Wines to Pair with Goat Cheese Mac & Cheese

First of all I wanted to say WOW, thanks for all the great comments so far on my post about Michael Symon's Mac & Cheese with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese, & Rosemary. Of course you know, I expect you all to comment on all of my posts now that I know you're out there, not just when there is a giveaway. I can't wait to try some of your suggestions, especially the bacon & gouda, buffalo chicken (minus the celery), & the Rocky River Brewing Company rendition. As much as I love Michael's rendition, I still think my Mom's mac & cheese made with Velveeta is my favorite. Velveeta is pretty much everything I am against when it comes to food (what kind of cheese doesn't even need to be refrigerated?), but everyone deserves a guilty pleasure, right?

Don't forget, to enter the contest to win one of 2 pairs of passes to free cooking classes at the Viking Cooking School in Beachwood compliments of Heinen's. I will pick the winners on Monday at Noon, so go enter now! You can enter multiple times each day, so Tweet about it, post it to Facebook, write a blog about it, or spread the word any other way and leave a comment on the original post to make sure it gets counted.

As I mentioned in the mac & cheese post, Heinen's recommended a couple bottles of wine that would pair well with it. Now I should preface this post by letting you know I don't know much (or anything, really) about wine. I enjoy drinking wine, but my knowledge about the grapes and pairings is really lacking. That's where Heinen's or any of the other great wine shops we have in the area come in. One of my favorite things about Heinen's is their wine department. They are great about making recommendations for people like me that don't really know what wine to buy. For example, when I made Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce it called for a dry white wine. I was walking around looking at bottles trying to guess what a good choice would be when the wine consultant came up and asked me what I was looking for. I had a $12 bottle in my hand and she quickly told me that it would not really add much flavor to the wine and suggested something that would work better in the sauce that was only $6.99.

When I went to Heinen's to pick up the ingredients for the mac & cheese, I introduced myself to Laurie, who is in charge of the wines at the Heinen's in Avon, and told her about my project. As soon as I mentioned the word goat cheese she instantly knew which wine she would recommend, Coopers Creek Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Coopers Creek is a family owned vineyard in New Zealand and Robert Parker scored this wine at 91 points.

From the bottle, "Warm days and cool nights allow us to harvet fruit brimming with aromas and flavours of gooseberry, passionfriut, and nectarine." While my palette certainly did not pick up on all these flavors (what is a gooseberry???), it paired perfectly with the mac & cheese. Laurie told me that goat cheese screams for Sauvignon Blanc and I agree. The citrus in the wine went really well with the sourness of the goat cheese. My wife, who typically only drinks red wines even enjoyed this wine, although she only liked it with the pasta. When she tried it prior to eating she thought it was too sweet.

This wine is also a bargin at $9.99 a bottle at Heinen's. It was originally priced at $14.99, but was $5 off when I bought it. Of course Heinen's, like any reputable wine shop, offers 10% off when purchasing a case of wine. Buying by the case is a great way to save money when buying wine. Of course, it also leads to drinking more if it's always in the house.

Even though Laurie was so adamant about the Sauvignon Blanc I asked her to recommend a red wine as well since that is what I typically prefer. She picked out the 2008 Domaine Rochette Beaujolais-Villages. It was a light, dry red with more body than the Beaujolis Nouveau wines that are released every November. At $15.99, this bottle was more expensive than the Sauvignon Blanc but did not pack nearly as much flavor. This is definitely one example where the white wine went better with a dish even though I typically prefer reds and all our guests agreed. This wine went much better with the brownies I served for dessert.

What wine would you serve with Michael Symon's mac & cheese?

Interesting Side Note:
While I was in the wine section at Heinen's in Avon I noticed a flyer advertising a wine tasting. Has anyone ever been to a wine tasting at Heinen's? Here's the information on the tasting in case you are interested.

Springtime Wine, Beer, & Cheese Feast
Friday, March 12th 6pm
Heinen's Avon Cafe
$25 per person

"Come join us as we welcome in the spring season with a tasting of special selections of wines and beer choices. There will also be artisian cheeses and delicious fare prepared by our chefs to complement the wine and beer samplings. Enjoy a relaxing evening with your friends from Heinen's.

Pre-registration is requested. Contact Laurie Toth 440-937-7660."

Be sure to tell them you learned about it on Live to Cook at Home.