You Want Some Cheese With That Wine - A Wine & Cheese Pairing

So a couple of weekends ago, I went back to Smithfield, VA for our annual Wine & Brew Fest! Last year was my first wine festival and it was all a big blur from both excitement and all of the flowing beverages! After another whole year of tastings and with help from this class I was able to go into it with a clearer head and some actual knowledge on wines. ...I will say though, that that clear mind was quickly blurred by DELICIOUS wines!

But, first... Let me take a selfie!

Now, in addition to attending this festival, I also went home to help my mom out with the family bakery, Yummaries. At Yummaries we make everything from pies, to cakes, to cookies, to breads, to what goes along with wine festivals the most, cheese spreads! I decided to do my cheese and wine pairing with the 6 spreads that we make. 

Asiago, Cheddar, and Feta opened

Parmesan, Cream Cheese, and Blue Cheese opened

The description from our website and Facebook: Our savory cheese spreads add a creamy twist to the traditional cheese and cracker appetizer. Perfect with our homemade Cheddar Crisps or your choice of crackers, toasted crostini, and fresh veggies. Many customers top grilled meats with the cheese spreads; for example: top salmon with our Feta Dill Cheese Spread, hamburgers with our Cheddar Cheese Spread, and rib eyes with our Blue Cheese Spread with Cranberries and Pecans. Other flavors include Asiago Cheese Spread with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Basil and creamy Parmesan Cheese Spread. Our Pineapple Pecan Cheese Spread is the perfect blend of crushed pineapple, pecans, ginger, and just the right amount of sweetness.

Best Friends: Delaney and Jessica

YUMMM CHEESE!

Now, what is cheese without wine?! We tried way over 60 wines and ended up buying a couple bottles that were our favorites during tastings and that we thought would go well with all of our yummy snacks! 

Here are some of the wines we ended up getting:

Cooper Vineyards Sweet Louisa

Description: Our unique blend of Norton, Concord, and Merlot with 6% residual sugar. Intense Concord grape flavors and aromas make this "grape juice with an attitude". Best served chilled.

My Review: OMG. AMAZING. This was actually our #1 for the day. Best description of this came from my friends Jessica and Delaney, "adult grape juice". Legitimately, you could only taste concord grape juice! So good, but definitely a wine you only have once and a while.

Best with which cheese: I liked this with the cheddar cheese spread because it is a simple cheese and it let the wine shine. ...plus it didn't hurt that it sent all of us back to being 5 years old (getting home from school and having juice and cheese and crackers). So yummy with all of the cheeses, but for the cheddar it was just the best!

Cooper Vineyards Pinot Grigio

Description: Great aromatics of lemon and citrus begin this exceptionally well balanced wine. Restrained but abundant fruit marries perfectly with undertones of almonds and dried apricots. This zesty and refreshing wine is a perfect aperitif. Enjoy with sun and friends. 

My Review: ...and enjoy in the sun and with friends we did! WOWZERS! So yummy! Pear, pineapple, citrus, all classic PG flavors and scents. I will say it was one of the best PGs at the entire festival. It was just the right combination of dry and sweet.

Best with which cheese: It was nice with all of the sharper and louder cheeses! The asiago, blue cheese, and feta I would say paired with this wine the best in my opinion. They can be really strong cheeses and this just settled them! I also liked it with the cream cheese spread because that one is the sweetest and creamiest!

Cooper Vineyards Seismic Sangria

Description: Summertime fun in a bottle! Tropical lime, tangerine and pineapple flavors combine with soft red wine to create this party in a bottle. Serve chilled by itself, or add in fruit slices to create your own signature Sangria. 

My Review: So many spices, so many fruits! Cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, raspberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, a little watermelon and pineapple, and some mango/apricot on the finish. Was delicious and my friends and I talked about getting a couple bottles and adding fruit to it for a great drink and snack at the beach this summer!

Best with which cheese: I thought this was best with the parmesan, blue cheese, and asiago. Sort of like the Sweet Lousia in the way that it brought out different spices in the cheese and in the wine. The asiago brought out the fruits and the nutmeg of the wine. The blue cheese brought out cranberry, raspberry, and strawberries. Finally, the Parmesan just let the wine shine and let the spices, like cloves and cinnamon shine.

Overall it was a great day to drink wine and eat cheese and an even better day to sit around in the sun with friends reminiscing of times past and discussing a lot of great wines! It was such a great day, and  we have all already marked our calendars to buy tickets for next year's festival in January of 2015. One of the best wine days I've ever had!!