Going to Zeppolis was great experience at my first wine tasting so I thought in order to expand my palate I would try another one. I really enjoy these tasting because you get to try a lot wines over a great verity. I also have come to find that food makes wine taste so much better. I think the French have it right, in considering wine part of a meal. As a College student, I'm more used to shitty wines that we drink to get drunk. But this class has taught me so much more about enjoying wine. And going to Zeppolis had helped me understand how to pare certain foods with different wines.
The wines we tasted were both new world and old world. And we has Eggplant pasta, salad, 3 types of cheese and crackers, broccoli Alfredo, a fancy pizza thing, and bruschetta with pesto and another tomato topping.
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| Becca and I enjoying food and wine |
White WinesMuscanti NV Brut Sparkling Wine Penedes Spain
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 crisp acid on the finish. A combination of traditional cava grapes but this wine is not made in the traditional methode champenoise (which is required by Spanish law to be called Cava). This is made with the Charmat process and may only be called 'Spanish sparkling wine'. [$7.50 and Alcohol: 11.5%]
My thoughts: On the nose I got apples on this wine. The wine was crisp and I enjoyed it very much. It paired well with the crackers and cheese.
Mars and Venus Chardonnay 2006 Central Valley Chile
This Chardonnay is juicy and fresh with pineapple and citrus notes and a silky smooth texture. Serve it with roasted Chicken, Shellfish or pasta dishes in a light cream sauce. [$8.99 and Alcohol: 13.5%]
My thoughts: The smell of this wine was very citrusy and orangry. When I tasted it the first think I notices was how light it was, but it still had this insane mouth feel which I was not expecting. I thought the wine paired will with the salad and tomato and tomato and mozzarella.
Rubus 2009 Chardonnay Russian River Valley California
This wine has hints of tropical fruit, pear and New Town ripened apples. The wine is barrel fermented, but not overly and is balanced just like a Joe Swann or Sonoma-Cutrer wine. This is Chardonnay for the lover of white burgundy-flavorful, balanced and delicious. [$11.99 and Alcohol: 13.9%]
My thoughts: This wine has the smell of crisp Granny smith apples on the nose. Also the color of this wine was much darker than the previous one which lead me to think the it was aged in oak. Once I tasted it I could taste the oak and the butter. I liked this wine and thought it paired well with the broccoli Alfredo.
Borealis 2010 "The Northern Whites" Willamette Valley
The aroma practically covers the full fruit spectrum with notes of papaya, quince, yellow apple and hints of grapefruit and lime made all the more exotic with whiffs of jasmine and sandlewood. On the palate it starts with a slightly sweet expression of ripe fruit with a crisp acid balance and evolves to a delicious fresh finish of grapefruit and lime. [$12.99 and Alcohol: 11.5%]
My thoughts: I could not really describe the nose of this wine, I could smell the alcohol on it. When I tasted the wine it was dry but sweet, and I could taste some lemon. I image this wine going well with a fish dinner. I could not taste much of the fruit that is described in the descriptor of this wine. I thought this wine went well with the cheese and crackers.
San Elias 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
"This wine has a nice purple color and the bouquet practically jumps from the glass; smoky, meaty notes; soon ripe cassis and black cherry emerge; the palate is similar, with the fruit taking the lead; nice tannin and acidity perk the fruit up again near the finish, which is crisp yet lingering. A top value." - Beverage Dynamics (Jan/Feb. 10), 88 pts [$7.99 and Alcohol: 13.5%]
My thoughts: I could smell the earthy tones and cherries on this wine. The wine was also a nice deep purple color. I liked this wine with the fancy pizza thing, and bruschetta with tomato topping.
Kenwood 2009 Yulupa Cabernet Sauvignon California
83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot. Deep in color with rich, ripe fruit aromas of cherries and plums followed by fragrant notes of cinnamon and cocoa nibs. Full-bodied, with a rich lingering finish. Aged 20 months in French and American oak. Delicious with any pork, beef or lamb, this Cabernet Sauvignon also pairs wells with a variety of pasta dishes. [$11.99 and Alcohol: 13.5%]
My thoughts: On the nose I could smell the plums and cherries. The wine seemed very promising, but when I tried it I did not like this wine at all. I tried it with the eggplant pasta and that made it taste better, but I still not like this wine. I could not taste the coco in this wine. However the one component I did enjoy about this wine was the oak aging.
Rubus 2009 Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi, California
Rude red in color, with red fruit, raspberry, and spice on the nose. This wine is medium in body, with notes of ripe cherry, cedar box, cinnamon, anise, black pepper, and hint of smoke on the palate. It has a long, silky finish. [$12.99 and Alcohol: 14.4%]
My thoughts: I'm not really a red wine person, so I did not really like this wine. I could smell he cherries on the nose of this wine and I thought it went really well with the eggplant and pizza. I must admit, that once I paired this wine with some of the food it tasted must better. When I tasted it with the cheese, that helped bring out the silky component of the wine's finish.
Mars and Venus Merlot 2007 Central Valley Chile
Smooth, rich and well balanced with berry and cocoa flavors framed by a sturdy structure-a real wine drinker's Merlot. It is perfect with pizza, pasta or even a good Steak!! [$8.99 and Alcohol: 13.5%]
My thoughts: I really liked this wine, and that is saying a lot for me because I usually don't like reds. This was a smooth and yummy and sweet! I liked it with the salad, the bruschetta with pesto, and the eggplant pasta. I like the floral nose and moth feel of this wine. I bought a bottle of this wine and had the chance to enjoy it with some chicken steak on top of angle hair pasta. And it was amazing! It paired really well. This is a wine I would love to enjoy again any time. Although it is a meal wine for me, not one I would just drink by itself.
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| Food from the tasting |
Trentadue 2009 Block 500 Merlot Sonoma County California
96% Merlot, 1% Montepulciano, 1% Cabernet Savignon, 1% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot. The wine's characteristics are typical to the Estate fruit with aromas and flavors of dark stone fruit, black licorice and earth. Further aeration reveals layers of blackberry, herbs, cedar and tobacco. On the mouth the wine is complex and full-bodied with ripe, balanced tannins, a juicy middle and long smooth finish. The low pH and tannin structure will support several years of again. [$18.99 and Alcohol: 14.6%]
My thoughts: The man that does the wine pairings always gives us a pricey wine as the last wine, and it usually the most complex wine. I always feel like everyone at the lasting loves the last wine, and to be honest this was my least favorite wine. This wine tasted like it was oak aged, and I could taste the black licorice and berries in the wine.
