Oh the games we play.

Yesterday was a very cold and rainy fall day, and there is nothing that I wanted more than to get out of work, go home, and lay on the couch to watch movies. It would have been the perfect day for that. Unfortunately, it was my first day back to work after a long weekend where I even took a half day on Friday. So, I was unable to do so and after a long work day I decided to run some errands and then finally settle in to taste some wine.

What better way to do this than to make a small game of it? First, I chose two wines for Jordanna and I to taste, a red and a white, and then I prepared several different things that I knew would enhance and/or change the smells and flavors within the wines.

The wines I chose were in my opinion complex, flavorful, and would be complimented well by the assortment of fruits and cheeses that I had picked up. Both wines were completely different from each other and made for an interesting comparison. To be honest, my findings were quite unexpected!

The first wine was a 2007 Vidal Blanc from an Urban Winery in New Bedford, Ma. Travessia boasts that they make wines that are made from 100% Massachusetts grown grapes. I first tasted the Vidal Blanc at Wine Riot a couple weeks ago and absolutely loved it. Upon pouring you can see that it has a beautiful Yellow Gold/Straw Gold color and gives off a crisp and acidic bouquet that also contains pear and peach. This is by far one of my favorite white wines to date. This is a perfect wine for those who do not like overly dry/bitter wines.

For the other wine I used a 2006 Sterling Vinter's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon that was recently given to me. I have had this particular wine at family functions in the past and know that it is easily accessible, so I thought it would be a great pick. This wine is a dark ruby color and I enjoyed taking deep breaths in order to fully envelop my nasal cavities with it's hints of strawberry, butter, candle and pepper. I was pleased with the overall smell and taste of this particular wine and found that the aftertaste was not particularly bitter or sour, which is good for those who don't like a lot of Tannin in their red's.

So here are my "results" or observations on the different tastings:

• Pear, and apple made the Vidal smell more acidic and released hints of earth and farm that were not present before, while the peach actually enhanced the scents that were released. The sweetness of the fruits made the wine itself more bitter and a bit more alcoholic, which was not what I expected.
• The Strawberries drew out the smell of Butter from the Cab and made the aftertaste very bitter. My mouth felt as though I had just had orange juice after brushing my teeth. The red raspberries though had the opposite effect. The smell of berries and pepper was masked while the wax and natural sugars became very apparent. I was very pleased with the overall taste and thought that the sweetness that was added was a delightful surprise. The blackberries I had chosen were a horrible idea. The berries themselves had very little smell and were very earthy, when mixed with the wine it was very unpleasant.
• Blue cheese made the white wine smell "farmy" but really made the wine intensely sweet with a creamy buttery after taste. There was no change in the aroma of Cab but the blue really brought out both peppers and smokey flavors. Havarti paired with both wines made my mouth feel very dry and left a strong bitter taste in my mouth. It did, however, tone down the original smells found in the Vidal Blanc while making hints of rose pedals and plum present.
• I paired both wines with Muenster cheese and found that the results were very good for both. With the white it made the smells more pungent and acidic, I actually recoiled because of how overpowering it was. To my surprise though, the cheese really compliments this particular wine. It brought out the earthy and fruity tones while leaving a lingering bittersweet aftertaste in your mouth. With the Cabernet it enhanced the berries and sweetness in the wine while reducing the overall alcoholic aftertaste that you are left with. *I now plan on serving Muenster cheese at any parties or wine tastings that I will be having as this was probably the most well rounded pairing of all I made.
  

In conclusion, it was a cozy adventure- sitting over the glow of wines with my fiance, comparing notes and opinions on the pairing of a variety of fruits and cheeses with special wines. It was relaxing, romantic and wonderful. There's nothing quite like exploring the beauty and complexity of the different flavors and aromas each wine has to offer. I recommend that everyone plays with pairings, make a game of it and see what you can find, and I promise you'll enjoy it. I encourage you to use this space to share and compare whatever you find about your own pairings, whether the outcome be terrible, mediocre or delicious. Have fun with it!