Name: De Bortoli Petite Sirah
Variety: Petite Sirah
Region: Bilbul, New South Whales (South East)
Country: Australia
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95
Winery Review: Deep purple/ink hues. A bouquet of ripe plum and spice combined with well integrated mocha/chocolate oak. The palate is rich with firm tannins merged with ripe plum and spice fruit flavours together with the mocha/chocolate characteristics of the oak.
My Review: This wine has a very dark, almost inky, ruby-purple color. On the nose this wine has a great bouquet of chocolate/mocha, plum, and raspberry. On the palate the petite sirah shows its concentrated flavors beginning very fruit-forward. It has a light spice on the mid-palate, and finishes semi-dry with some heat.
Name: Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes de Rhone
Variety: 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault
Region: Rhone Valley
Country: France
Year: 2010
Price: $14.95 (for 750mL bottle), $38.95 (for 3L Box)
Winery Review: As for their other values, the 2010 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Reserve (70%
Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Cinsault) displays loads of ripe flavors. It is very
concentrated for a Cotes du Rhone, and is actually an amazing wine. Classic
garrigue, black cherry liqueur, lavender, licorice and spice box are all present
in this fullbodied, intense, and rich Cotes du Rhone. This is a
sensational effort to drink over the next 4-5 years, although it might last
even longer.
My Review: The color is a dark ruby that shows complexity. On the nose this wine has aromas of cassis, plum, and a jammyness. On the palate this wine is complex with a full body and mature tannins. There is a spicy start, slight heat on the mid-palate, and a dry finish. I really like that this is a good Rhone Valley wine that is being sold in a box.
Name: Lobetia Tempranillo
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $10.95
Winery Review: Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the varietal and the
terroir to stand out cleanly. It shows a nice cherry color with a violet shade
because of its youth. Red berries and cherries on the nose. On the palate it
is fresh, slightly astringent, and harmonious with a long finish.
My Review: The youth of this tempranillo is seen in its light ruby color. The nose has a wonderful bouquet of milk chocolate, plum, raspberry, and cherry. On the palate this wine has a warm full start, a juicy mid-palate with some spice, and finishes slightly dry.
Name: Lobetia Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: La Mancha
Country: Spain
Year: 2011
Price: $10.95
Winery Review: Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the varietal and the
terroir to stand out cleanly. Clean, bright color with a greenish-yellow tone.
On the nose, exotic fruits like pineapple. Full flavored, fresh, with good
acidity in the mouth, it finishes with tropical fruits.
My Review: The color of this white is a light golden. The nose has a crisp granny smith apple complimented with lime. On the palate the wine has a smooth start, then crisp fruit flavor comes through on the mid-palate, and has a smooth finish with slight heat.
Name: Trattoria Busa Alla Torre De Lele
Variety: Pinot Grigiot
Region: Veneto
Country: Italy
Year: NV
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: Named after the famous restaurant in Italy! This is their house white wine!
Coppery color from extended skin contact, round and rich texture with juicy
melon aromas and flavors with a sweet fennel note on the ultra smooth finish.
Great value Grigio! Drink now
My Review: The color of this pinot grigiot is a very light golden, almost clear. The nose has hints of sour grape and lime. On the palate it starts out very light, has a sour tang on the mid-palate, and has a juicy finish.
On Wednesdays and Sundays Zeppoli's hosts wine tastings that is accompanied by a spread of appetizers. When we last went, we were presented of a tasting of solely Virginia wine. Almost all of the wines that we tasted were from a winery only about 20-30 minutes away from the Virginia Tech campus. We tasted eight wines from Beliveau Estate Winery. Since this vineyard is only about 2 years old, their vines are not not mature enough to produce grapes for wine. Beliveau Estate imports most of the fruit for their wines from California. There was one other wine that was added to the tasting that was produced by Gabriele Rausse. Lastly, we were given a cider to start off the tasting.
