Cheese & Wine of Spain - instructed by Janet Fletcher

I can't complain when my evening of work consists of tasting Spanish cheeses and wines...Let's keep this straight forward and give you an outline of the cheeses and wines themselves... Then a bit on our personal thoughts for pairings(although i wasn't able to try pairings with everything)...Zivio, SF

The 8 Cheeses (clockwise in from the photo):


Leonora
Provenance: Castilla Leon, Spain
Type: Pasteurized goat's milk

Cana de Oveja
Provenance: Murcia, Spain
Type: Pasteurized sheep's milk

Vare
Provenance: Austrias, Spain
Type: Pasteurized goat's milk


Montcabrer
Provenance: Catalunya, Spain
Type: Pasteurized goat's milk


Mahon Reserve
Provenance: Menorca, Spain
Type: Raw cow's milk

Ombra
Provenance: Catalunya, Spain
Type: Pasteurized sheep's milk

Torta La Serena
Provenance: Extremadura, Spain
Type: Raw sheep's milk

Valdeon
Provenance: Castilla Leon, Spain
Type: Pasteurized cow and goat's milk



The 4 Wines:

Bubbly: 2007 Raventos I Blanc, "L'Hereu Reserva," Brut Cava
Professional notes:
The search for clarity and purity has produced this sparkling wine with a gentle citric aroma highlighted by hints of white fruits, with all the olfactory elements in perfect balance.The palate is built on both freshness and concentration: a wine that combines firmness and smoothness with creamy bubbles. A long and very clean finish.

My notes:
Aroma of hay, straw or clay
Tatse: ok, nice acidity, paired well with Leonora.


White: 2009 Bodegas Angel Rodriguez, Martinsancho, Rueda Verdejo (Rueda, Spain)
Professional notes:
Wine is fermented in enamel tanks and aged in very large, neutral oak 'cubas.' The resulting wine is generous, with delicious peach, melon and guava notes, textural, as well as mineral, focused and age-worthy. In other words, drink it now but stash some away for a few years down the road.

My notes:
Aroma: Peach. Lychee, Apricot
Taste: hint of lime, slightly sweet/slightly sour, balanced, loved it! Paired well with Cana de Oveja , Mahon Reserva , and Valdeon.

Red: 2008 Borsao, "Tres Picos," Garnacha (Campo de Borja, Spain)

Professional notes:
It gives up a compelling nose of black cherry fruit that jumps from the glass along with earth and mineral notes. Plush on the palate bordering on voluptuous, this pleasure-bent, full flavored effort will drink well for another 3-4 years although few will be able to resist its charms for that long.


Sweet: Bodegas Dios Baco, S.L. Amontillado Sherry
Professional notes:
Amber-colored, with sharp but subtle (hazelnut-like) aroma. Smooth and light to the palate. It's alcohol content is around 16-18%.

My notes:
Aroma: toasted nuts
Taste: Vanilla, citrus, not to sweet/not to dry, perfect. Paired well with Mahon Reserva & Valdeon

Zivio & good night everyone!!! xoxox