Zeppoli's Wine and Food Pairing Dinner

Across from University Mall and hidden behind the Holiday Inn lies the best deal in town at Zeppoli's Italian Restaurant where every Sunday and Wednesday they hold a wine tasting of nine wines paired with a variety of heavy hors d'oeuvres.

My plate at dinner which included a plethora of deliciousness, baked ziti with meat sauce, Mediterranean pasta, cheese and bread, salad and spinach ravioli.

The meal was delicious! Although there were not specific food pairings for each wine our servers for the evening explained which of the foods would go best with each of the wines we tasted. We tasted a total of 9 wines, starting with 4 whites and ending with 5 reds. 

• Our first wine was Fossi Bianco White Table Wine, we were told this would go best with the cheese and I definitely agree. Although overall I did not like this wine and found it tasted more like alcohol with a burning mouthfeel and a hint of fruit. The cheese did bring out the fruit and make it a more enjoyable wine.

• The second wine we tasted was the La Fiera 2010 Pinot Grigio Veneto. At first I was excited about this wine because I have had Pinot Grigio from the Veneto region before and really enjoyed it. Although I enjoyed this wine I did not enjoy it as much as the others I have tried before. This wine was very fruity with a nice balance of acidity, specifically I tasted lemon in this wine. We were told this would go particularly well with the Mediterranean pasta, because of the lemon flavors in the dish. I completely agreed and really enjoyed that pairing. 

• Our third wine was the Nals Margried 2010 Pinot Grigio Alta Adige. We tried this wine blind and were told to compare this one with the previous Pinot. I enjoyed this wine much more. I found it has a very smooth finish with a delightful fruity flavor with peach accents. I tried it with cheese and salad, which both complimented this wine very well. I would love to have this wine with cheese and fruit, or a delicious brie en croute which would really bring out the fruit flavors of the wine.

• Our fourth wine was by far my favorite of the night and I in fact purchased it at the Vintage Cellar later that week. This Moscato was absolutely divine, it was sweet but not overly sweet, refreshing and effervescent with bursting fruit flavors including peach, green apple and a delightful hint of honey. This wine paired beautifully with salad, cheese, spinach ravioli and Mediterranean pasta. I absolutely plan on keeping this wine in my house repertoire of wines.

• With our fifth wine we began tasting red wines and started with the Luca Primitivo del Salento Puglia. This red wine was a little to spicy and bold for me. This was not one of my favorite red wines of the night. We were told this wine would pair well with the baked ziti with meat and I found it enhanced the spice in the dish which I did not enjoy. Although I did not enjoy this blend of flavors I appreciated it as a flavorful and well crafted wine.

• The second red wine we tasted was very well balanced for my liking. I found this red wine not too heavy, but medium bodied. When I first smelled it all I could smell was alcohol, but once I tasted it a variety of flavors came through. Plum and cherry were two of the most forward flavors I tasted. I had this wine with the Mediterranean pasta and the meat pasta. It worked with both, but the meat pasta definitely paired better. I would not want to have this wine by itself but I would like to try it again with a steak.

• The third red wine we tasted was the Morli Neri 2009 Chianti. Our server said that this used to be Zeppoli's house wine and I think that is a great choice. I enjoyed this wine, which was surprising because I do not usually enjoy Chianti. It was a well balanced wine that was not too bold. I found plum as a prominent note in this wine. We were told to pair this with the meat pasta and the cheese pasta and I felt it went great with both. This seems like a great red wine for a dinner party.

• The fourth red we tried was a Casmata Toscana which we were told was also from the Chianti region and should be similar to the previous wine we tasted. I liked the previous wine much better than this wine. I found this wine heavy in alcohol flavor and tannins. Our server told us to eat this pasta with the meat pasta and I found that it did not enhance the flavor in a positive way for me. This wine was just too much for my palate, and not something I would try again. 

• The final wine of our wine dinner was the Lodali 2009 Nebbiolo D'Alba Sant Ambrogrio. This wine everyone was excited for, our server had said this is one of his favorite and as we had learned in class Nebbiolo is considered one of the best wines in the world. This wine did not disappoint, although it is not one of my favorite wines I found it a really beautiful red that will pair well with a variety of foods. The mouthfeel was one of the most distinguishing factor of this wine it was very smooth and really lingered on my tongue. When I ate meat pasta with the wine the lingering flavor was delightful and really enhanced the flavor of the pasta dish. 

This wine dinner at Zeppoli's was not only a great deal it was a really great evening, filled with food, wine and fun! I enjoyed tasting each wine and comparing them against each other and learning about wine and food pairings. Our servers were amazing and really helped us pair our wines with appropriate food, answered any questions we had and most importantly enhanced our experience at dinner. I am already planning on going back soon!

