the class that it is difficult to pair sweet foods with wines that aren't as sweet, but these two were great together. The lime flavors paired well with the strawberry, which makes sense because my favorite gum used to combine watermelon, strawberry, and lime. I like these flavors together already, and thought they were great in this pairing.

Best pairing with Riesling: tie between Pizza and Steak

This assignment helped me learn more about how different foods can bring out different flavors in the wines. Sometimes the same wine can taste different with different foods (and vice versa)!