On the afternoon of this 19th, 266 The Wine Room and Bar, Bandra and VBev hosted the Italian wine brand Zenato’s brand ambassador Mr. Marco Milani for a Zenato wine tasting event in the presence of distinguished Indian sommeliers and wine enthusiasts.
The event commenced around 2:30 pm with Milani fondly telling us about the Zenato family, the founders and current managers, and their acclaimed vineyards. As we listened, the conversation shifted to our first wine of the day – the Zenato, Bardolino DOC 2017.
Zenato, Bardolino DOC 2017
The Bardolino DOC red wine is produced in the region of Bardolino, along the Morainic Hills on the eastern shores of Lake Grada, in Northern Italy. The region was awarded the prestigious DOC status in the year of 1968. Corvina grapes, an excellent black coloured grape variety grown in chalky soil, are used to produce this delicious light wine.
It had the aroma of cherry and the flavour of almonds. We were informed that the Bardolino DOC goes very well with Italian cuisine and general appetizers.
Zenato, Soave Classico DOC 2017
This versatile white wine is produced from grapes harvested from the hillside vineyards of the famous Soave region in Northern Italy. This wine is bottled fresh, with no ageing process involved in its production. The popular white grapes, Chardonnay, are used to produce a bottle of the Soave Classico.
The wine is best enjoyed when served at 9 to 10 degrees celsius. It goes very well with chicken and fish dishes as well as Indian vegetarian cuisine.
Zenato, Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2013
The award-winning Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico DOCG is produced using Corvina grapes that are dried for 3-4 months during the production process. After it is fermented, the wine is aged for 3 years before it is considered fit for consumption. This wine is denser and darker than the Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore DOC (mentioned below), and is highly ranked by wine experts across the globe.
This is the best red wine I have tasted in my 24 years of existence. It had the aroma of cherry and dry fruits, and a velvety texture to it. This wine goes well with festive and holiday cuisines such as turkey dishes and seafood.
Zenato Ripassa, Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore DOC 2015
This iconic red wine is also produced with Corvina grapes, using the Ripasso technique. After the first fermentation process, the wine is passed through the pressed grapes used in the production of Amarone wine (mentioned above). When it is fermented a second time, the wine exhibits a richer colour and an increased alcohol content. The wine is then aged for 2 years before being bottled and made available in the market.
The Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore DOC was stronger than the Bardolino DOC (mentioned above). It had the aroma of black cherry and plum, and an extremely smooth texture. It is enjoyed with roasted and grilled cuisines in most parts of the world.
DOCG stands for ‘Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin’ whereas DOC stands for ‘Denomination of Controlled Origin’. Italian wine laws consider DOCG to be the highest designation of quality among Italian wines.
The wine tasting session ended with a quick conversation about the beauty of Italian vineyards and the attendees’ personal favourites. We left the venue feeling satisfied with our new-found knowledge of wine, its production process and the love and labour behind the scenes at Zenato.
