What goes well with Moderate Red Wine

[ting]

I had this wine "Fabiano" red wine. It is from Italy. It is not so strong, not mild, just good enough for me who is not really good in drinking. This is my first bottle of wine that I bought. It is for this Oct. 23 the anniversary of ME and my Significant other. Does cheese good with red wine? I'm planning that we drink the wine after dinner since we are going to eat in a fastfood only. Drink the wine all night. I really need your help good sirs.

[Thomas]

Fast food to celebrate your anniversary? You might need a better bottle of wine for the rest of the evening, but cheese shouldn't hurt the "moderate red," as long as the cheese is not sharp.

[ting]

I think it's gonna be a long evening...We will probably Drink the wine when get to the hotel after watching a movie. I wonder what kind of Cheese, will Cheddar cheese do? I wonder aside from Steaks, what goes well with moderate red wine? I'm really excited about tomorrow. Haven't seen my girl for weeks. I want to make the evening extra special.Thanx for the help guys n gals.

[Randy Caparoso]

Fabiano. We've sold that stuff -- fabulous, medium-full "Super Umbrian" blend crafted by one of modern day Italy's master winemakers, Riccardo Cotarella. We're dealing with both luscious red and black fruit flavors lined with soft tannin, leather glovey qualities with traces of gamey earthiness of richly roasted oak. This is really a connoisseur's wine, and so it's cool that you guys are into it.

For this type of wine which finishes dry yet soft with tannin, and in which terroir and oak play as much a part of the whole as fruit, my favorite cheese match is Italy's Parmigiano Reggiano. It's a hard cheese, either grated or broken in crumbly chunks, but has just the right balance of sharpness, mildness, and flavor concentration for this type of elegant wine.

But you may also wish to counteract this dry style cheese by adding a second, softer style. At least I would. Brie and Camembert is a bit overwhelming for this style of wine. I recommend a rounder, creamier style like a double creme or triple creme (especially Explorateur) from France. It will round out the wine, yet not kill its subtleties. Have fun!

[ting]

Thank you so much... I'm still beginning to appreciate wine. I'm new at this. I'm so eager to learn more. If only it is cheaper here in my country(Philippines), then I could the money to buy different wines. The climate here too is kinda humid and hot. That's the reason why we will be drinking it late at night. I'm not really familiar with the cheese but I'll try to look for it. I'll do anything to make this a special night for me and my Significant other.

[Randy Caparoso]

Ting, since these are imported cheeses, you'll definitely need to go to a store that specializes in imported, "gourmet" foodstuffs. Good luck!

[ting]

Thanx Randy... It was an evening that we could never forget... I wonder what wine is sweeter and milder? She likes something sweeter. hmmmm. Can u help me about it. Can you suggest any wine that is sweeter and milder? Thank you so much guys. Ilove wines now.

[Randy Caparoso]

A light, delicate German Riesling, Ting; especially one sold as a Kabinett or Spatlese, which indicates the level of sugar in the grape, and therefore usually the sweetness in the resulting wine (Riesling Spatlese is medium sweet, and Riesling Kabinett just slightly sweet).

And for that, I strongly recommend a lush Bufalo or Smoked Mozzarella from Italy. The cushiony soft, creamy textures of these cheese types always seem to bring out the soft, lush quality of Riesling.

[Jason]

Randy - we may be comparing apples to oranges here. I am not familiar with the Fabiano to which you refer. The one I know is a nice simple label from Veneto and is used as a premium house wine in restaurants.
Ting - please give us more info from the label of your wine.

[ting]

it is Fabiano BARDOLINO, it was kinda bitter..dry...that's all i know.

[Randy Caparoso]

This was NOT the Fabiano of which I spoke. Yours is a much lighter wine; should have been dry, slightly walnutty-bitter, with a slippery-smooth texture. However, my first suggestion of a Parmigiano-Reggiano is still a good choice for that type of wine (but not the double or triple cremes).

[ting]

thanx guys...I'm really learning on this. How wish I'll learn How to distinguish the taste and describe it. There's no one I know who can teach me here... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb/frown.gif[/img]