Aftermath of a wine and cheese

It began as always, with the best of intentions. A small little get together with the opportunity to taste a few new wines. The usual suspects: wine, cheese, bread, good friends all made their appearance. The theme of Australian wines was almost exclusive and the cheeses ranged from goat, smoked Gouda to French Brie and Port Salut!

We began the evening with a 2008 Marsanne from Tahblik, light fruity and it would be excellent with a fresh fruit salad in the summer. It paired nicely with the sweet mellowness of the fruilano cheese.

Next on the list was the 2008 Viognier by Yalumba. The herbaceous undertones were not received well by everyone but the lively flavour would pair well with a spicy Thai meal. Curry anyone?

Not quite Australian, the 2008 Grey Monk Pinot Gris is always a favorite. A refreshing and sweet wine that when paired with the goat cheese and apricot jalapeno jelly made fireworks in your mouth.

The reds were kicked off with a 2006 Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet. By this point in the evening the smiles were abundant and the portions got progressively larger. It was discovered that this wine made the french brie mellow and sweet however the cheese had exactly the opposite effect on the wine. The order of consumption was set as: friulano cheese, wine, brie then repeat. This way you got the most of both the wine and the cheeses.

Next on our menu was the 2006 Razor's Edge Shiraz Grenache. Purchased by a friend because of the name and the $5 discount, this wine surprised us all. We agreed that it was an "I'd buy this" as compared to an "I'd drink this" or a "this would be good after a few bottles". Tasted lovely with the Port Salut cheese which contrary to the strong stinky feet smell is quite mild in flavour.

Last on the list but certainly not least a young 2009 Layer Cake Shiraz. Full glasses served and the single origin Tanzanie chocolate pulled out of the cupboard for this one. Like a dessert in a glass it was the perfect ending to the tasting.

Now the fun began as the bottles circulated the table, topping up glasses and hollering at the hockey game in the background. Where in all this hilarity was my 16 month old you ask? Sleeping as peacefully as the cats! By the end of the evening there were 6 empty bottles and one full bottle of 2008 Bitch, Grenache. It is a birthday present for a friend that couldn't make it and bottle survived the evening only by the strength of our will power. That and the fact that we're getting a little older now and all night benders just aren't that appealing when you have a alarm clock that won't snooze and is permanently set for 7am......