Wine and Cheese Pairing #1

Wines: 

1. Fossa Mala Pizza Lovers Rosso: 

• Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

• Northern Italy

• Rated 2.8/5 with reviewers mentioning the flavors of red fruit and black currants. https://www.vivino.com/US/en/fossa-mala-pizza-lovers-rosso/w/6002006 

• 2019 Year

• On sale for $4

• My review: I liked this wine, but thought that it did not have a lot of flavor. It was slightly dry and light bodied. It was refreshing though, and I felt like I could drink a lot of it without getting tired. Since there was not a lot of flavor, I do think it would pair well with food because it would not overpower the taste of the food. It did have a slight strawberry taste, but it was not too strong. 

2. Prosecco Zonin 

• Grapes: Prosecco

• Veneto, Italy

• Rated 87/100 by Wine Enthusiast saying that it has flavors of crisp green apple and acidity. https://www.totalwine.com/wine/champagne-sparkling-wine/prosecco/zonin-prosecco/p/108038750 

• Year: Unknown/not listed 

• I bought a tiny bottle for $3 I think

• My review: I thought that this wine was very good, it was refreshing and very fizzy. It did smell slightly like dish soap, but I feel like that added to it being refreshing. It was also slightly dry and did not have much flavor.

3. Chardonnay Barefoot

• Grapes: Chardonnay

• California, United States

• Rating said that this wine was very good with fruit flavors and sweetness. https://www.honestwinereviews.com/barefoot-chardonnay-review 

• Year: Unknown/not listed 

• I bought this tiny bottle for $1.50

• My review: This had an odd scent that I could not think of any words to describe, but I first noticed the scent because it was not something I had smelled before. It also had a weird flavor, maybe like a slightly acidic apple. It was also a semi-sweet wine. 

Cheese and Wine Pairings: 

1. Fossa Mala Pizza Lovers Rosso and Roth Kase Havarti Plain: 

• I thought that this cheese had a milder taste and resembled a slightly milder/off-brand cheddar cheese. 

• I thought that this cheese and this wine complimented each other and went well together, which makes sense since the wine is meant to be paired with pizza. However, I did feel like something was missing with the combination, possibly bread, as the cheese felt like it was not strong enough or enough food to go with the wine. I feel that this wine would go better with a bigger/bolder meal. 

2. Fossa Mala Pizza Lovers Rossa and Fromager D Affinois

• This cheese resembles a brie cheese in both texture and taste, and if you told me it was brie without showing me the label I would believe you. 

• I thought that this wine and cheese also went well together, but I would prefer the first cheese with it as the cheese had a flavor that better complimented the wine. The brie brought out more flavors in the wine than solely having the wine alone, while the wine made the cheese’s strong flavor a tad milder. Therefore, they did go well together. 

3. Fossa Mala Pizza Lovers Rossa and Blueberry Goat Cheese 

• This cheese tastes like cream cheese and is very sweet. 

• I thought that this cheese and this wine definitely did not go together and did not compliment each other. The cheese was thick, like a cream cheese, and very sweet, making the cheese stick to your teeth when you eat it. Therefore, when you drink the wine, there was a ton of cheese stuck in my mouth and the flavors clashed, making both the wine and cheese taste gross. The cheese was too sweet for the wine and made the wine taste odd. 

4. Chardonnay Barefoot and Roth Kase Havarti Plain: 

• This pairing surprised me because I expected them not to go together, since Chardonnay and a brie resembling cheese does not sound like a good match. However, it surprisingly kinda went together better than the pizza wine did with this cheese because I felt that it somehow gave each other more sweetness. I am not sure how, but it seemed to balance each other out and made the wine and cheese combine into one taste that was smoother and balanced. 

5. Chardonnay Barefoot and Fromager D Affinois: 

• I thought this wine and cheese was more of a neutral taste then completely bad. I thought that the Chardonnay went better with this cheese than the Prosecco did, and that this cheese did hurt this wine but also didn’t make it better. It kind of felt like you were eating the cheese and drinking the wine separately even though it was at the same time. I also wouldn’t choose to pair these together because I feel like there are better cheeses that could go with Chardonnay. 

6. Chardonnay Barefoot and Blueberry Goat Cheese: 

• I thought that this cheese and wine complimented each other, as it made the chardonnay taste a tad more bitter while the blueberry in the cheese also brought out more flavors in the Chardonnay. I thought that the Chardonnay was not very good to begin with, and I would say that this cheese made the Chardonnay taste better. 

7. Prosecco and Roth Kase Havarti Plain: 

• This wine and cheese did not go well together. The cheese is too sharp of a flavor that it makes it so you can't taste the wine, so it tastes like you're drinking fizzy cheese, which was very weird. I would not pair these together, and I would choose a milder cheese instead. 

8. Prosecco and Fromager D Affinois: 

• I thought that this wine and this cheese tasted horrible together. The prosecco made the cheese taste bitter and slightly rotten. I would never drink and eat these together. I was also surprised at this match though because I have heard that brie-like cheeses and sparkling wine are good together. 

9. Prosecco and Blueberry Goat Cheese: 

• This wine and cheese pairing was really good. They complemented each other since the cheese was sweet and creamy and the wine is refreshing from the cheese. The wine brought out the sweet flavor in the cheese and cleansed my palate in between the bites of cheese. It reminded me of something I would eat on a summer day.