Wine Dinner - Zeppolis (Italian) April 8th, 2012

Front of Zeppolis Italian Restaurant

My roommate Melissa and I dined and wined at Zeppoli's on Easter Sunday. We'd both been to the Geography of Wine organized wine dinners at the restaurant, but we decided to use our 15% off vouchers and have a normal wine and dinner paring in the main dining room.

Olive oil and bread for the table

Me drinking the House Merlot

Our server started the two of us off with olive oil and bread for the table. Melissa and I decided we would both order different wines to take advantage of the opportunity to expand our palettes.


I ordered a glass of Zeppolis' House Merlot. The nose on this wine had big red fruit flavor mixed with a light pepper. The wine tasted fruity on the mid-palette with strong plum and dark cherry flavors coming through. The finish of the wine had a peppery-earthiness to it. I thought it was a pretty solid, medium-bodied Merlot. Despite the ridicule this wine varietal faced in the movie "Sideways," I thought it was pretty good.

Melissa drinking Frisk "Prickly" 2011 Australian Riesling

Melissa ordered a glass of the Frisk "Prickly"; a 2011 Riesling from Australia. Review: "This Riesling is acidic with notes of lemon sorbet, bath salts, and white lilies layered with spices from your   favorite childhood pie shop." I thought this was a pretty good description of the wine's aroma and taste. I got strong floral and honey aromas from the nose of this wine. It was very sweet and crisp on the mid-palette with blasts of lemon and honey. The Riesling had a light, crisp citrus finish.

House Merlot paired with Veal Parmigiana

I thought the Merlot paired excellently with the veal parmigiana and linguine with red sauce. The veal with very fatty with the cheese and breaded exterior. The strong fruit and peppery flavors of the wine meshed well with the powerful gamy taste of the veal. The wine broke down the fat in the veal and left a rich fruity coating on the palette.

I thought the Merlot also paired well with the red sauce on the linguine. The natural acidity of the wine matched that of the sauce, which created a wonderful balance of tomatoe and red fruit flavors. 

Frisk "Pricly" Riesling presented with olive oil

The Riesling didn't pair as well with my veal parmigiana and linguine. The sweet honey and lemon flavors of the wine didn't compliment the rich fatty composition of the meal.

I did think the Riesling paired well with the bread and olive oil. The soft, light bread went well with the sweet wine and reminded me of banana bread. The olive oil created a silky texture on the palette when paried with the Riesling. I was under the impression that Rieslings should only be paried with desserts and possibly salads. After tasting the wine with the bread and olive oil, I found that there are probably many foods Rieslings can be successfully paired to. 

Overall, I had another great experience at Zeppolis. Even though the meal was a bit pricy, I left feeling satisfied. I'd like to try a few more Merlots while ignoring the negative stigma the wine was branded with in "Sideways." I'm also going to tap in to my creative side and experiment pairing Riesling with foods not commonly eaten with the wine. Maybe a salty hummus? I think that's where I'll start...