Dinner - Zeppoli's Italian Restaurant (Blind Tasting)

This past week, my friend Olivia and I attended the dinner and wine tasting offered weekly at Zeppoli's Italian Restaurant, a local gem here in Blacksburg.  I have always loved the classic Italian food when I have frequented Zeppoli's in the past with my family, so I knew we were in for a treat!

Photo curtesy of Hometown Freebies

So much food!

At a small fee of $12, the amount of food and wine provided was a steal (especially for a broke college student like myself).  This fee covered a large meal, complete with a cheese plate, appetizers, salad, and multiple pasta entree dishes along with nine different varietal wines to taste.  More specifically, the what I would call "family style" meal included the following dishes to taste with the wines:

• Cheese bread
• Brie and other cheeses with cranraisins and crackers
• House salad with tomatoes, carrots, and red onions with a balsamic dressing
• Fried shrimp dumplings and purses
• Pasta salad with tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, and feta cheese crumbles
• Meat-filled raviolis with a tomato sauce
• Rigatoni with sausage and a white cream sauce

The food was so awesome!  I always love Brie cheese, but pairing it with the cranraisins and the wine created a winning combination.  The balsamic dressing for the salad was quite good, and I thought the sourness added an distinct flavor that was not present in the other food items.  My other favorite was the pasta salad because I love all of the added ingredients, especially olives and feta!

Yum!

It also just so happened that this particular wine dinner was a blind tasting event, which was a ton of fun.  Initially, I was really nervous because we were handed a blank "test" where each participant was to fill in not only the variety, but also the year, alcohol percentage, price point, tasting notes, and score.  We sat with other students from the Geography of Wines class, so I was afraid I would look like a total amateur, but, as it turned out, no one really knew what they were tasting!  For a laugh, I went ahead and recorded what I thought each variety was along with the actual variety:

Variety according to me:	Wine:
Chardonnay	Sierra Cruz Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Sauvignon Blanc	Lison Pramaggiore Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio	Leese-Fitch Chardonnay California 2009
Moscato	Opera Prima Moscato
Pinot Noir	Kenwood Yulupa Pinot Noir 2010
Merlot	Poggio Vipere Chianti DOCG 2009
Chianti	Hope Merlot Hunter Valley 2009 Australia
Cabernet Sauvignon	Cholila Ranch Malbec Fatagonia Argentina 2010
Malbec	Chasing Lions Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 North Coast California

Even though I had no idea as to what I was tasting, at least I know white from red.  Most of the wines I really enjoyed...there, of course, were a few exceptions.  I didn't catch too many flavors from a lot of the wines simply from tasting so many, but I wanted to talk about a few wines that stuck out to me.

Lison Pramaggiore Pinot Grigio:

Lison Pramaggiore Pinot Grigio

Not to start off on a bad foot, but this wine was terrible.  I found this wine similar to what I would think throwing peanuts into a vat of acetone would smell/taste like.  It was just bad...  The official tasting notes described this wine as having "a pleasant fruity aroma, but with the passage of time tame a characteristic bouquet of hay, walnut, and toasted almonds."  This was the most distinct of the white wines; I did not find any of them as stellar as I found some of the reds.
Variety: Pinot Grigio

Kenwood Ylupa Pinot Noir 2010

Price: $7.99
Alcohol: 11.5%

Kenwood Yulupa Pinot Noir 2010:
I really enjoyed this wine!  I was also interested to hear from our host that this is a special blend only available in restaurants; Zeppoli's had actually received a shipment of this wine just in time for the tasting.  I tasted dark berry flavor similar to blackberries and cherry.  I also got the slightest hint of vanilla.  While I didn't find this wine very complex, it really complemented the ravioli's I ate with it, I thought.  The only real bummer about this wine was the heat I got in the back of the throat.  The official tasting notes provided by the host state that there are "fruity aromas of boysenberry, strawberry, and cherry...joined by notes of vanilla and spice smooth tannins with a hint of sweetness."  These notes also revealed that this was the first vintage of this Pinot noir.
Variety: 99% Pinor Noir, 1% Syrah
Price: $14.99
Alcohol: 13.5%

Poggio Vipere Chianti DOCG 2009:

