Collegiate Times

I don't usually drink a lot of wine; neither do my parents, nor my brothers, nor my friends.

But on special occasions, such as Valentine's Day, I do feel as though it adds something to the evening. I'm still going to order the same thing (most likely Cajun chicken alfredo) every time, but wine makes the evening seem a little classier. The last time I had wine, and coincidentally, maybe the best wine I've ever had, was at Zeppoli's just a few weeks ago. We were celebrating the end of fall semester and all that came with it, and to me and my boyfriend, celebrating means great Italian food and maybe even a little wine.

But looking back to the first line of this column, perhaps I should have said, I don't usually know how to pick a good wine. So we asked the waiter, who was polite enough, but probably a fellow Tech student and as "knowledgeable" about wines as we were. So, after asking what we planned to order (an essential piece of knowledge for choosing an appropriate wine), he graciously asked the manager for a suggestion. The white wine, a reisling called Hogue, that the waiter brought us ended up near the top of my (admittedly short) list of wines. (The manager later explained to me that reislings go well with spicy foods because they bring our the "fieriness.")

So, without further gilding the lily, when I decided to focus this week's Cheers! on how to choose a good wine for Valentine's Day, that intuitive and trustworthy manager from Zeppoli's came immediately to mind. That was just the kind of help I hoped to give in this week's column.

Therefore, Doris Fleming, one of the managers at Zeppoli's on University City Blvd. in Blacksburg, was kind enough to share some of her wine-related expertise. While Zeppoli's might be best known for its fresh-made pasta, it also carries an extensive wine collection with 500 to 600 different labels from 14 states and countries to choose from at any given time. According to its Web site, Zeppoli's have also "parted with tradition and priced our wine at the retail level" so that a wide range of people can afford to enjoy good wine with good food.

Honestly, your best bet for choosing the best wine to go with your meal is probably to ask your server (who will ask someone else if he or she is unsure), as it can be difficult to give general suggestions since different tastes interact so uniquely.

The general rule of thumb that many people (even me) do know is to serve red wine with beef and white wine with chicken and fish. At times you'll want to contrast flavors (between the food and the wine) and other times you're looking to pair them.

"Pinot noir are earthy and mushrooms are earthy; so you can try to match the flavors," Fleming said. "The best thing to do is ask, but every restaurant is going to have a cabernet sauvignon and a shiraz, and those go great with steaks. If it's salmon, go with pinot noir; if it's spicy go with a reisling. And with red sauces, you'll need something high in acid to cut through the marinara sauce."

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