Every Sunday, Matthew Burch hosts a wine sampling with food at Zeppoli's Italian Restaurant and Wine Shop located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The theme this week was "The Big Varietals". Matthew was trying to give an introduction to the most popular varietals.
Me and my group of friends visited the restaurant last Sunday. To my surprise, two of our guests happened to be my friend's parents. Together we had a great time eating, drinking and talking about what we were eating and drinking.
Now on to the technical stuff. We tasted NINE wines. Three of which were white, four of which were red and two of which were dessert wines. The food was buffet style so we basically ate the same thing with every wine.
Here is one of the only photos we got of the food. As you can imagine, we were more focused on the wine. To eat, we had a greek salad, spaghetti and meatballs, artichoke dip with break, cheese stuffed ravioli, and for dinner we had chocolate and vanilla cake. The nine wines we tried were a pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot, syrah cabernet sauvignon, mascato d'asti and a brachetto d'acqui. I had tried all of the varietals before except for the brachetto d'acqui. This was our last wine of the night and it was a dessert wine.
Just for some proof, here is a photo of the entire group. And so you don't think we grabbed some random locals, the daughter is the one in the pink scarf. See the resemblance? It's uncanny. Anyways, here we all are I believe on our last ounce of wine for the night. Matthew was kind enough to take the photo for us. Not that it matters too much, but I am the one in the maroon shirt in the middle. Alright, now the following could get a little boring since I have to describe nine wines but it part of the assignment.
The White Wines
Torre di Luna 2011 Pinot Grigio IGT Italy - $10.99
Description Given by the Host:
Alcohol 13% Straw colored with green highlights. Delicate aromas with hints of pear and floral. Dry and full-bodied, discrete aromatic persistence, and a pleasant aftertaste. Perfect for poached or boiled clams, mussels, squid, octopus and grilled fish.
My Description:
The nose was very light with the scent of nice crisp apples. It tasted dry but the balance of sugar and acidity made it very pleasant on the palate.
Sierra Cruz 2011 Sauvignon Blanc Maule Valley Chile - $7.99
Description Given by the Host:
This Chilean Sauvignon Blanc just oozes with bright citrus flavors and a nose of herbs and grass. Stylistically, it is a cross between the herbal, grassy wines so prevalent in Sonoma County and the riper, more fruit forward products of New Zealand.
My Description:
It smelled of outdoors and maybe in the woods. The term "forest floor" was thrown around several times at our table. The smell was also mixed with a floral bouquet. The taste was not so similar. It was dry with a nice balance of sweetness and acidity, much like the previous one, but no woodsy or floral taste.
Hope Estates 2009 Chardonnay Hunter Valley Australia - $11.99
Description Given by the Host:
Alcohol 13%; The key for our chardonnay is balance and complexity. Without using too much oak our barrel fermented style has an amazing length of peach, pineapple and melon characters but is balanced beautifully with stone citrus freshness. (Probably winemaker notes)
My Description:
The nose was full of light peach and fruity smells. There was a very strong citrus and fruity taste with a fresh feeling on the tongue coming from the acidity and the heat.
The Red Wines
Coastal Vines 2010 Pinot Noir Sonoma California - $9.99
Description Given by the Host:
Alcohol 12.5% Rich, plum color with cherry notes and a touch of vanilla accentuates this wine's soft flavors and finish. "Coastal Vines Pinot Noir is a medium-intensity, maroon-red wine with aromas of blackberry and toasted wood. On the palate, lively flavors of ripe cherries, strawberries, and plum come to a clean, balances finish" (probably winemaker or wine critic).
My Description:
The cherry was very obvious on the nose but it took a little determination to try and find the hint of vanilla. The palate came off with a nice balance of heat and flavor. Full of cherries and oak and other berries. Overall very well balanced.
Kenwood 2010 "Yulupa" Merlot California - $11.99
Description Given by the Host:
Alcohol 13.5%, 98% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot. Yulupa Merlot is a wine specially crafted from select barrel lots of wines made from California's best appellations. Bright red fruit aromas of cherry and plum combine with complex notes of clove and licorice, well-structured elegant tannins contribute to a long pleasing finish. Aged 20 months in French and American oak.
My Description:
The nose was of sweet plums, cherries and other berries. The only thing I could taste was the licorice and to be frank I hate licorice. The alcohol content wasn't that noticeable on the palate.
Yalumba Shiraz 2011 (Was not included on menu)
No Description Given :(
My Description:
The nose was fruity and smelled specifically of strawberries. The taste was very dry and bitter, the fruit did not come through as well. It was very strong with strong peppery taste and harsh acidity.
Gen 5 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi California - $11.99
Description Given by the Host:
Alcohol 13.9% Juicy red and black fruit flavors that are well-balanced and textured and soft on the palate. 100% sustainably farmed; Lodi rules certified, Wilfred Wong: "Taking Lodi into a whole new level, the finely-tuned '09 Gen 5 Cabernet shows intricate and complex flavors; ripe for sure, yet classy and refined; long finish." 92 Points
My Description:
Smelled of black berries and cherries. It was very dry with a very long finish. It was full-bodied by the bitter taste was way too overpowering for me to enjoy it.
Dessert Wines
Famiglia Pasqua 2011 Moscato d'Asti DOCG Piedmont Italy - $13.99
Description Given by the Host:
Alcohol 5.5% This is one of the most popular varieties of Moscato wines grown in the Asti area of Italy and thus named so. This is a sweet wine with low alcohol concentration. It is preferably consumed in the paired form with desserts and thus categorized under dessert wines. It is produced from the Moscato Bianca grape variety.
My Description:
The smell was very light and fruity. It tastes like Welch's white grape juice probably because how very sweet it is. Went well with my vanilla cake. Big fan of this one.
Banfi 2010 "Rosa Regale" Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG Italy - $9.99
Description Given by the Host:
Delicate bouquet of rose petals and offers sensuous flavors of fresh raspberries and strawberries. Its effervescence is softer than that of a champagne, yet it yields a persistent and delicate pink froth.
My Description:
The nose was of flowers and berries. On the palate there was a very delicate taste of flowers and berries. It was not too sweet and came off very fresh. Also one of my favorites.
Here is a photo of my friends enjoying the tasting. Overall I had a great experience. Hopefully the next time the theme will incorporate a region or country. I haven't tasted many wines from Europe and would love to give that a try. One last thing! I did want to note that all of us decided we could taste a major difference in tasting the wine solo versus drinking it with food. We preferred drinking with food since the majority of the wines were dry and the food softened the tannins ;)
