Dinner - Zeppoli's (Italian Wines)

On April 1st, I went to my second Zeppoli's wine dinner with my boyfriend and a couple of my friends from the class. We got to sample red and white Italian wines paired with some of Zeppoli's appetizers and light dishes. The same two employees hosted the event as last time and they were, again, very knowledge of the wines. The difference between this dinner and the other dinner we did at Zeppoli's was that this time we got to taste some of the wines "blindly." For a few of the wines, the grape type, price, and alcohol percentage were blank and we had to compare them together to try and figure out what was what. It was a lot of fun!

My vegetarian dinner: regular salad, Greek pasta salad, garlic bread, crackers and 3 different types of cheese, and pasta shells with marinara sauce.

First, we tasted 3 white wines and one dessert white wine. We started with a Fossi Bianco White Table Wine, priced at 6.99 with 11.5% alcohol. The waiter told us that the grape variety was unknown for this table wine, but that it probably had a majority of Pinot Grigio along with a little bit of everything. This wine smelled very citrusy and fruity, and tasted mostly of green apple and lime. It was light, clean, and had a crisp finish, as well as having low acidity and heat. It paired the best with the regular salad and the Greek pasta salad. This was my second favorite of the white wines. Next, we blind tasted two whites. It turns out that one was a La Fiera 2010 Pinot Grigio Veneto, priced at 7.99 with 12% alcohol. This white was dryer than the Table Wine, tasting mostly like a combination of peach and pears. It had soft aromas of fruit, like apples, and was well-balanced between sweetness, acidity, and heat. This was actually my favorite white of the day. The other blind tasted white was a Nals Margried 2010 Pinot Grigio Alto Adige, priced at 14.99 with an alcohol content of 13.5%. This white was creamier and a little heavier than the La Fiera, but it still smelled and tasted sweet, like pear, lemon, and apples. It paired best with the mozzarella cheese and Greek pasta salad. This was my third favorite white. Lastly, we tried a white dessert wine, Lodali 2011 Moscato D'Asti, priced at 12.99 with an alcohol content of only 5.5%. It was hard to decipher many aromas with this white, it mostly just smelled sweet and sugary. It tasted almost like white Welch's grape juice, plus some alcohol. It was very bubbly and spritzy. I thought that I was really going to enjoy it because I love sweet wines, but I actually didn't care for it that much. It did not have the texture I prefer and it really did not taste like much, more like just sugar water. I liked the red dessert wine, the Red Dream, that we tried at the first Zeppoli's wine dinner much better.

My boyfriend and I happily wine tasting.

Next, we tasted 5 red wines. First, we did a blind tasting. It turned out to be a non-vintage Luca Primitivo del Salento Puglia, priced 8.99 with 13% alcohol content. This red had strong aromas of spices and herbs, and tasted mostly of pepper and burnt cherries. It had high tannins and heat and paired well with the pasta marinara (the description said it would go well with hearty pasta sauces). This was my forth favorite red. The other blind tasting wine was a SUD 2010 Primitivo Puglia, priced at 11.99 with an alcohol content of 13.5%. This red had intense aromas of spices and cherry but also had hints of vanilla. It tasted again like pepper and some plush fruits and herbs. It also paired well with the pasta marinara, but this was my least favorite of the red wines. Next, we did another blind tasting. The first turned out to be a Morli Neri 2009 Cianti, priced at 9.99 with an alcohol content of 12.5%. The waiter considered this a "medium red" because it was not too overpowering but not totally boring either. It had soft aromas of cherries and tasted mostly of dark berries and jam. I paired it with the pizza bread because the description said it would go nicely with pizza. It was my second favorite red of the night. The other blind tasting red was a Bibi Graetz 2010 Casamata Toscana, priced at 12.99 with an alcohol content of 12%. It had aromas of mostly dark berries and tasted soft and silky, with earthy tones and cherry flavors. It was surprising how easy this red was to drink, it had barely no heat and very smooth finish. I paired it with the garlic bread and it was perfect. This was my favorite red of the night. The last red we tasted was a Lodali 2009 Nebbioli D'Alba Sant Ambrogio, priced at 17.99 with an alcohol content of 13.5%. The waiter said that this is the most expensive wine they have given out at a tasting for our class yet. It smelled pretty nice, mostly of florals and cherries, and tasted full and well-rounded, mostly of pepper and dark berries. It paired well with the goat cheese and crackers, but, despite having the highest price, it was my third favorite red of the night. 

All of the red and white wines that we tasted lined up at the end of the night.