Wine and Cheese – Page 3 – Peacock Orchard

Bauer Haus Spatlese 2009 Rheinhessen and German Buttercase Cheese

Wine:

Bauer Haus Spatlese 2009 Rheinhessen $9.99

[I’m paraphrasing various sources] This is a fruity wine, light and tasty with apricot, nougat and apple flavors.

Cheese:

Buttercase Cheese $9.47

[Wikipedia] Butterkase is a semi-soft cheese with a golden natural rind, very popular in Germany and Austria for its creamy texture, buttery like taste. Its name, when literally translated means “butter cheese,” but the cheese is butter free.

Wine Review-

The wine was fine. The flavor was acceptable. It wasn’t anything special but it didn’t make me want to vomit, as another wine we tried did.

Cheese Review-

The cheese was ok as well. It was very cheesy, or how an American would expect cheese to taste. We ate it with some bread and it was perfectly fine.

A combined review: Both were good, not special, just good. They both served well on their own. They did not particularly enhance the flavor of each other. I would consume both if offered but I don’t think I’d go out of my way to get them. So take that as you will.

Mumm Napa Brut Prestige and Cave Aged Gruyere

Wine:

Mumm Napa Brut Prestige $25.99

[From the makers website] Brut Prestige is Mumm Napa’s signature sparkling wine. It is a relaxed, yet elegant, wine that earns sparkling accolades from consumers and critics alike. Brut Prestige features fine bright citrus, red apple, stone fruit and creamy vanilla aromas, with hints of toast, honey and gingerbread spice. Its vibrant flavors are balanced by fine acidity and a rich, lingering finish.

Cheese:

Cave Aged Gruyere $14.55

[From Wikipedia] Gruyère is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavor that varies widely with age. It is often described as creamy and nutty when young, becoming with age more assertive, earthy and complex. When fully aged (five months to a year) it tends to have small cracks which impart a slightly grainy texture.

Wine Review- The taste is not unpleasant. I thought it was a bit less sweet than I had expected. It has good flavor though and paired very well with the cheese. The chocolate made it taste a bit dryer though. So I wouldn’t drink this with chocolate or sweets. Something mildly savory, like the gruyere, went very well with this. It was a nice celebratory drink. 11 years of marriage and looking forward to many more! We recommend this wine.

Cheese Review- This cheese was nice. It had a good flavor. I thought it was mildly salty but not bad at all. It paired quite well with the wine. We actually finished off this cheese on another occasion and would recommend.

I am away

My day job is so demanding right now that I just can’t post to the blog. I’ll be out for 2 weeks, from May 4-May 15. Will talk to you when I’m back!

2013 Chateau Ste Michelle Gewurztraminer and Jarlsberg Cheese

Wine:

Chateau Ste Michelle Gewurztraminer $8.99 on sale

[From the wine maker] A fan favorite, this Gewürztraminer is such a flavorful wine with beautiful, expressive fruit and clove spice. This is a lush style of Gewurztraminer with a lot of floral character, yet it still maintains the grape’s natural crisp acidity. Try this wine with Thai food or any cuisine with a little “bite” to it.

Cheese:

Jarlsberg $7.99

[From Wikipedia] Jarlsberg cheese has a yellow-wax rind (outer layer) and a semi-firm yellow interior. It is a mild, buttery cheese. The flavor is “clean and rich, with a slightly sweet and nutty flavour.” It is an all-purpose cheese, used for both cooking and eating as a snack.

Wine Review- We rather like Gewurztraminer wines. So much so that I bought a hybrid grape called Traminette. We are hoping to get enough grapes to make our own Gewurztraminer wine variety. We shall see. This wine is really rather nice though. Mild and flavorful. We had Gewurztraminer for Thanksgiving last year. Goes very well with turkey and fixings. Goes well with most foods really. It’s a nice, all around wine, imo. Not spectacular but quality and versatile. We will continue to buy it.

Cheese Review- I’ll be honest here, we ate 2 cheeses. The pictures did not turn out (must remember to check the photos before calling it good) and we ate all of the other cheese so we couldn’t remember what it was. It was good, we ate it all. The Jarlsberg was pretty good, we ate 1/2 of it. It has a stronger flavor but was nice with crackers. I could see eating it again.

