Vigneti Zanatta Winery Tasting

Vigneti Zanatta Winery Tasting

We had a fabulous sunny day and headed to the Cowichan Valley for a little wine and food. It had been years since I had been to Vigneti Zanatta Winery and sampled the fabulous foods at Vinoteca Wine Bar & Restaurant.

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This vineyard is on a family property of 120 acres that was first established in the 1950’s as a dairy farm, over the years it has been transformed into a stunning property that has 25 acres of dedicated grape vines for wine production. The first vines for commercial wine making were planted in 1986 making this Vancouver Island’s first estate winery.

Vigneti Zanatta Winery is a family affair where walking the vines and hand inspecting the grapes is the norm and the result in the glass is quality sparkling and still wines. They have chosen varietals that suit our terroir and climate while still experimenting with both new techniques and grapes as any quality winemaker must.

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I chose to sample my wines with a late lunch in Vinoteca where a wine flight consists or your choice of two sparkling wines and two still wines. I chose to have the Brut Traditional and Glenora Fantasia Brut as my two sparkling wines crafted using the traditional champagne method. Sadly I have to wait until September to sample the Pinot Nero which is just one more excuse to return for another savoury meal. The still wine I chose was their Pinot Grigio.

My meal was smoked Cowichan Bay cheese ravioli with roasted butter nut squash and sage. The dish with the smokiness of the cheese combined with the sweetness of the butter nut squash and the earthiness of the sage paired in two very different and appealing ways with both the sparkling wines.

Brut Tradizionale

This sparkling wine has the lovely brioche quality of toasted french bread with a hint of citrus and a smooth buttery finish. This style is my absolute favourite when it comes to a sparkling wine or champagne. It brought out the smokiness of the cheese in my pasta and made the sage pop.

Glenora Fantasia Brut

With it’s hint of green apple, soft butterscotch and lingering finish it brought forward the the rich savoury sweetness of the butternut squash. It was hard to decide which one paired more perfectly as both complemented the dish in equally appealing ways.

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Pinot Grigio

This Pinot Grigio was an intriguing representation of our region, it was crisp slightly citrus and had a hint of tart cherry. The first sip was very light in flavour and body but this wine develops as it opens and each mouthful had something new to offer.

http://zanatta.ca