Wine and Cheese - A Tasting

We belong to an informal wine tasting circle and are occasionally called upon to present an evening's tasting. Our latest session was pairings of inexpensive wines and cheeses. All the former were sourced from Majestic and the latter from the deli counter at J Sainsbury apart from the taleggio which came from Waitrose. As the festive season is upon us I thought I'd post our impressions.

Graham Beck NV Brut (£11.99) plus La Rustique Brie (£9.50/kg).
A combination that worked. The wine has a fresh, yeasty flavour and the brie a nice creamy texture and slightly oniony taste. I scored the wine 8/10.

Pouilly Fume "Les Griottes" 2016 Jean-Pierre Bailly (£13.99) plus Bride Valley Goat's Cheese (£15.00/kg).
Bright lime and green apples taste to the wine. Not much gooseberry. Good value - 9/10. Goat's cheese perhaps a little mild for the combination but it worked.

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2015 Masciarelli (£9.99) plus Arrigoni Taleggio (£17.00/kg).
Disappointing wine. Something of a non-entity. What one participant described as "spaghetti supper" wine. Little depth - 6/10. I'm a taleggio nut so biased. I enjoyed the tangy nutty flavour of this offering.

Rioja "Single Vinyard" 2015 Ramon Bilbao (£8.99) plus Manchego Gran Reserva (£19.50/kg).
These worked well together. The Rioja is reasonable value for money. We've purchased it previously as a party wine which to my mind is its forte. Nice fruit, reasonable length, easy drinking - 7.5/10. The cheese (served with membrillo) had a sharp, sightly peppery flavour - good.

Rustenberg John X Merriman 2015 Stellenbosch (£15.99) plus English Vintage Reserve Cheddar (£12.00/kg).
I've purchased several other vintages of the wine as I regard it as excellent value for a Bordeaux grape combination. This was the first time I've tasted the 2015 which is well up to standard. It has a typical cassis, sour cherry and tobacco and although ok to drink now I think it will improve with aging for a few years - 9/10. The cheese was firm and strong with just the occasional crystal crunch. An excellent combination!

Croft Reserve Tawny Port (£13.99) plus Cropwell Bishop Stilton (£15.00/kg).
The port reflects its price; pleasant without suggesting anything exceptional - 8/10. The stilton was good - a rich and tangy flavour with just a hint of a smooth texture.

It was an enjoyable evening.