Zeppoli's Wine and Food Pairing Dinner

Across from University Mall and hidden behind the Holiday Inn lies the best deal in town at Zeppoli's Italian Restaurant where every Sunday and Wednesday they hold a wine tasting of nine wines paired with a variety of heavy hors d'oeuvres.

My plate at dinner which included a plethora of deliciousness, baked ziti with meat sauce, Mediterranean pasta, cheese and bread, salad and spinach ravioli.

The meal was delicious! Although there were not specific food pairings for each wine our servers for the evening explained which of the foods would go best with each of the wines we tasted. We tasted a total of 9 wines, starting with 4 whites and ending with 5 reds. 

• Our first wine was Fossi Bianco White Table Wine, we were told this would go best with the cheese and I definitely agree. Although overall I did not like this wine and found it tasted more like alcohol with a burning mouthfeel and a hint of fruit. The cheese did bring out the fruit and make it a more enjoyable wine.

• The second wine we tasted was the La Fiera 2010 Pinot Grigio Veneto. At first I was excited about this wine because I have had Pinot Grigio from the Veneto region before and really enjoyed it. Although I enjoyed this wine I did not enjoy it as much as the others I have tried before. This wine was very fruity with a nice balance of acidity, specifically I tasted lemon in this wine. We were told this would go particularly well with the Mediterranean pasta, because of the lemon flavors in the dish. I completely agreed and really enjoyed that pairing. 

• Our third wine was the Nals Margried 2010 Pinot Grigio Alta Adige. We tried this wine blind and were told to compare this one with the previous Pinot. I enjoyed this wine much more. I found it has a very smooth finish with a delightful fruity flavor with peach accents. I tried it with cheese and salad, which both complimented this wine very well. I would love to have this wine with cheese and fruit, or a delicious brie en croute which would really bring out the fruit flavors of the wine.

• Our fourth wine was by far my favorite of the night and I in fact purchased it at the Vintage Cellar later that week. This Moscato was absolutely divine, it was sweet but not overly sweet, refreshing and effervescent with bursting fruit flavors including peach, green apple and a delightful hint of honey. This wine paired beautifully with salad, cheese, spinach ravioli and Mediterranean pasta. I absolutely plan on keeping this wine in my house repertoire of wines.

• With our fifth wine we began tasting red wines and started with the Luca Primitivo del Salento Puglia. This red wine was a little to spicy and bold for me. This was not one of my favorite red wines of the night. We were told this wine would pair well with the baked ziti with meat and I found it enhanced the spice in the dish which I did not enjoy. Although I did not enjoy this blend of flavors I appreciated it as a flavorful and well crafted wine.

• The second red wine we tasted was very well balanced for my liking. I found this red wine not too heavy, but medium bodied. When I first smelled it all I could smell was alcohol, but once I tasted it a variety of flavors came through. Plum and cherry were two of the most forward flavors I tasted. I had this wine with the Mediterranean pasta and the meat pasta. It worked with both, but the meat pasta definitely paired better. I would not want to have this wine by itself but I would like to try it again with a steak.

• The third red wine we tasted was the Morli Neri 2009 Chianti. Our server said that this used to be Zeppoli's house wine and I think that is a great choice. I enjoyed this wine, which was surprising because I do not usually enjoy Chianti. It was a well balanced wine that was not too bold. I found plum as a prominent note in this wine. We were told to pair this with the meat pasta and the cheese pasta and I felt it went great with both. This seems like a great red wine for a dinner party.

• The fourth red we tried was a Casmata Toscana which we were told was also from the Chianti region and should be similar to the previous wine we tasted. I liked the previous wine much better than this wine. I found this wine heavy in alcohol flavor and tannins. Our server told us to eat this pasta with the meat pasta and I found that it did not enhance the flavor in a positive way for me. This wine was just too much for my palate, and not something I would try again. 

• The final wine of our wine dinner was the Lodali 2009 Nebbiolo D'Alba Sant Ambrogrio. This wine everyone was excited for, our server had said this is one of his favorite and as we had learned in class Nebbiolo is considered one of the best wines in the world. This wine did not disappoint, although it is not one of my favorite wines I found it a really beautiful red that will pair well with a variety of foods. The mouthfeel was one of the most distinguishing factor of this wine it was very smooth and really lingered on my tongue. When I ate meat pasta with the wine the lingering flavor was delightful and really enhanced the flavor of the pasta dish. 

This wine dinner at Zeppoli's was not only a great deal it was a really great evening, filled with food, wine and fun! I enjoyed tasting each wine and comparing them against each other and learning about wine and food pairings. Our servers were amazing and really helped us pair our wines with appropriate food, answered any questions we had and most importantly enhanced our experience at dinner. I am already planning on going back soon!