Wine Dinner - Zeppoli's (Spain and Italy, Vino Di Vino)

Om nom nom

I had always heard good things about Zeppoli's, and I must say I was not disappointed. The Sunday evening tastings they host are a very interesting experience to say the least.The dinner was held in the side room to the left as you walk in. The walls are lined with bottles and large tables are set up to get everyone setting together and talking.

After a short introductory speech by our host Matt, we were invited to grab a plate and dig into the buffet. To start there was a variety of local cheeses. Then a Mediterranean salad with peppers and feta cheese. The main dishes were turkey wraps with lettuce and tomato pesto, barbeque meatballs, margarita pizza, and finally a pasta with ham and peas. All of the food was delicious.

A taste of the Chardonay

After we were all seated we were presented with the wines one by one. Along with each wine we got a short description and some background information. At this tasting, in addition to the buffet of delicious food  we were presented with thirteen wines. 13. In order there was a Prossecco, Pinot Grigio, Vihno Verde, sparkling Moscato, Spainish Chardonnay, San Gria, Campo de Borja Garnacha, Tempranillo, Sangiovese di Puglia, Montepulciano d' Abruzzo, "Marghe" Nebbiolo d' Alba, Beaujolais Nouveau, and finaly a Beaujolais Nouveau Village.

There was a slight problem with the execution of the dinner. I was starving, so by the time we got around to tasting most of the wines i had finished all of the food on my plate.  I did try a few combinations. I found that Vihno Verde does not go well with cheese and crackers but worked great with the semi spicy salad. In contrast the Pinot Grigio went very well with the cheeses. I managed to save a few meatballs and tried them with both the Garnacha and Tempranillo. Both worked very well, they were oaked. The spicy barbeque brought out the smoke flavors making for a very nice combination.

The wines were mostly good. I had previously tasted the Pinot Grigio and many Vihno Verdes. The Prossecco was very delicious, the nose had hints of nuts and flowers, the taste was light and fruity with more nutty flavors, overall very light and easy to drink, made a great apperitif.

The evening was a hit overall, well up until the bitter end, but that is neither here nor there. We spent the evening drinking with the staff at the table, drinking and discussing wine. By the end of the night I had about two bottles of wine, some new friends, and some great memories. Which is the entire point.