A Shiraz and a Hot and Spicy Gouda
Got all the things done that I wanted to get done today. I went to the gym - decided today is leg day. My friend mentioned that since I'm going every day, I could switch up leg day and arm day and cut my routine time in half. So, I was in an out of the gym within 20 minutes. It was nice, but also felt like I wasn't doing enough, even though my legs were very tired.
After that, I went to the grocery store and capitalized on some sales. Bought $93 of groceries for $66 and have a well stocked fridge and pantry for the rest of the month. I stopped at my favorite sandwich shop, that is closing forever on December 12th, for a Porky Pita, a pulled pork with Eastern NC sauce, coleslaw, and per my request, some habanero pickled onions. Excellent! I'm going to be so sad when they close up next week.
But, onto the wine and cheese of the day!
The South African Shiraz was... full of tannins and fermented grapes, and not much else. There weren't any outstanding aromas... and really, not much of an aroma at all. I was afraid that as the challenge got past day 1 that all I could say was that the next wine tasted like grapes and smelled like grapes, but it's a shame that this particular wine only has those traits. There's no aftertaste of a fruit or spice, no complementary fruit or spice, it's just... wine made of average (at best) grapes. It isn't smooth, it isn't smoky, it isn't fruit forward, unless you count....... the grapes.
Maybe the cheese will save it.
It's Hot and Spicy. Luckily, the back of the package tells me this cheese is a gouda, or else I would likely not know. It doesn't smell hot and spicy. It tastes a little spicy, but there's nothing else complex about the cheese. It's a bit bland in the fact that what seems to be cracked red pepper is the only thing carrying it along. And for the pairing... well, the cheese overpowers the wine tannins, so the wine becomes more drinkable, but there's nothing particularly noteworthy of the pairing. This is likely the worst of the lot thus far, but I can't imagine all the wines and cheeses being wonderful showstoppers, so I'm not terribly surprised. I am looking forward to more of that herbed gouda, thought! Wonder what day that comes back.
After that, I went to the grocery store and capitalized on some sales. Bought $93 of groceries for $66 and have a well stocked fridge and pantry for the rest of the month. I stopped at my favorite sandwich shop, that is closing forever on December 12th, for a Porky Pita, a pulled pork with Eastern NC sauce, coleslaw, and per my request, some habanero pickled onions. Excellent! I'm going to be so sad when they close up next week.
But, onto the wine and cheese of the day!
The South African Shiraz was... full of tannins and fermented grapes, and not much else. There weren't any outstanding aromas... and really, not much of an aroma at all. I was afraid that as the challenge got past day 1 that all I could say was that the next wine tasted like grapes and smelled like grapes, but it's a shame that this particular wine only has those traits. There's no aftertaste of a fruit or spice, no complementary fruit or spice, it's just... wine made of average (at best) grapes. It isn't smooth, it isn't smoky, it isn't fruit forward, unless you count....... the grapes.
Maybe the cheese will save it.
It's Hot and Spicy. Luckily, the back of the package tells me this cheese is a gouda, or else I would likely not know. It doesn't smell hot and spicy. It tastes a little spicy, but there's nothing else complex about the cheese. It's a bit bland in the fact that what seems to be cracked red pepper is the only thing carrying it along. And for the pairing... well, the cheese overpowers the wine tannins, so the wine becomes more drinkable, but there's nothing particularly noteworthy of the pairing. This is likely the worst of the lot thus far, but I can't imagine all the wines and cheeses being wonderful showstoppers, so I'm not terribly surprised. I am looking forward to more of that herbed gouda, thought! Wonder what day that comes back.
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