Piattini Wine Cafe's 3-Course Wine Dinner: "Wines of the World", November 4, 2013

Yet another fabulous, fun-filled, evening hosted by Owner Josephine Oliviero Megwa at Piattini Wine Cafe!  I am a forever fan of the establishment, the energy, and its staff.

My past experiences (August's Wine Dinner and Interview+Dinner with Josephine) have been lovely and this visit was no exception.

This particular dinner was set to be very intimate. With only 12 people in attendance, it was held in the beautiful private fireplace room at a round table.  We arrived about an hour early for apertifs with Maria at the bar.

Me and Moira, ready for a spectacular Italian dinner!

 As we waited for the other guests to arrive we were served delicious antipasto dishes.  

Olive oil drizzled grilled bread topped with tender, sweet, roasted red peppers and meaty mushroom slices tossed with fresh herbs

Crisp, light crepes filled with tender, perfectly seasoned, saucy Bolognese!  The Bolognese sauce at Piattini's is one of my favorite of any in the city!

We chat with our wine connoisseur/guide for the evening, Mr. Dennis Gilligan, Elite Estates Portfolio Manager at United Liquors, about the "Wines of the World" we were to sample throughout the evening.  Dennis was a terrific teacher with great points to share and willingness to answer any questions we had about the products.

Dennis Gilligan, Elite Estates Portfolio Manager for United Liquors

 The Wines of the World:

 2010 Domaine Schlumberger Pinot Blanc wine from Alsace, France 

 2010 Querciaella Mongrana Sangiovese wine from Maremma, Italy

  

A 10 year tawny Ramos Pinot from Portugal

First Course

Mediterranean Seafood Stew: Cod, mussels, clams, scallops, shrimp,  simmered with white wine, tomatoes, red pepper, stock, garlic, and herbs.

The stew was made with a beautifully rich, flavorful stock simmered with fresh seafood and a light, clean white wine.  Beautiful color was imparted by fresh tomatoes, red pepper and chopped herbs.  The seafood components (cod, mussels, clams, scallops, and shrimp) were all cooked to perfection - tender.  Grilled, lovingly-charred bread was also served for dipping.

 The  Pinot blanc from Alsace, on the border of Northwest France and Germany, is aged in steel versus oak, giving it a clean, light flavor.  The pinot blanc is clear and golden with herbal and floral aromas and light rock fruit flavors.

Second Course

Al dente orecchiette with peas, carrots, tender short rib and jus

The second course was paired with the 2010 Querciaella Mongrana Sangiovese from Maremma, Italy.  It had great structure with a nice, heavy body.  Made with 50% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet, and 25% Merlot varietals and listed as on of the Super Tuscans, the Mongrana presents flavors of plum and spice.

The bottle for each vintage features a different image.  The 2010, which we sampled, featured the image below:

Vera Tussing, London, UK, 2011. Photo by Alessandra Rocchetti

 
In 2008, the bottle featured an image of the Boston (Beacon Hill) skyline, reportedly taken from Charlestown:

Beacon Hill, Boston, 1992 Nikon F3 HP with Nikkor PC 28/3.5 Ilford FP4 Plus film The photograph was taken freehand Photo by Guido Morpurgo

Dennis owns a number of these bottles as collector's items in his home cellar.

 Dessert

Warm flourless chocolate cake

Dessert was paired with the 10 year tawny porto, Portugal.  Aged 10 years in wood before release, this tawny was unable to change my thoughts on ports.  I find them too rich/oily, too heavy and too sweet for my palate, but I did enjoy discussing the history of fortified wines with Dennis over the final course. 

Overall, the evening was an absolute blast, with great company and delicious food!  If you have not been to one of Piattini's Wine Dinners, you MUST be on the look out for the next one  Follow my blog to stay informed!

Disclosure:  Though I was invited to this event without direct cost, all opinions written are my own.