Spring’s Guilty Pleasure: Girl Scout Cookies & Ty Caton Wines

Every year we look forward to picking up Girl Scout cookies from our favorite local troop, so it only seemed fitting that we pair them with Ty Caton wines for the ultimate springtime guilty pleasure. In preparation for the virtual tasting, Jennifer and Scarlett wanted to see what our fans would pair with each of the cookies. To everyone who voted in our poll, thank you! 

Without further ado, here are the winning pairings:

TrefoilsⓇ

Voting Results:
77% Estate Rosé of Petit Verdot
23% Estate Upper Bench Merlot

By an overwhelming vote, the Estate Rosé of Petit Verdot was the fan pick for this pairing! This wine is the first of its kind for Ty Caton Vineyards. Pale pink in color, the Rosé of Petit Verdot is a crisp, warm-weather sipper and the obvious choice to pair with a rich and buttery shortbread cookie such as the TrefoilsⓇ. 

Surprisingly enough, the Estate Upper Bench Merlot also paired perfectly with the TrefoilsⓇ and was Kristen Caton’s preferred pairing over the Rosé. The cookie’s crunch and Merlot’s mouthfeel softened the respective flavors, leading to an excellent finish. 

 

Girl Scout S’moresⓇ

Voting Results:
72% EnTycement
28% Estate Rosé of Petit Verdot

Our judges agreed with the fan pick that the EnTycement pairs best with the Girl Scout S’moresⓇ cookie. A blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is super approachable, easy-drinking, and great with food. Both Scarlett and Jennifer have this bottle on-hand for all BBQs in the spring and summer.

The dark, rich fruit flavors of the EnTycement paired magically with the creamy chocolate flavors of the Girl Scout S’moresⓇ cookie and held up more so than the Rosé of Petit Verdot did. 

 

SamoasⓇ

Voting Results:
69% Estate Ballfield Syrah
31% Estate Rosé of Petit Verdot 

“Wow, that’s pretty good. Wow!” – Jennifer on the pairing of SamoasⓇ with the Estate Ballfield Syrah.

Since Jennifer’s favorite Girl Scout cookie is Samoas, she just knew that the Estate Ballfield Syrah would win this pairing and immediately agreed with the fan pick. With caramel, coconut, and chocolate competing with each other on the cookie, it needed a bolder and more complex wine to complement it. The oak of the Estate Ballfield Syrah highlighted the coconut flavors of the cookie, and the combination of fruit and earth on the palate went so well with the caramel and chocolate notes. This pairing sounds overwhelming, but, trust us, it’s not!

 

Thin MintsⓇ

Voting Results
52% Estate Winemaker’s Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon
48% Estate Upper Bench Merlot

It was a tough competition between the Estate Winemaker’s Cuvée and the Upper Bench Merlot and for good reason – both wines were terrific with Thin Mints! 

The Estate Winemaker’s Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, 5% Petite Sirah, and 4% Merlot. There are many fun elements to this wine that showcase the winemaker’s expression, including the different layers, toasty oak, and long finish. Tasting this wine with Thin Mints enhanced the cookie’s minty flavors and created an even longer finish, which we were pleasantly surprised by.

The Estate Upper Bench Merlot is 100% Merlot with darker plum flavors, cocoa aromas, beautiful tannins, and a velvety mouthfeel. The rich, round fruit mingled with the chocolatey mint flavor in great harmony, lingering on the palate. It’s a pretty pairing that’ll make you say, “Wow!”

 

TagalongsⓇ

Voting Results:
53% EnTycement
47% Estate Winemaker’s Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon

It was another close race between the EnTycement and the Estate Winemaker’s Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with Tagalongs, but our judges agreed with the fan pick! Both wines are so versatile that they paired beautifully with this cookie. Still, it was Jennifer’s description of the EnTycement and Tagalong pairing that reminded us of a PB&J sandwich that won us over – jammy dark, black fruit flavors of boysenberry mixing with the peanut butter.

 

It’s not too late to host your own Girl Scout Cookie and Ty Caton wine tasting with your friends and family! 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Pick up your own Spring Virtual Tasting Collection and some Girl Scout Cookies.
2. Visit our Facebook page and watch the video recording while tasting the wines and cookies together.
3. Play around with the different flavors and let us know your favorites by tagging us on Facebook and Instagram. For example, one of our fans, Susan, recommends the Rosé of Petit Verdot with Girl Scouts Lemon Ups!

Happy tasting!