TOMA, Anthony Tomacchio’s newly opened Italian food counter in Lawrence Hall, will host its inaugural wine pairing dinner on Monday, August 12th. This dinner, a collaboration with boutique wine importer F. Magnotta, Inc, celebrates the many unique wine regions in Italy. Lawrence Hall co-owner Phoebe Fraser is a wine aficionado and assisted with the menu alongside Director of Operations Erika Clark. Diners can expect both a decadent four-course meal from Tomacchio and an educational experience about the terroir of Italian wines from Magnotta.
TOMA opened its doors in April, but this is the first time Lawrence Hall is offering a wine pairing-themed dinner. “The process behind the wine pairings really started with Phoebe’s love of wine and Fred’s unbridled magnetism,” Clark told TABLE. “The Magnotta portfolio is arguably one of the best Italian portfolios available in Pennsylvania. Fred’s knowledge and enthusiasm when tasting with Phoebe in the early summer was how the idea for the dinner was born. From there, Chef Anthony created an absolutely gorgeous tasting menu that plays to the strengths of the summer bounty. All that was left was the pairing, which is where Emily Carlton and I enter the scene.”
The Science of Wine Pairings
Carlton, Magnotta’s sales representative, is a longtime colleague of Clark’s. As Clark noted, “we are both conveniently married to chefs, so our knowledge of food, wine, and their potential for harmony comes naturally.” Carlton curated a lineup of potential offerings and then she and Clark sat down together to taste. “It’s always interesting pairing wine with food that you aren’t tasting at the moment. So, the process does require some knowledge of food science and the tasting notes that complement or contradict one another,” she said.
Specifically for an Italian menu, wine pairings require a contextual knowledge of the cuisine. “In Italian cooking, understanding the marriage of acidic lemon, creamy ricotta, and the bright earthiness of basil helps to select a wine that will stand up to cream and lift the lemon with a mineral quality that will complement the basil,” Clark explained. “A very light-bodied white with a lot of grapefruit on the palette would not pair well, for example.”
“Italian wine doesn’t want to be pretentious.”
This wine pairing dinner is just one way that the Lawrence Hall staff is getting people excited about food. Clark encourages anyone who attends to think more about the wines they choose in their own kitchens. “My advice would be to remember that Italian wine doesn’t want to be pretentious. Most of it wants to be enjoyed with food. Don’t get hung up on price. Some of the best food wine from Italy is very inexpensive!”
For the end of summer and beginning of fall, Clark recommended not to be afraid of chilling reds. “My favorite Italian wines this summer have been chilled ‘pizza wines.’ So, either a Barbera d’Alba or a Nero d’Avola with a slight chill on them. They’re made even better when enjoyed with a big ol’ slice of ‘triangle pizza’ as my kids say.” Tickets to TOMA’s Italian wine pairing dinner are still available and going fast. Get them while you can! But even if you miss it, Tomacchio will still welcome you to TOMA at Lawrence Hall during their Tuesday to Sunday hours.
Story by Emma Riva / Photo courtesy of Lawrence Hall
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