1st wine tasting party. Opinions..

[kiCha]

I'm trying to help my mom plan here pairing for her fist wine tasting, and I think I came up with some alright, if at least interesting pairings..

I know it varies by maker and vintage, but she hasn't picked the wine yet, just the types she wants.

For a Pinot noir, Camembert and smoked Gouda?

For a moscato, Brie and Gjetost?

Thanks for your feedback!

[Maximilien]

For cheese pairing, try to stay as close as possible to the region of both the wine and the cheese.

For example, camembert is not from the same region as Burgundy; and probably not the best match.

Remember that if you are doing a wine tasting; you do not want to have food with too much "flavor" or it will overwhelm the wines ( that you might have after )

Me think having a smoked cheese will kill a lot of things you will have after.

[invinotheresverde]

Agreed.

Also, OP, cheese and red table wine in general, IMO, is vastly overrated. I just don't think they're meant to be friends. I prefer whites, stickies, fortified and bubbles.

[drumwine]

second that emotion

[BigWoodenSpoon]

From my favorite pairing resource:
http://www.winemonger.com/catalog/win...

PINOT NOIR
Try pairing your Pinot Noir with these cheeses:

Berkswell
Buche
Cheddar (light
)Comte
Edam
Epoisses (with a big Pinot)
French Chevre (Cabriflore is a good example)
Fumaison
Gouda
Gruyere
Lancashire
Port Salut
Saint Andre

MUSCAT
A white Muscat wine, be it dry, off-dry or semi-sweet, will pair nicely with these cheeses:
Muscat Ottonel

Blu del Moncenisio
Fourme d’Ambert
Gorgonzola
Monte Enebro
Valdeon

The pairings you picked are very interesting, but it would of course depend on each wine chosen as to how well they would go together.

I must admit to not being a fan of Gjetost and since it is such a distinct and strong flavored cheese, I'm not sure a Moscato could cut through.

I've never thought of about a Brie/Moscato pairing as I generally go for the more acidic whites or bubbles to cleanse my palate of all the delicious fattiness.

Camembert and smoked Gouda are also very strong flavors that a delicate Pinot would get lost under.

I just did a Wine Tasting Party last Friday for someone at their house. If someone else asked me to do another party and that these two types of wines were presented to me as *the stars of the show*, I'd chose a Gruyere, a regular Gouda, a Port Salut and a creamy-style blue cheese. That way you have one hard cheese, a semi-hard cheese and two semi-soft cheeses.
Red & green pears, some baguettes, a few strawberries if you live in CA and you're all set.