Annual Wine Tasting at Casa Italiana A Big Success

By Nancy DeSanti, Outgoing 1st Vice President—Programs

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Zach Casagrande (at podium) discusses wine at the November 17 meeting, as his wife Gena prepares to pour for the members and guests.
Credit: Sam Yothers

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An audience of 70 recently decided that it would be fun to spend a chilly autumn day at a wonderful wine tasting in Casa Italiana. Not only did participants get to sample several delicious Italian wines, they also heard a talk about the wines from a local expert who brought the bottles from his own wine cellar.
The AMHS annual wine tasting, held November 17, 2024, featured a return visit by Zachary Casagrande, who was back by popular demand after giving a very well-received talk in November 2023. His love of—and appreciation for–Italian wine is readily evident.
Zach has an unusual background for a sommelier. A northern Virginia native, he received his doctor of dental surgery degree, magna cum laude, from the Medical College of Virginia, where he remains a professor in the Department of Orthodontics.
He founded Northern Virginia Orthodontics in 2008 with a vision to build the premier orthodontic practice in the northern Virginia area. Since then, he has opened six more locations including the nation’s first Invisalign Studio retail store. His business has been named the #1 Invisalign provider in North America. He lectures worldwide, speaking to doctors on technological advancements and treatment techniques.
He has years of experience with facial reconstruction and complex jaw surgery, and he is the team orthodontist for the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics.
His father-in-law Frank Bonsiero, a former AMHS board member, notes that Zach has always been generous with his time and resources, especially for charitable events, and is featured every week on the Invisalign commercials during the national Sunday broadcasts of NFL games. He is active in the community in the fight against pediatric cancer and in 2017, he started a nonprofit foundation dedicated to funding various cancer causes in our area.
Zach in turn praised his in-laws, particularly Frank’s wife Susan, who he said was an even better cook than his own Italian grandmother. What a bold statement!
He somehow managed to find the time to become a Level I Sommelier and build an extensive wine cellar at home. It was that wine which was selected and brought to Casa Italiana for the audience to taste. Among the wines were Prosecco, Falanghina, Chianti, Nero d’Avola, and Barolo. He called Barolo “the best of the best, one of the most classic wines on the planet.” But all the wines seemed to be crowd pleasers.
The wine tasting was preceded by a delicious lunch catered by A Modo Mio Italian Restaurant in Arlington, Virginia. Zach’s wife Gena passed out glasses of each of the wines to the audience, assisted by AMHS Board of Directors member Julie Finigan Dal Forno. The event ended with a fun pop quiz, which the audience aced.
A nice Sunday afternoon of good food, good wine, and good company was had by all!