Memorial weekend was filled with lots of gourmet. Not just once a day. However, I am going to focus on just one particular gourmet experience for this post. I have decided to try a new wine and cheese pairing every week and this one blew last weeks out of the water. I had purchased a bottle of Black Mountain-Malbec 2005 from Trader Joes. I have had several malbec's before and I know that they go well with spicy food. I have had Black Mountain's Cabernet and really enjoyed it. Malbec is generally grown in Argentina and Chile. It is a mid-bodied red wine. I decided to pair it with manchego cheese after doing some research. I had never tried manchego cheese, but I knew of its sharp saltiness. Manchego is a sheep's milk cheese that is imported from Spain.
These two, manchego and malbec, go together like two peas in a pod. It might have something to do with the fact that they both start with "M"; but, a more likely reason is because the saltiness of the cheese balances with the medium floral/fruity flavors of the wine. The Black Mountain malbec was a dark red color. It was surprisingly smooth, earthy, and lots of blackberry. The Manchego cheese was firm and had a distinct salty taste. Buy both and try. Tell me what you thought or suggest another pairing you have tried.
p.s. there will be more highlights from this weekend posted soon!
