Zeppoli's Wine Dinner - "Wines you might not know"

On Sunday, April 7, 2013 I went to my first wine dinner pairing with Joan and Oscar. I didn't know what to expect and I was hesitant because I didn't think there would be any difference. I was naive and in my mind I thought that wine and food would taste the same. Upon entering Zeppoli's we were told to just have a seat and grab a plate of food from the bar. I grabbed a little bit of everything so that I could try it all. They had salad, bread, cheeses, celery, carrots, hummus, sausage and cheese puffs, and tilapia.

My plate of food

Joan with her food

Oscar about to sip wine after stuffing his face

 The first wine, Sau-Rus-Sel Gruner Veltliner Austria, I had I ate it with just the Tilapia and it blew my mind. This wine made the fish taste so much better and it really drew out the fish flavor. It made the flavor linger in my mouth for a little bit longer and I loved it. This first wine made me into a believer that wine and food change the flavors. I was not expecting that.

Sau-Rus-Gruner

I loved the taste of Meinklang Burgenland. I smelled like vanilla and almonds and it tasted just how it smelled but with a hint of fruitiness to it. The end had a bit of a kick to it but that made it that much better. I tried this wine with the salad and cheese and once again it blew my mind. I normally hate cheese, just the taste of it grosses me out but this wine made the cheese so enjoyable that I ate the most cheese I've ever eaten in my entire life! It made the cheese creamier and sweeter. I thought it was a fantastic combination!

Meinklang Burgenland

 The Michel Pichard was amazing with the celery and carrots. It brought out the sweetness of the vegetables and it made my mouth water in all the right places! Oscar said that he hated vegetables but after having this wine he said he really enjoyed it. We all even joked about giving this wine to any kid who says he doesn't like vegetables.

 The Case Ibidini had a creamy sweet taste to it but the smell deceived the taste of the wine. It was disgusting. It tasted like medicine! But when I tried it with food, the wine became more bearable. The sausage cheese puff made the wine taste better but the wine made the food taste worse.

 The Serie Terra had a strong cranberry smell. It had a sweet bitter taste with a bit of dryness at the finish but it was a good balance. I tried this wine with bread and cheese. The wine made the bread sweeter and the cheeses taste sharper.

Serie Terra

 The Campos De Luz was the worse wine to taste by itself at dinner. But paired with cheese, I loved it. It made the cheese so creamy and sweet that it was hard to not like this wine at the end of the tasting.

 After we got done with the white wines, we were served some spaghetti with red meat...I'm still not sure what type of red meat it was.

spaghetti

 The Domaine de Fontsainte was the first wine I tried with the spaghetti. It made the spaghetti sauce milder and sweeter which I liked.

Domaine de Fontsainte

 The Riebeek made the meat and spaghetti a lot more flavorful and it was amazing the tastes that came out of that from this wine. I was quite shocked after having that combo.

Riebeek

 The Salice was the only wine that made the cheeses saltier, which I thought was interesting. I didn't like the cheese as much with this wine because I like the creamy and sweet cheese taste but it was still a good wine.

Salice

Overall my experience with the food and wine pairings made me open my options to food and wine a lot more. I had no idea that flavors that could have been brought out with the pairs. I loved my first experience!