On Friday, I learned not only about wine and food pairings, but also that I am apparently too weak to open a bottle of prosecco! I was anticipating the wine tasting all week, for I’d never been to one before and it also happened to be on my 21st birthday. When Annalisa informed me that there would be food involved, my excitement skyrocketed. I expected good bread and perhaps some cheese, but it turned out we were in for much more of a treat.
Walking into Renato e Louisa, I immediately got a sense of hominess and comfort. Not to mention instant hunger! Our group filled the entire room of tables, blissful chatter somehow overpowering the smell of olive oil in the air. The restaurant owner, Renato, came out to greet us and to our delight, went through each bottle of wine that we would be tasting, describing their history. I have always been confused about the difference between champagne and spumante, and I learned that there is no difference – champagne is just made in France and spumante in Italia.
Our first taste was prosecco, and I, the birthday girl, was summoned to do the honors of corking the bottle. Easy peasy, I thought, watching Renato demonstrate how to properly twist the bottle while maintaining grip on the cork. He told us that there should never be a big POP sound, despite popular belief, and you prevent this by going very slowly. When I took a try, I was going very, very slowly, but only because I could not twist the cork even a millimeter! Renato eventually helped me out, and finally the cork popped off. Clearly, I need to include wrist and hand strengtheners into my workout regimen.
The prosecco was first paired with thinly sliced lemons, topped with olive oil, sugar, and a little cube of herring. Renato then told us to dip bread in olive oil and observe how the prosecco’s flavor changes. We were then delivered strawberries to try. Everyone was oohing and ahhing from the sweetness combined with the fizzle.
Our next wine was a pinot grigio, served with little meats, cheeses and zucchini blossoms, alternating between savory and sweet in order to experience the different interactions with the wine.
We were last served a hearty red and, to my utter excitement, a plate of gnocchi with tomato sauce and basil. I thought the evening couldn’t get any better until a waitress appeared with a candle-topped slice of chocolate cake, and everyone sang for me!
To end the event, Renato introduced a little competition. On each table, there were three vials of mysterious scents and our job was to correctly identify each one. Every table had a different collection of aromas. We were told that the group who identified all three would win a bottle of wine… so of course, everyone immediately got serious. The next fifteen minutes consisted of many frustrated “I know this smell, but what is it!” remarks, in addition to plenty of “Ah-HAH”s! One by one, each table incorrectly guessed a vial, until the last table identified all three. Jealousy wafted about the room, until Renato exclaimed, “Just kidding, everyone gets a bottle!” We all broke into applause.
I’m not sure if all wine tastings are this delightful, delicious and suspenseful, but I’ll surely be attending more!
Sabine