The Texas Wine Collective’s Caroline hosted a Wine Pairing this past weekend with Girl Scout cookies. They’ve done this for several years and I’ve always wanted to attend, so I was pleased I was finally able to attend.
Lost Oak’s Picpoul
First up was the Trefoil (Shortbread) paired with Lost Oak’s Picpoul. But there was a bonus with a bit of cider – the Texas Keeper #1 to be exact.
The cider was lovely and paired well with the cookie.
The Picpoul was very light with more of a green apple/floral than the expected lemon flavor.
The buttery shortbread brought out the lemon in the wine.
It was a solid Friday wine for me.
Lost Oak’s Mourvèdre
Now I am not a fan of peanut butter, so I’ll be honest, I didn’t really try much of this cookie with any wine.
The peanut butter sandwich cookie did pair well with the Mourvèdre.
Caroline described this as the “hold my beer” grape as it ripens when it wants, but grows well in Texas.
This was a Monday for me – I didn’t get the fruity/berry everyone else did – I just got plain ol’ West Texas Dirt.
Not bad, but the wine and cookie just didn’t do it for me.
Brennan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
This was paired with the Samoa (though most people in the south say Sam-osa). This cookie is also known as Caramel Delite. Personally, it’s one of my favorites every year.
This cab threw me as it had a very green pepper scent to it, so I was a bit worried about how it would pair.
I should have known better. This Friday wine had the berry of the cab come out in the flavor and paired well with the cookie.
Incidentally, the cookie went pretty well with the Mourvedre.
Lost Oak’s Merlot
This is the new cookie this year – the Exploremore – which is supposed to taste like Rocky Road Ice Cream but to me it was a bite sized version of Goth Lasagna (read here). To be honest, I didn’t make many notes beyond “berry flavor” and “Wednesday” on the wine.
The cookie was amazing and I loved it with the Brennan Cab.
The wine didn’t go great with the Samoa and I was told it was “okay” with the peanut butter sandwich cookie.
Honestly, I need to get some of these bite sized Goth Lasagna cookies to put in the freezer for when a full slice is too much (wait, when does that happen?).
Brennan Vineyards Three White Chicks 2024
The Lemonade cookie was a new one for me, but one I’ll have to track down to add to the freezer for out by the pool with this wine, or on the porch.
It’s a blend, but Brennan Vineyards website didn’t tell me which, and AI tells me it’s Muscat Blanc, Viognier and Pinot Gris. However, digging deeper into that (as I never trust AI) – it’s actually 100% Muscat Blanc in 2024 (source).
It went really well with the cookie. The sweetness of the wine offset the tart lemon icing on the backside to create a flavor that curbed the super sugary wine and super tart cookie.
Incidentally, the cookie did not pair well with the Picpoul – go figure.
Conclusion
This was a really fun experience and a great tasting. It was fun to get to try the cider as it was my first introduction to TWC’s cider line. Caroline did a great job pairing the wine and cookies and everyone at the tasting had a good discussion. Each of us had a different favorite for different reasons. Although, Samoa topped the list, just not always with the cab. My favorite was the Exploremore and Cab in case you couldn’t tell.
I’m sure you’re wondering why one of the most popular Girl Scout Cookies – the Thin Mint – was excluded… well. probably because mint is really hard to pair with wine – and most of the time it ends up being a wine and toothpaste moment which is not so enjoyable. Though, if you’ve found one that works, let Caroline at Texas Wine Collective know!
