Zepollis Wine Dinner April 3rd

The wines we tasted at Zepollis were Virginia wines. I was excited about this because I don't think I've ever actually had wines from Virginia. We started with a hard cider from Foggy Ridge. It smelled like apple juice and tasted just like sparkling cider. I'm not sure why we started with cider, but it was very good. It was actually probably the best thing we tasted. We started with white wines. 

The Afternoon Delight wine was a "lightly oaked, dry Vidal Blanc with overtones of grapefruit and vanilla." The vanilla taste in this wine was extremely strong. I also got a little bit of a caramel taste. This wine was really sweet, and reminded me almost of a dessert wine, but not quite that sweet. 

The next wine was Destiny. It was a "dry, crisp Vidal Blanc." It was recommended to try this wine with cheeses and chicken. I paired it with cheese and crackers. The nose was really bland, kind of a clean scent. It was pretty sour, but with the cheese it was pretty good. Definitely better paired with food. 

Lovers Quest was a "semi-sweet Vidal Blanc... perfect for those seeking a sweet, but not too sweet wine." I thought the smell was pretty buttery. It oddly enough had a really thick taste and was really tangy. It had subtle fizz to it, which I really liked. 

The first red we tried was my favorite of the night. The Silhouette was a Cabernet Sauvignon with a nose of berries, specifically a cherry smell. The taste wasn't dry at all, which I really liked. It had a smooth taste with a little hint of pepper. What was interesting with this wine was there wasn't really an after taste. 

 The Zinfandel we tried next, Rainbow, was really bright in color. It looked more like cranberry juice than red wine. The nose had a strong scent of oak. This wine had a very spicy taste to it, very peppery. I don't like pepper, so this wine was not good for me. 

The Sunset Sipper was a "fabulous, full body experience Zindandel." There were strong smells of blackberry, but it almost had a stinky smell to it. The taste was really hot, the alcohol came through a lot. The taste was really bitter, and the finish reminded me of when you eat wasabi. 

The next wine was probably my next favorite red wine that we tried. It was a 100% Landot Noir, "a French-American hybrid known for wonderful fruit-forward aromatics and a rich color." It was really sweet, which I loved. It kind of tasted like soda. It reminded me of a dark soda like Dr. Pepper or Cherry Coke. With this wine, I got a glass from the bottom of the bottle and there was a ton of yeast in my glass. The winery had left yeast in that hadn't been completely fermented. It was kind of gross, but kind of satisfying to realize I knew what it was and why it was there. 

Serenity, "dubbed 'friendship wine,' is famous for its rich color." The nose was sweet, almost syrupy smelling. The taste was also sweet, it kind of reminded me of sangria. I love sangria, but it was interesting getting those tastes from a red wine. 

I really liked this experience. We paired the wines with chicken, cheese, salad with balsamic dressing. There was also fish and meats. I enjoyed pairing these foods with the different wines. It was interesting to see how the food changed the tastes of these wines.