Funf 5 Moscato

Name: Fünf 5 Moscato
Variety: Moscato
Region: ?
Country: Germany
Year: 2010
Price: $8

Winery Review

The third varietal in Fünf Wines lineup, Fünf Moscato has peach and honeysuckle aromas with fresh, sweet flavors of juicy tropical fruit, honeydew melon, Fuji apple and ripe citrus. Refreshingly sweet but not cloying, this wine is well balanced with a clean, mouth watering finish. This wine is delightful any time of the year and perfect for any occasion.

My Review

Moscato is my favorite new wine discovery through this class. I have started trying a variety of different Moscatos. This one happened to be a wine of the week at Kroger so I decided to buy it. Overall, although delightful with an aroma of fruit, florals and citrus with a sweet, refreshing taste with notes of apple and melon this was not my favorite Moscato. This Moscato had a 9% alcohol by volume which is more than most and is reflected in the taste with a hint of alcohol in the background and a slight after burn as well. I did not try this wine with food but would like to try it with a nutty cheese like swiss.

Montebuena Rioja Crianza

Name: Montebuena Rioja Crianza

Variety: 100% Tempranillo
Region: ?
Country: Spain
Year: 2007
Price: $7

 

Winery Review

100% Tempranillo. Dark red. Spicy red berries and
cherry on the nose, with hints of cracked pepper and
dried rose. Crisp and dry on the palate, with spicy
redcurrant and cherry flavors, light tannins and a
fresh, energetic finish. An excellent value, and
surprisingly elegant for this price point. 

 

My Review

I found this wine absolutely horrible. As I read the description I was pretty sure I was not going to enjoy the wine with the notes of spicy berries and cherry, neither of which I enjoy but of course I gave it a shot. I wish I didn't. The nose was very spicy which immediately put me off with hints of some berries, specifically cherry. As I tasted this all of those notes were enhanced as well as the addition of a heavy alcohol flavor. I did not try this wine with food and would not try this with food. 

Chateau Morrisette Winery Visit

On Saturday April 7th, my best friend, Melissa, and I visited Chateau Morrisette, we took a tour and did a tasting of 10 of their wines. This was my first time visiting a winery and participating in a wine tasting.

The tour was more educational about how the winery started then about how the wine was actually made, but overall the 20 minute tour was worth the time and was even better since it was free! I learned a lot about Chateau Morisette's wine production during the tour, including that they make 75,000 cases of wine every year, they harvest during September and October and most interestingly that they do not grow their own grapes due to high elevation and clay on their property but do keep their wines 85% Virginia grapes. I found it interesting that they did not control that part of the wine crafting process.

Roberto starting our tour by the crushing pad. 

What they do control is everything after the thousands of grapes are delivered from all over the state of Virginia (and a few out of state). Our guide, Roberto took us around the winery and showed us the ins and outs of the wine crafting process at Chateau Morisette. The first part of this process is crushing and smashing the grapes, done by machines seen above.

Where the fermentation process begins!

The second part of the process is fermentation which happens in these ginormous stainless steel tanks, pictured above where refrigeration packs bring the grape juice down to about 50 degrees fahrenheit. This process takes anywhere from 1-3 weeks and is where the crafting of the wine begins.

Oak barrels used for aging red wines.

Once fermentation is complete, the red wine is moved into oak barrels, where it stays for 10-20 months depending on the year and the winemakers preference.

At the end of our tour, we participated in the wine tasting. The wine tasting included 10 Chateau Morissette wines ranging from dry to off-dry to sweet.