Poggio Vipere Chianti DOCG 2009

This Chianti was actually my favorite wine of the tasting; I plan to go back and purchase a bottle all for myself :) I have never tasted a Chianti before, but now I will definitely make an effort to try others to see if I am a new fan of the variety.  The nose was not really apparent, but the wine was very spicy and possessed strong cherry flavors.  My review was aligned with the official tasting notes, which really excited me.  The best part about tasting this wine was from actually putting some of my knowledge from class into practice - I took a bite of Brie cheese and immediately sipped the wine.  This combination was amazing!  I am getting a wheel of Brie and a red wine ASAP to repeat this experience.
Variety: Chianti blend
Price: $11.99
Alcohol: 12.5%

Cholila Ranch Malbec
Fatagonia Argentina 2010

Cholila Ranch Malbec Fatagonia Argentina 2010:
This wine had one of the craziest nose's I have smelled this semester - it was a berry explosion.  This dark red wine was very heavy and meaty, with berry undertones and an undeniable smokiness.  I personally thought this was one of the most complex wines of the tasting.  While I really liked it, I thought that it was a bit heavy for me to drink casually.  I imagine that it would pair very nicely with a good steak.  Wine Advocate scored this wine 88 points and described it as, "spice box, plum, black cherry, and violets; supple, round, and easygoing."

Hey!  That's me!

Variety: Malbec
Price: $10.99
Alcohol: 13.9%

Overall, I thought this wine dinner was a great experience!  Olivia and I had a great time, and, while doing so, got to eat, drink, and make new friends.  I found our host to be very knowledgeable, fun, and engaging, which really added to the experience.  The planning and overall organization of the event was really impressive - the blind tasting sheets were fun, the food was hot and ready, and the wine was served in a timely manner.  I would highly recommend to other students and people living in Blacksburg to give this wine tasting a chance; I promise it won't disappoint!

Olivia and I enjoying the wine

Tasting - AmRhein Petit Verdot

Name: AmRhein Petit Verdot

Variety: Aglianico

Region: Virginia

Country: USA
Year: 2006

Price: $22.95

Critic Review: AmRhein’s Signature Wine – A smooth rich wine with plum flavors underlaid by notes of cherry, blackberry, spice and subtle oak nuances.

My Review: This was the fullest in body of the wines I tasted today.  While there was less smokiness than the Aglianico, this wine was still very bold, but with a spiciness.  Blackberry was the main flavor I could detect.

I did not taste this wine with food

Tasting - AmRhein Aglianico

Name: AmRhein Aglianico

Variety: Aglianico

Region: Virginia

Country: USA
Year: N/A

Price: $20.95

Critic Review: A thick-skinned red grape grown by the ancient Greeks and brought to Italy over 2,000 years ago. This robust wine, now predominantly grown in Italy, displays berry and tobacco flavors with subtle plum undertones wrapped around a light French Oak structures.

My Review: This wine had a nice smokiness in both smell and taste.  This smokey flavor was followed by very dark berry flavors that I could not quite identify.  I think this complex wine would complement a heavy Itlalian dish quite well.

I did not taste this wine with food

Tasting - AmRhein Traminette

Name: AmRhein Traminette

Variety: Torrontés

Region: Virginia

Country: USA
Year: 2011

Price: $11.95

Critic Review: Clean and basic, with peach, buttercup, and floral aromas.  The palate is round, simple, fresh, and not too acidic, with melony flavors and a soft, easygoing, monotone finish.  Generic but perfectly adequate Torrontés.  M.S.A delightfully crisp wine featuring the flacors of pineapple and grapefruit.  The acidity is balanced with the natural residual fruit sugar reminiscent of the German Spätlese style of winemaking.

My Review: This was my favorite wine of the AmRhein tasting.  While not as aromatically pleasing as some of the other wines, there was a very bright, sweet pineapple flavor.  The slight acidity is balanced with the sweetness of the residual sugar.  I think this wine would be great in the summertime.

I did not taste this wine with food

Tasting - AmRhein Sauvignon Blanc

Name: AmRhein Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Virginia

Country: USA
Year: 2011

Price: $11.95

Critic Review: This is a dry, crisp wine using the New Zealand Style and the terroir of Virginia. The unique flavor is mouth-wateringly fresh and bold, featuring bright citrus and lively kiwi fruit flavors.

