Dinner- "Zeppolis (House Wines Versus the World)"

Dinner- "Zeppolis (House Wines Versus the World)"

Walking into Zeppolis with fellow class mate, Ben Coleman.

On Sunday evening I attended my second wine dinner at Zeppolis Italian restaurant in Blacksburg, VA. This weeks wine dinner featured many of Zeppolis's house wines and was themed: "House Wines Versus the World." All the wines were served with various fresh Italian foods. We were served nine wines in total, four whites and five reds.

The first wine was actually a champagne, that was a Muscanti NV Brut Sparkling Wine from Penedes, Spain. The champagne was $7.50 a bottle and contained 11.5% alcohol. It was actually served incorrectly as it was provided in a regular wine glass instead of a tall-skinny champagne glass.  The wine was made with traditional cava grapes, but wasn't made in the traditional "methode champeinoise." It was rather made by a Charmat process, so it is called a Spanish sparkling wine. The nose of the wine was very sweet smelling with a bitter, green apple coming through very strongly. The wine tasted very refreshing and crisp with a nice lemon flavor. None of the flavors in this wine tasted too strong and the finish wasn't anything special. I actually tried this wine twice, once alone and once with a garden salad. The taste did not change in either scenario.

The next white wine served was a 2006 Mars and Venus Chardonnay from Central Valley, Chile. The wine was $8.99 a bottle and contained 13.5% alcohol. The nose of the came through with a very strong smell of pineapple. You could smell the pineapple as it was being poured from the bottle. The taste had an oakey presence along with some pineapple carried over from the nose. I tasted this wine with some focelli pasta with cream sauce, which made for a great combination. 

A picture of all the wines served at the dinner.

Our next wine was a 2009 Rubus Chardonnay from Russian Valley, California. The bottle sold for $11.99 and had 13.9% alcohol. This wine was a much darker/golden yellow than the others. It had strong aromas of apple and a little pear on the nose. The taste had a little buttery feel to it which our host, Matt said may have been to a lack of ferment. The finish featured a lingering apple taste. I tried this wine with some pesto on a cracker, which seemed to taste great, but this could just have been the pesto which was one of the best dishes of the evening. 

Our last white wine of the night was a 2010 Borealis "The Northern Whites" from Willamette Valley. This wine was $12.99 a bottle and contained 11.5% alcohol. The wine featured a blend of four grapes: Muller, Reisling, Pinot Gris and Gwverstameiner. The nose of the wine seemed to be very tropical almost featuring grapefruit and a strong lime smell. The wine was tasted cool and refreshing, went down smoothly and was not very sweet, but had hints of bananas. The finish left a very dry taste in my mouth. I tried this wine with a cracker topped with cheese and tomato, which I could take or leave as a pairing for the wine.

The first red wine of the dinner was a 2010 San Elias Cabernet Sauvignon that was $7.99 a bottle and contained 13.5% alcohol. The wine was a very dark elegant purple color that had a nose which smelled of pure liquid smoke. This left me a little timid in tasting the wine expecting to be overwhelmed with a smokey taste. The wine started off with a vague smokey taste, but ended with more of a fruity finish that featured a cherry flavor. It also left a little burning sensation in my throat. I tried this wine with peperoni which seemed to be a good pairing as I believe it brought out more flavor in the meat.

A full plate of all the foods served to accompany the wine.

The next red wine was a 2009 Kenwood Yulupa Cabernet Sauvignon from California. The wine was $11.99 a bottle and contained 13.5% alcohol. The wine is made of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot. According to our host Matt the wine was a Yulupa meaning a restaurant wine. It featured a deep, deep red color and had a very strong oak presence on the nose. The taste had hints of cocoa and was a little dry. The finish was very rich and lingered. I tasted this with pasta and meet sauce, which seemed to be a decent compliment. 

Our third red wine of the evening was a 2009 Rubus Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi from California. The wine was $12.99 a bottle and contained 14.4% alcohol. The nose had a strong pepper smell and almost featured smells of Tobasco. The taste had more of a cinnamon feel on the palate with a lingering/long smokey finish. You could also taste a little bit of cherry. I tried this with a pizza roll that went very well with the wine. The wine amplified the tatses of the sauce and the meats inside the roll.

The final wine of the evening a 2009 Trenadue Block 500 Merlot

Our next red wine was a 2007 Merlot by Mars and Venus from Central Valley, Chile. The wine contained 13.5% alcohol. The nose of the wine hit me as being very similar to an artificial strawberry smell. The wine was very easy to drink and went down very smooth, which was much different from the last Merlot I drank. I tasted a little cocoa as mentioned in the wine notes provided. I tried this wine with a red meat sauce and ravioli, which seemed to be a nice pairing. It was suggested as a wine to drink with steak, but I failed to see the possible connection.

The final wine of the evening was a 2009 Trentadue Block 500 Merlot from Sonoma County, California. The wine was the most expensive of the evening coming in at $18.99 a bottle and contained 14.6% alcohol. The wine was 96% Merlot but also featured 1% Montepulciano, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. The nose came through with a storng blackberry smell and also featured a little tobacco smell. I tasted a couple different flavors very strongly including cedar and tobacco. The finish hit me with a hard taste of black licorice that lingered for a good amount of time. I tried this wine with a pizza roll, but this did not help my opinion on the wine. Overall, I felt that it was a little pricey for its taste.

Another very successful wine dinner complete.