• 2010 Chardonnay: I was very excited to try this, but overall was disappointed. Our guide Roberto said many don't like this wine by itself but it is much better with foods such as crab, lobster and poultry. I think I would have enjoyed this wine much better with food, as for the taste I tasted a heavy note of green apple with a background of the alcohol. Unfortunately for me the worst part of this wine was the after burn.
• Independence: This blend of Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay was a pleasant balance of acid and sweet. It was a refreshing wine that heavily favored acid flavors such as grapefruit. This would not be my first choice wine, but I would like to try it again paired with food.
• Liberty: I am generally not a fan of red wine, but this blended red wine was light and fruity while still having a rich aroma without being overpowering. It had a tangy background flavor which I found intriguing and a fruity, mainly cherry flavor upfront.
• 2008 Merlot: When I first smelled this wine I thought I would hate it. It had strong cherry and plum aromas that were very bold. As I tasted it the plum flavor was really enhanced which I enjoyed and it had a very smooth and pleasant finish.
• 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine was by far the heaviest red wine we tasted and my least favorite. Immediately when I smelled it a strong alcohol aroma was present followed by spice and cherry, three of my least favorite wine notes. When I tasted it the wine was very heavy in tannins with an overwhelming flavor of cherry.
• The Black Dog: Our guide described this as a red table wine, that pairs well with most foods and is liked by many. Unfortunately I was not one of these many. Although this red wine was not incredibly robust and bold which is often what I do not like about red, it did have many flavors and aromas I did not enjoy. The wine tasted like spicy plum juice and had a particularly spicy backend which I found to be the worst part of the wine. 
• 2010 Vidal Blanc: I was skeptical of this wine at first because our guide described this as similar to Sauvignon Blanc, which is not one of my favorite white wines. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this wine it was sweet upfront with acidity following. The aroma was sweet and floral but not overpowering. This was a very smooth mouthfeel with a great balance of acidity and sweet.
• Our Dog Blue: I found this wine very refreshing, something I would enjoy on a picnic or lunch on the patio. It was a semi-sweet wine with citrus, melon and apricot flavors. I would like to try this wine with cheese or light appetizers like bruschetta. 
• Red Mountain Laurel: This was the first classified sweet wine we tasted and I was surprised that I actually found it to be overly sweet. I could not really find any other flavors or aromas other than sweetness. Overall, it tasted like a light refreshing alcoholic grape juice.
• Blackberry Wine: This was the wine I was looking forward to during the entire tasting. I had never had any fruit wine and had heard good things about Blackberry wine in the past. Unfortunately, this one was not the one for me. It had a bad mouthfeel that created a burning sensation on my tongue, and the flavor was not much better. It was 100% Oregon Blackberries and was similar to the previous wine tasting like alcoholic, sweet blackberry juice.

Overall, the tour and tasting at Chateau Morisette was a really great experience. I enjoyed seeing how they craft their wine and am excited to visit other Virginia wineries that also have vineyards. I enjoyed tasting all of the different wines they have to offer, even if they were not all to my taste it was great to see the variety of both varietal and blended wines they offer. 

Cantina di Casteggio Moscato di Pavia

 

 

Name:Cantina di Casteggio Moscato di Pavia

Variety: Moscato
Region: ?
Country: Italy
Year: ?
Price: $8

 

Winery Review

Bright, light golden color. Very aromatic nose of ripe
apricots, sage, honey and a slight minerality.
Medium bodied, sweet and fruity with flavors of
apricots and tangerine. Well balanced acidity and
medium finish with layers of sweet and citrus fruit.

 

My Review

I absolutely love Moscato, by far my favorite wine I have discovered through this class! When I first smelled this wine I got an overwhelming delightful smell of apricots and peaches. Once I tasted it those flavors were enhanced and there was an addition of honey and sweetness. Overall, this was not the best Moscato I have had, but it had a wonderful blend of sweet, acid and fruit creating a crisp and refreshing flavor without an overwhelming alcohol taste or smell. I did not try this wine with food, but would love to try it with a fruit dessert or cheese. 

Oveja Negra Syrah-Cab Rosé Reserva

 

Name: Oveja Negra Syrah-Cab Rosé Reserva

Variety: Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: ?
Country: Chile
Year: 2010
Price: $7

 

Winery Review

Oveja Negra Reserva Rosé is bright cherry-red in
color and has an attractive nose with aromas of
raspberries and strawberries as well as plum and a
bit of green apple. Crisp and juicy on the palate with
a slight sweetness that accompanies the red
fruit flavors. Pleasing natural acidity with mediumhigh
intensity, nice persistence, and
a fresh finish.

 

My Review 

I have not had much experience with Rose but this one was not very exciting. Initially when I smelled it it was slightly sweet and fruity with a decent amount of alcohol smell. Once I tasted it, I immediately tasted acid and not pleasant citrus acid, intense acid that really distracted from any nice fruitful flavors, after that there wasn't much else to taste. I tried this without food and think it might be much better with some cheese or fish to accompany it.

gPG Garganega Pinot Grigio

Name:gPG Garganega Pinot Grigio

Variety:Garganega and Pinot Grigio

Region: ?

Country: Italy

Year: 2010

Price: $9

 

Winery Review

gPG is from the delle Venezie regions of northeastern
Italy. A clean and crisp palate with plenty of
texture and weight follows aromas of apples and
zesty lemons. It's perfect with grilled white fish or
light risotto.

 

My Review

I generally enjoy Pinot Grigio, but this one did not satisfy my taste buds. I think it may be the blend with the Garganega but overall It smelled very light but the taste was heavy alcohol. Initially by smelling it I expected it to be light and clean but when tasting I barely tasted any fruit, the alcohol was so overwhelming. I did not try this wine with food and would prefer not to.