For our first wine, Les Dauphins, I explained the reasoning behind swirling the glass to warm the wine/increase the surface area reached and release the aromas and the shape most wine glasses have to concentrate those smells. We also analyzed the "legs" on the glasses due to sugar and alcohol content. Also known as "tears", Les Dauphins' were particularly fun to watch and my friend wanted to show off her manicure in a photo. As for the wine itself, it had a nice black cherry smell and taste and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not fond of reds, but this one might even be good enough to buy again! Since the bottle didn't actually list what the "blend" was, I made some educated guesses about which cheeses might work well with it. I chose Camembert and Cheddar. My friend preferred Camembert with almost every wine, but I felt that it didn't help the Dauphins acid and only gave it an artificially sweet aftertaste. The cheddar however, helped smooth out the body and left just enough dryness from the tannins.
Our second pick was the Globerati Cab Sauvignon and my companions were very happy with it. I didn't mind it, but as I stated before, I'm not much of a red fan. The smell was very interesting with heavy grape, pepper and a bit of tobacco scents. The flavor profile also had a lot of black pepper and a good body with some heat to it. We paired the Camembert, Cheddar, Provolone, and Manchego with it. The Camembert honestly had very little affect on my palate, but the Cheddar had a lovely creamy, sweet finish. The Provolone cheese was too strong for my tastes, but paired with the Cab it was ridiculously pungent! Lastly, the Manchego left a salty end that wasn't unpleasant, but didn't seem to complement the wine.
Our first white was the Indaba Sauvignon Blanc that smelled like pear and grass and had lemon flavors on the tongue. I paired the Gruyere and Cheddar with it, neither of which were particularly complementary. The Gruyere brought out a strong saltiness and the Cheddar drew attention to the acidity and burning sensation of the wine. By itself the wine wasn't that exciting, but it was better than with the cheeses I picked...
Last and maybe least unfortunately, was the Protea Chenin Blanc with a higher price point than the others. While shopping at Whole Foods, the gentleman that works there noticed it in my cart and commented that it was a good one and very popular. It's possible I'd built it up and put it last, hoping that I would love it and it just wasn't up to my expectations, but that doesn't mean it's a bad wine. It had a fantastic nose; lush grapefruit and greenery, but the taste wasn't as exciting. It had a stronger citrus lemon/lime flavor and high acidity than I expected. I tried it with the Provolone, which again was way too strong and unappealing, but also with the Havarti. Havarti will probably go with just about anything and it was certainly better than the Provolone, but it didn't enhance this wine. On a side note, the bottle was beautiful and the name Protea is South Africa's national flower. And here's a picture of me pouring it!
Overall, it was a really enjoyable experience, mostly because of the company, but also because I got to try something new! I think we all had a good time and found something we liked. Hopefully I taught them a few things and they weren't too bored as I documented, analyzed, and dissected everything... Anyways, I actually liked a red wine the best of the bunch. Les Dauphins won me over, at least a little bit.
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