My Review: The AmRhein representative spoke very highly of this wine, and for good reason!  This Sauvignon Blanc was very light with a tropical fruit flavor profile.  There was no vegetative flavors, rather I was left feeling refreshed from the acidic fruitiness of the wine.

I did not taste this wine with food

Tasting - AmRhein Pinot Grigio

Name: AmRhein Pinot Grigio

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: Virginia

Country: USA
Year: 2011

Price: $11.95

Critic Review: This crisp and refreshing wine boasts lemon and apple flavors with a touch of almond on a nice lingering finish.

My Review: Apple was the most prominent on the nose of this wine.  The tastes followed as expected, with crisp notes of apply and pear.  There was also an underlying mineral component.

I did not taste this wine with food

Tasting - Ebano Ribera del Duero Tempranillo

Name: Ebano Ribera del Duero Tempranillo

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: N/A

Country: Spain
Year: 2007

Price: $7.95

Critic Review: The 2007 Ebano 6 is 100% Tempranillo aged 4 months in French oak. Dark ruby red in color, it displays a pleasant bouquet of cedar, spice box, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. Medium- to fullbodied on the palate with savory flavors and plenty of spice, this racy, vibrant Tempranillo has enough structure to drink well over the next 5-6 years and is a very good value. -- Robert Parker (87 pts)

My Review: This spicy red was smokier than the previous wine, but did not exhibit the same meat flavors.  I definitely tasted a bark-like flavor.  This wine had the most heat of all of the wines in the tasting.

I did not taste this wine with food

Tasting - Lost Vineyards Vinho de Mesa Tinto

Name: Lost Vineyards Vinho de Mesa Tinto

Variety: Blend (primarily Castelгo)

Region: N/A

Country: Portugal
Year: N/A

Price: $3.95

Critic Review: Pours a light garnet color with a nice crisp zest, with aromas of cranberries and orange peel on the nose. Drinks smooth with a briary of mild cherries, wild strawberries and raspberries along with a note of rhubarb. Pairs particularly well with wild game and heavy fish such as salmon.

My Review: This red was very meaty and smokey, with a hint of a berry flacor at the finish.  After tasting this wine, it is evident that I need to taste an array of berries to pick up more specific flavors.

I did not taste this wine with food

Tasting - Torrent Bay Chardonnay

Name: Torrent Bay Chardonnay

Variety: Chardonnay

Region: N/A

Country: New Zealand
Year: 2009

Price: $6.95

Critic Review: Fleshy, melony aromas cuddle some fresh oak. The palate has decent acidity so there’s freshness along with weight, resiny oak flavors, lemon and green apple.

My Review: The musky aromas of this wine led to a very tangy, almost sweaty taste.  I definitely tasted a little oak, as mentioned in the critic review.  Not bad, but not great either.

I did not taste this wine with food

Tasting - Spanish Vines Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Spanish Vines Sauvignon Blanc

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Region: N/A

Country: Spain
Year: 2009

Price: $4.95

Critic Review: Apple and floral notes and then an almost buttery palate with baked apple and citrus flavors. -- Wine Enthusiast (85 pts)

My Review: I completely disagree with the critic review about this wine.  I tasted a vegetative flavor, but I also found the wine very light.  I didn't hate this wine, but there was no distinguishing flavors that made me want to drink more.

I did not taste this wine with food

Tasting - Muscanti Bru

Name: Muscanti Brut

Variety: Cava Grapes

Region: Girona

Country: Spain
Year: N/A

Price: $7.95

Critic Review: Lemon blossoms, green apple, toast and honeydew melon are front and center in this crisp refreshing Spanish Sparkler. Silky supple with lingering flavors, yet a tingle of citric acid on the finish. A combination of traditional cava grapes but this wine is not made in the traditional méthode champenoise (which is required by Spanish law to be called Cava). This is made with the Charmat process so this wine may only be called ‘Spanish sparkling wine’ .

My Review: This sparkling wine was a good start to the tasting.  It was very crisp and acidic, yet too similar to apple juice.  I found there to be a bitter finish.

I did not taste this wine with food