Wine Dinner: Zeppoli's "The Big Varietals"

Zeppoli's Wine Dinner

 I attended a Zepoli's wine dinner whose theme  was "The Big Varietals", hosted by Matthew Burch.  Zeppoli's provided a buffet style meal with an assortment of food and nine different wines to taste. 

The food included:

• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Greek salad
• Cheese ravioli
• Assorted cheeses
• Cheese bread
• Bread and dip
• Cake (vanilla and chocolate)

During the dinner, the host poured samples of a variety of white, red, and dessert wines to try as the dinner progressed.  As we ate and drank, the host gave descriptions of each wine as well as pairing recommendations.  He took the time to give further wine information on bottling and opening techniques.  As we ate, we took tasting and wine pairing notes. 

White Wines

•  Torre di Luna 2011 Pinot Grigio IGT Italy 
• Has a very pale, golden color.  Very fruity, fresh, and tart with a mildly dry/sweet edge.  Yum, I was definitely a fan!

•  Sierra Cruz 2011 Savignon Blanc Maule Valley, Chile
• Very light in color with floral and citrus aromas.  This wine was sweet, but with a slightly acidic aspect that gave back bone to the wine.  I tried this wine with the cheese bread and it became a lot more fruitty.  The food brought a lot out of the wine!

• Hope Estates 2009 Chardonnay Hunter Valley, Australia
• This was one of my favorite wines tried during this dinner.  This Chardonnay was yellow in color, smooth and light on the tongue, with a long finish.  It was very sweet, but backed by a bit of acid.  I tried it with with the cheese ravioli and noticed the combination brought the acidity out of the wine. 

 Red Wines

• Coastal Vines 2010 Pinot Noir Sonoma, California
• Yum, I loved with wine.  It has a beautiful ruby color encompassing warm notes of blackberry and cherry.  It also had a warm, syrupy, vanilla,  spicy edge that made it inviting and enjoyable.  This Pinot Noir was sweet, but also has an acidic backbone.

• Kenwood 2010 "Yulupa" Merlot California
• Very warm wine with spicy edge.  I was able to detect the spiciness of the clove, as well as hints of cherry and plum.  This wine was oddly light on the tongue compared to its aroma, and a little dry.  I wasn't that big of a fan of it. 

• Gen 5 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi, California

•  Big fan of this wine.  It was a beautiful plum color  with a warm, blackberry scent.  The taste was rather unique, characteristic of sweet vanilla and dark berries.  To me, the wine seemed in balance since the acidity nor the sweetness stood out to me

•  Oxford Landing Shiraz Australia
  
  • Not a bad wine, wasn't too acidic to me.  I was able to detect hints of blueberries, raspberries mixed with the warmness of caramel and vanilla.  Dark purple to ruby in color, this Shiraz was light and refreshing on the tongue with a hint of warm spices.

Dessert Wines (served with vanilla cake)

• Famiglia Pasqua 2011 Moscato d'Asti DOCG Piedmont Italy
• On the nose this pale Moscato was very feminine and floral.  It was very sugary, tasting exactly like white grape juice.  I was apprehensive to try this wine with dessert being I felt the sugar may become overpowering.  I was surprised to find how well this wine complimented the vanilla cake.  It was not overpowering at all and made both the wine and the cake more exciting to the tongue!

• Banfi "Rosa Regale" Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG Italy
• After trying the initial dessert wine, I was excited to try  another to see how it complimented the vanilla cake.  This wine was salmon in color with a lot of carbonation.  I was mostly able to detect a soft floral side complimented by strawberries and raspberries.  I was disappointed to find how poorly it complimented the vanilla cake.   It was too fruity to be paired with the sweet warmness of the vanilla.

Overall this dinner was a great experience!  I really enjoyed trying a variety of wines spanning from soft, sweet and fruity to dark, spicy and tannic.  This experience sparked in interest in learning how to better pair wine with foods.