As Victoria Park cleans up, additions like Zia’s Enoteca — found at ground level in the fancy new arriVa condos — are helping to turn what used to be an undesirable part of town into an upscale destination.

The focus at Zia’s is wine — the Italian word enoteca roughly translates to “wine library” — but the food is also well-thought-out and complements the wine options. And while the wine list features choices from around the globe, the food is decidedly Italian.

I started off by sampling one of the four featured wine flights — the Toscana treasures ($17), featuring three Chiantis from the Tuscany region: organic Cecchi Natio, Poggerino Vendemmia and Poggerino Il Labirinto. Why settle for one wine when you can try three at once?

For appetizers we started with arancini — risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and topped with tomato sauce ($10) — and antipasto misto ($15) — the chef’s selection of Italian meats and cheeses. The plate included Asiago, brie, friulano and smoked Gouda cheeses accompanied by capicollo, salami slices, green olives and a basket of garlic crostini.

My wife absolutely loves arancini, so I was lucky to get my hands on one of the three risotto balls. Zia’s version of this Sicilian classic did not disappoint. Each ball was generous in size, moist and well-cooked. The variety of meats and cheeses paired nicely with my trio of Chiantis. I particularly enjoyed the smoked Gouda on top of the super-crunchy crostini.

On the night of our visit, Zia’s offered four choices for main dishes: catch of the day, pasta and meatballs, grilled sausage and a margherita pizza. A simple menu, but one that offered hearty and familiar Italian classics.

I ordered the pasta con polpette — pasta with fresh meatballs in tomato sauce, sprinkled with parmesan ($12). My wife chose the pesce di giorno (catch of the day), which on our visit was a six-ounce piece of cod, served with a polenta topped with tomato sauce and a side of green beans ($19).

The meatballs were dense and well-formed, only coming apart after prodding from my fork, yet they remained moist and flavourful. The pasta was slightly overcooked, but not enough to send back the dish, and the tomato sauce — a common ingredient in many of Zia’s dishes — had a nice sweetness to it. The fish was flaky and cooked perfectly. The polenta was moist and tasty, and the liberal portion of perfectly cooked green beans rounded out the plate.

For dessert I ordered a cappuccino ($4) and the torta di cocciole ($8) — a hazelnut-and-chocolate torte. The torte was not overly sweet and was balanced out nicely by the icing.

If wine is your poison, Zia’s Enoteca should be a regular stop. If you’re more of a wine novice, it’s also a great venue to take advantage of the multitude of options and begin to define what it is that you’re looking for in a wine.