Wine and Cheese Pairing

Glen Ellen Reserve Chardonnay
- as a super cheap wine (I think it was $4 for the bottle) I wasn't expecting a ton out of this wine. It didn't have great depth of flavor. Big flavors of pear. When paired with the Gouda cheese, the wine dominated the softer flavors of the cheese. However, since the flavors were softer, I did like the combo as the flavors didn't fight each other. I think the cheddar went with it and gave the wine a nice sharp kick at the end. The muenster cheese, which was salty and creamy, complimented the dryness of the chardonnay. It was really flavorful but not the best pairing.

Crane Lake Malbec
- another cheap wine from kroger. the bottle says that it is dry and has flavors of raspberry, black cherry, and currant. I personally didn't taste a ton of black raspberry, but I did get the black cherry, which I really enjoyed. Fairly dry but not the most dry wine ever. Loved the cheddar cheese with it, but the gouda was even better. The creaminess of the cheese went super well with the dry wine. The muenster actually went super well with the wine as well, probably because of its creaminess.

Corbett Canyon Chardonnay
- from the back of the bottle, "medium-bodied with classic hints of apples, pears, and toasty oak. I liked this chardonnay a little bit more than the first chardonnay. It's flavors of apples went well with the pear and dry components of the wine. It had a stronger aftertaste than the first one that I enjoyed. The super creamy gouda cheese was great and left an oily feeling in my mouth and paired well with the dry wine. My favorite pairing tonight was this chardonnay with the horseradish cheddar cheese. I'm a big fan of horseradish flavor in general, and love how it contributes to the wine.