Cookies and Merlot

It's that time of the year again where the annual cookie swap comes into play.  With less than one week notice I had to make 8 dozen cookies for our "Wine Night" swap.  So Friday evening found me slaving over my oven and kitchen aid to bake my cookies.  I couldn't do it alone, so I pulled out a 2008 Whitecliff Vineyards New York State Merlot.

A little wine for me, and more wine for me as I made the Coffee and Cream Drops.

When I opened the wine the first aromas that came to me was earth and mocha. I thought that was fitting since the cookies I was making had coffee and chocolate in them.  The earth and mocha gave way to hints of plum and black cherry.

I first tasted the wine before I tasted any of the cookies I was making.  I got a black cherry, bright fruit flavor with hints of raspberry.  The wine was thin with a bitter finish.   Then I had to see how the cookie and wine pairing tasted.  I will say the cookie softened the bitter finish and the black cherry flavor became loud and prominent.

I didn't know much about this wine before I opened it, but I must say it was a nice pairing.  A note to myself, if I am going to make cookies with coffee in them, bake then in the morning.  This way when you eat a couple from each batch, you won't be up all night from the caffeine.