We did this review for a date night in. We rented the movie “Lucy” (WEIRD!!!!!!!!!) and cuddled up on the couch. It was an enjoyable evening, in spite of the odd movie.

2013 Chateau D’Esclans Whispering Angel Rose and Brie

Wine:

Chateau Desclans Whispering Angel Rose 2013 $22.19

[Wine Makers Notes] Whispering Angel is a blend of Grenache, Rolle, Cinsault, Syrah, and Mourvedre grapes. Strikingly pale pink in color, the aromas are fresh and fruity. On the palate, it is bone dry through the finish. The name really suits the delicate nature of this wine.

If not simply drinking Whispering Angel on its own, pair it with lightly grilled steaks, salmon, other fish dishes and salads, as well as cheese. Fabulous with modern cuisine.

Cheese:

La Bonne Vie Brie $5.97

[From the cheese maker] Known for it’s excellent quality and flavor, La Bonne Vie Brie is a soft cheese made of cow’s milk, with a deliciously creamy and buttery taste and a snowy-white edible rind.

Wine Review- An excellent wine. Not too dry with fruit flavors. We really enjoyed this one. I suspect this wine would go well with most any entree or dessert. I certainly enjoyed drinking it and eating Lindt truffles. It was a decadent evening for us.

Husband said, “I thought it was awesome, I didn’t get a buzz off of it, the cheese was a terrible choice, although the wine DID help quell the taste in my mouth when I stupidly did something french and ate the mold rind part with the cheese”

We will certainly be buying it again. The back of the bottle said you may hear angels whispering when you drank it. I’m not sure about that but it was certainly delicious. We highly recommend this wine!

Cheese Review- Well, it was ok. With the rind cut off and eaten with crackers it was acceptable. With the rind it was rather disgusting. I’d probably not get this cheese again. It didn’t thrill me. We did eat about half of it though, so no awful.

The kids did not get to participate in this wine tasting. They were in bed and we were luxuriating on the couch, catching up on some TV. We are dreadfully behind on the few shows we watch on Netflix. It was a lovely, peaceful evening and the wine certainly helped with the mood.

Alamos Red Blend with Gorgonzola, Mushroom and Onion Hand Pies

Wine:

Alamos Red Blend 2012 $12.99

[From the back of the bottle] Dark berry fruit flavors, integrated with brown spice and vanilla oak characters that form a plush mouth feel. The Tempranillo and Syrah grapes contribute bold, spicy flavors of blackberry and black pepper which marry well with the juicy dark cherry flavors of Bonarda and the deep plum flavors of the Malbec base. The addition of Cabernet Franc helps to balance the blend, as it melds with notes of warm brown spice to create a long, supple finish.

Cheese:

Mushroom, Gorgonzola and Caramelized Onion Hand Pies $I’m estimating 10.00

This is a recipe I found on this blog. Being a fan of Gorgonzola in my beef pasta dishes I thought it sounded rather good. Mushrooms, caramelized onion and cheese. What could go wrong?

Wine Review- Absolutely terrible with what we paired it with. I almost threw up this was so bad. However, when I ate a banana to calm my nausea and then drank some of this wine it tasted pretty good. I’m sure the guy at the liquor store, who suggested this would be the perfect pairing with Gorgonzola, would about die if he knew. Drink this with a banana. Can’t go wrong.

Cheese Review- As I said before, I rather like Gorgonzola. It has a strong flavor but a sauce made with it pairs deliciously with beef. This recipe, however, was repulsive. I couldn’t even eat a full hand pie and I was quite determined to do so. I just…I couldn’t. It was too gross. I did beef broth fondue as I thought it would pair well with these hand pies. The only thing edible was the fondue. I don’t think anything pairs well with this recipe. Yuck!

The kids were smarter than we were. Son did not even think twice before retrieving some emergency ramen for dinner. Oh how I wish I’d eaten ramen for dinner. Maybe Gorgonzola wouldn’t be ruined for me forever.

Daughter was forced to stare at her hand pie with woe filled eyes. She got some ramen as well. Poor thing.