Dinner - Zeppoli's (New World Wines)

Finally I have experienced, in detail, wine with food - the way it's meant to be! Every other Sunday, Zeppoli's Italian Restaurant in Blacksburg, VA has wine and food pairings for our class, so a friend and I went to try it out during their presentation of the 'big varietal' New World wines. It was a great way to learn how different wines were affected by food, and if I liked the change in taste of both the food and wine!

Inside Zeppoli's with all of the Wines!

The night started off great since all of the food we would soon be eating was presented buffet-style and was smelling delicious. The food consisted of great Italian dishes and hors d'oeuvres such as cheeses, olives (black AND green which is the best you can do in my eyes), a Mediterranean salad, delicious bread with spinach/artichoke dip, spaghetti and meatballs, more amazing toasted garlic-y bread, and ravioli.

My plate of food!

We tasted 9 different types of wines: 3 whites, 4 reds, and 2 dessert wines. We of course started with the whites, and I tried to stick to my appetizers (bread, cheese, salad) while drinking the white wines. When we came to the reds and desserts, I had my more substantial food and then finished with the cake provided alongside the dessert wines.

Torre di Luna Pinot Grigio

White Wines

The first white wine we tried was the Torre di Luna 2011 Pinot Grigio from Italy. This Pinot Grigio smelled very sweet with a flowery nose to it. I tried this wine while eating the olives, and I thought the saltiness made the wine good- maybe made it a little sweeter on the tongue. It was fruity, crisp, and refreshing, and it tasted good with cheese too! 

Sierra Cruz Sauvignon Blanc pre-consumption

The next white we tried was the Sierra Cruz 2011 Sauvignon Blanc from Maule Valley, Chille. This wine smelled sweeter than it tasted, but it was still good. It had an outdoorsy nose and tasted pretty citrus-y. It was very smooth and light as well. I tried this with the Greek salad, which I think affected the taste some, maybe making it taste a little more like citrus than it would have without. I would say this wine paired well with the appetizers.

Hope Estates Chardonnay Label

The third and final white wine we tasted was Hope Estates 2009 Chardonnay from Hunter Valley, Australia. I thought this had the best smell of the three, it was sweet, fruity, and had a melon and apple fresh bouquet to it. It tasted pretty tart and citrus-y, which made it feel very refreshing. I tried this wine along side the spinach-artichoke dip, and I actually think this time the wine tasted a little better on its own without the taste of the dip lingering on the tongue. However, the dip tasted better with the taste of the wine added to it.

Red Wines

Me drinking (and blinking) the Coastal Vines Pinot Noir

The first red was Coastal Vines 2010 Pinot Noir from Sonoma County in California. This was a good start to the reds; it was smooth and fresh. The nose was very nice, it had a good cherry scent. I tried this first before eating anything, and then after I tasted it along with the spaghetti and meatballs. It was a whole lot spicier with the pasta than on its own, which unfortunately wasn't the most pleasant taste for me. However, if you like spice, this is great alongside pasta!

Kenwood Merlot Label

Next was the Kenwood 2010 "Yulupa" Merlot from California. This Merlot-Petit Verdot blend was very good. The nose was fruity with a berry, cherry, raspberry scent. The finish of the nose had a nice licorice smell, which added to its complexity. I tasted this with crackers seeing as I was starting over on my second serving of food. I thought it tasted very good, I could taste the tannins and the nice spicy finish. I thought the crackers gave it a nice flavor addition, and the wine made the crackers taste better as well.

Gen 5 Cabernet Sauvignon

The next red was the Gen 5 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi California. It smelled fruity and good, like plum and berries. I tasted this with the ravioli, which I think made it taste better than it would have without. It was very heavy and I think the food lightened it up a bit which made it feel better to me. The mid-palate was pretty spicy and the wine was a little too dry for my taste. I think it was okay; this is the wine I felt changed the most with food and without the food I don't know if I would have liked it as much.

My friend and I trying the Oxford Landing Shiraz

The final red we tried was the 2011 Oxford Landing Shiraz from South Australia. The nose was fruity and sweet with cherries, berries, and a little celery blended together. It tasted peppery and dry, but good with hints of raspberry flavors. I think this was my favorite red wine so far in this class. The ravioli I had with it made it taste spicier, but I didn't mind so much - it added a nice kick!

And finally we come to my favorite...

Dessert and Dessert Wines

Chocolate and Vanilla Cake

For dessert, we tasted two sweet and bubbly wines to go with the delicious chocolate and vanilla cake that was offered. 

Famiglia Pasqua Moscato

The first dessert wine presented was the Famiglia Pasqua 2011 Moscato d'Asti from Piedmont Italy. This was a very delicious wine, it was sweet, bubbly, and fruity! There really wasn't a strong smell, but maybe that was because I rushed to taste it! It tasted a lot like sparking fruit punch, sweet but not overwhelmingly so. I tried this Moscato with both the chocolate and vanilla cake, and found it tasted better with the vanilla. The wine paired well with both, however; the cake added to the flavors of the wine and vice versa. Very good wine with or without dessert!

A glass of the "Rosa Regale"

The last wine of the night was the Banfi 2010 "Rosa Regale" Brachetto d'Acqui of Italy. It smelled wonderful, not too strong, but a sweet strawberry and vanilla nose. It had a nice effervescence, refreshing, sweet but not super sweet. This sparkling red tasted good with both the chocolate and vanilla cake, and the flavors mixed well to give a really nice dessert experience!


Overall I feel like I learned a lot from this dinner. I had never tried so many different wines with different food to see how they mixed. The white wines did not seem to be too drastically different with food, so I feel comfortable drinking them before or while I eat. I think the red wines did taste spicier with food, but I enjoy the food and wine more when together. Now I know red wines are meant with food and I think I will look into wine and food pairings more often so that I can get the most out of the flavors! I can't wait to do more dinners and taste more wines!