Foggy Ridge Cider: This was a crisp apple cider that is a great apertif because of its frizante. The nose smelled just like apple juice, and the wine presented a pleasant experience with its bubbles. The palate was very refreshing, yet light. This is a great palate cleanser.
We tasted three white wines first:
Afternoon Delight: This is a lightly oaked Vidal Blanc that has a light golden color. On the nose this wine has a light grape aroma mixed with rubber. The palate was bland, light, and has a bitter finish. It was suggested that we try the wine with cheese or meats. After pairing it with cheese the wine was less bitter.
Destiny: This wine is also another Vidal Blanc. The color was a light golden, almost champagne-like. On the nose there was almost no scent, if anything it was very light. The palate was tangy with apple and pear, and finished sweet. It was recommended that I try the wine with some talapia that was served. Pairing the wine with the talapia the tangy edge was smoothed out. Cheese mellows out the sweet finish.
Lovers' Quest: A semi-sweet Vidal Blanc. This wine has a light golden color, with a bouquet of apple and peach. On the palate it is sweet, with some frizante and tangyness. After pairing this wine with lamb, the tangyness and frizante is removed.
After these three, we tasted five reds:
Silhouette: This a cabernet sauvignon that has the color of cranberry juice. On the nose that are hints of chocolate, raspberry, and cherry. The palate has a fruity start, with spice and heat on the mid-palate, and a medium-dry finish. Pairing cheese with this wine cuts out the heat of the alcohol, but the spice still comes through on the mid-palate.
Rainbow: This zinfandel is also has the color of cranberry juice. The nose has a palate of rubber and grape. The palate is fruity and hot, then has some spice, then goes back to hot. This zin has a dry finish. Again here, cheese masks the hotness of the wine, but brings out a distinct peppery taste.
Sunset Sipper: Another zinfandel, this one with a dark ruby color. On the nose it is rubbery, with hints of blackberry, cherry, and red grape. On the palate this one had heat that masked any other tastes. We paired it with bread, which did little to mellow the heat.
A Capella: The color of this landot noir is dark and complex. The nose is a combination of nail polish remover and apple. The palate is strongly fruity all the way through, and has a sweet finish. This wine was unfiltered and one of the people at my table had some lees poured into their glass. We paired this wine with a pork dish, and the wine complemented the pork very well. The fruit of the wine helped to make the pork more juicy, and less dry.
Serenity: This after dinner wine, made of Chambourcin, is 5% sugar. The color of it is a dark, complex purple color. The nose is very jammy (like grape jelly), also has hints of strawberry. The palate is fruity and sweet. We paired this one with some chocolate and it helped the wine to taste less sweet.
After these wines, we were given one more wine out of Virginia by the wine producer Gabriele Rausse. This wine was a Merlot with a dark ruby color. On the nose it had notes of chocolate, plum and red grape. On the palate this wine has a full body, a little heat, and a dry finish. Pairing with bread eliminates the heat on this wine. The person at Zeppoli's who was presenting all of the wines brought the cork of this wine and one from the Beliveau Estate Zinfandel to show the difference of must on the color of the wine. The picture to the right shows the dark stain that this Merlot produces compared to a light pink stain that is left behind by the zinfandel.
Overall, this was a fun experience. We were able to taste a bunch of wines and pair them with appetizers to experiment with how foods can affect the taste of a wine. I would like to go to a true wine dinner where each course is paired specifically with one wine that is meant to compliment the food.
Name: Concannon Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz/Syrah
Region: Central Coast, California
Country: United States
Year: 2008
Price: $7.95
Winery Review: This is an extremely rich, full-bodied wine with a dark fruit core. Aromas of
blackberry, blueberry, cassis and dark cherry are followed by more berry fruits
and chocolate and mocha on the palate
My Review: The color of the wine is a dark cranberry. On the nose there is a strong aroma of tomato sauce and green bell pepper. The palate is fruit forward, has a full body through the mid-palate, and the finish is semi-dry.
