Dinner- Zeppoli's (Virginia Wines)

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.