Wine Pairings - Cheeses with Merlot

With Tina Messina

Cheese and wine are thought to be the perfect pair, but they can often disagree with one another, just like the rest of us. Many assume that any red wine will make a good bedfellow with any cheese, but a soft and mild goat’s cheese will be very unhappy coupled with a big bold red. A full-bodied red, like this Chateau Ste Michelle 2009 Merlot, needs a bold cheese that can stand up to it.

Tina Messina, Co-Owner of The Wine ConneXtion in North Andover, Ma, is an expert in helping customers choose the perfect pairing of wine and cheese and she has found not one, but three great matches.  Since the Chateau Ste Michelle 2009 Merlot is packed full of “ripe berry fruit aromas and jammy flavors,” Messina chose an aged goat cheese, a blue cheese, and a high quality Italian pecorino.  They all go well with this value priced wine, highlighting that the full-bodied style of the wine “holds up well to the distinct flavors” of all three cheeses.

Other experts agree. For example, Paula Lambert, artisan cheese maker and owner of Mozzerella Company in Dallas, Tx, claims that the wines and cheeses that pair best are those with similar intensities: “There should always be a balance - strong and powerful cheeses should be paired with similar wines.”

Another widely accepted rule of wine and cheese pairings is that soft cheeses go better with white wines and hard cheeses go better with reds. Soft cheeses tend to coat the mouth with a layer of fat and it is said that, while this renders red wines dull and bland, the high acidity in some white wines cuts through this. Nonetheless, there are always exceptions to the rule, as Tina has found with this Merlot, which goes just as well with the soft blue cheese as with the firm aged goat’s cheese and the pecorino.

Chateau St. Michelle’s Indian Wells Merlot suits the purpose. Even if you do not typically like Merlots, this bottle at less than $15 will impress you. As Tina says, these general rules then should be taken as a guide. The best thing to do is experiment. Taste is, of course, subjective and what is unappealing to one person, for you might be the perfect match.

Co-owner of The Wine ConneXtion, Tina Messina has been in the family business for over 20 years. Her vision to transform the family-owned business, Messina's Liquors, into a ?fine wine store selling wine at discount prices? came from visits to vineyards in California and the desire to bring that experience to the local marketplace back on the east coast. Tina's vision to come to fruition in the form of an innovative store concept, The Wine ConneXtion.
With features like the Tasting Station, encouraging customers to taste and learn about the distinguishing features of wine before buying, the store marries innovative store design and technology with a long tradition of knowledge and experience. Customers are encouraged to browse the large, open, cellar-style design where each wine has a descriptive narrative to educate the customer on everything from the characteristics of the wine to the best choices of foods to pair with the wine. Customers can also help themselves to one bottle or a case without having to ask the staff because all products are easily accessible.
Tina Messina's industry, marketing and retail knowledge has allowed her to develop this unique shopping environment, balancing customer service with self-service, to reduce operating costs and to pass on those savings to wine consumers. Her idea for selling and marketing wine means consumers get more service and significant cost savings than many traditional wine stores.