Hello Prince Albert! The process for choosing wines usually involves walking through the wine aisle waiting for inspiration to strike or for an interesting or unusual bottle to catch my attention. What really kicks my wine-brain into high gear is the inspiration I get from food. For example, if I’m told that there will be steak for supper and I need to choose a wine to go with it, my heart almost leaps out of my chest with excitement! What will I choose when there are so many options? The same feeling overcame me last weekend when I spotted a large display of cheeses and convinced my wife that we needed to try a few. After purchasing the cheese, my mind started racing with possibilities for wine pairings and realizing I couldn’t decide, I got my wife to pick a wine from New Zealand and a wine from Germany. What flavors did we discover and was the cheese any good? Here is a breakdown of our 6-cheese wine adventure.
Let’s start with the cheese: Drunken Goat (Murcia), La Mascotte (CDN), Moroccan Spice (England), Magie de Madawaska (CDN), Vacherousse (FR) and the Comte 6 Month (A.O.P. France). With a large variety of flavors and textures, our cheese tasting was designed to introduce us to cheeses we normally wouldn’t buy while also experimenting with the wines to find harmonious pairings. We started off with the Drunken Goat, a firm cheese with a purple rind (from red wine). The flavors were light and earthy with a sweet edge and slightly crumbly texture. It had a salty flavor with a hint of smoke and mild animal notes. This cheese was almost neutral with the Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc but tasted great with the sweet ripe fruit of the Landlust Rielsing.
Course two started with La Mascotte, a firm cheese with a hard rind from Canada, This cheese leans into the earthy mushroom flavors with an emphasis on the goat/animal notes. Subtle at first, the flavors build into a rich, thick mouthfeel. Tasting the cheese with the wines is a flavorful and tangy experience as the Sauvignon Blanc contrasts with the grassy citrus and animal undertones. The cheese tastes good with the Riesling as well but doesn’t “pop” like it does with the Sauv Blanc.
Our third cheese course was one of the personal favorites of my wife and I, the Vacherousse, an incredibly creamy and buttery cheese from France. Even when served cold from the fridge, the cheese attempts to ooze from the package. With a moisture content of 60%, the cheese is rich and salty, with a powdery white rind that has the texture of perfectly cooked pie crust. Thick and luxurious, the cheese tends to neutralize the acidity of the Sauv Blanc completely. With the Riesling, the pairing worked well, and the fruity notes of the wine were still noticeable despite the richness of the cheese.
The fourth cheese (Comte from France) was the most successful at pairing harmoniously with both wines and features an Emmenthal-esque style with a slightly floral or herbal tone. One of the most subtle cheeses, the flavors don’t overwhelm the wines and reflect the herbal, grassy citrus (Sauv Blanc) and the honey-like fruit notes of the acidity (the acidity lifts the subtleties of the cheese).
We had to have another creamy cheese on the list and number five is the Magie de Madawaska from Canada. This one is thick and creamy with a pillowy-soft rind that has a chewy, nutty taste. Small, tiny crystals lace the rind and blend with salted butter and earthy cream. The cheese works well with both wines but best with the Riesling.
Finally, we made it to the Moroccan spice, a dark orange cheese packed with turmeric, cumin and paprika. This cheese fights the Sauvignon Blanc a bit but absolutely sings with the Riesling as the sweetness in the wine tempers the spice and beautifully blends the flavors of honeyed fruits and bright acidity with Eastern spices. It was quite the cheese journey, and we learned a lot (next time, buy more Vacherousse)! Here are my wine picks of the week!
Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2024: (Marlborough, New Zealand). Dry white, pale lemon/greenish color. The nose is simple but intense with grassy citrus, wet rock on a hot day and green fruits and vegetables (apple, cucumber, plant stems). To the taste, gooseberries and herbal citrus hit the palate first followed by a burst of zippy acidity, cleansing the palate quickly. While the intensity is quite high throughout the mid palate and quick finish, the tingle of the sour acidity carries on, leaving a somewhat bitter note. The saline, ocean breeze quality of flavors found in the wine match and compliment the acidity which boosts the clean flavors of grassy citrus and gooseberries. Overall, this light-bodied wine is very flavorful and crisp but could have used more concentration for a deeper flavor. Tastes even better when paired with a variety of appetizers like grilled asparagus/zucchini, poached lemon/butter sole or cheese samplers. Good! $25, 13% ABV
Landlust Organic Riesling 2023: (Mosel, Germany). Off-dry to medium-dry white, pale lemon color. The nose is enticing and mouthwatering with juicy pears, peaches, apples, citrus and lychee fruit with a hint of mineral. High intensity and electrifying on the palate with high acidity and a light body. There is an abundance of ripe fruit flavors to enjoy with each sip as sweet notes of green/red apples, pears, honeysuckle, lychee and lemon collide with subtle notes of granite or slate mineral. Intensely flavorful but beautifully balanced, this wine wakes up the tastebuds and then finishes cleanly due to the elevated acidity levels. This Riesling is perfect for pairing with a huge range of food styles from spring rolls and spicy noodle dishes to fried chicken or creamy cheeses, this wine will compliment almost any dish. Very good! $25, 11% ABV
Cheers and thanks for reading!
