Mentor's Red, Wine & Blue hosting Italian Winemaker's Dinner
Apr. 19—Freshly arrived from Southern California's wine country, sommelier Nicoletta Stavole is gradually meeting Northeast Ohio wine lovers, many of whom come to Red, Wine & Brew in Mentor to enjoy their favorite vintages.
On April 25, the location's wine specialist will introduce Italian winemaker Veronica Palladino to those joining an Italian Winemaker's Dinner, where exquisite and delicate dishes from the Piedmont Region of Northwest Italy will be paired with Palladino wines.
Stavole is a newly minted level-two sommelier, an achievement reached after four years of study, testing and tastings with the Court of Master Sommeliers, an organization established to promote wine education among those in restaurants and hotels.
Several wine bars and restaurants served as her sponsors in the sommelier-certification process, which can be expensive for someone doing it on their own. One of the qualifying tests requires the identification of two white wines and two red wines after a blind tasting.
"Many of the Italian and French wines are created with food in mind," Stavole said. "They're not meant for sipping without food."
We asked Stavole to describe two of the four Palladino wines being poured for the upcoming wine dinner.
The 2021 Azienda Vinicola Palladino, Gavi di Gavi is a light and crisp white wine.
"It's a dry wine with notes of lemon and peach," she said. "It's ideal with shellfish and can be sipped alone."
Although the pairing dinner menu is still being developed, the Gavi wine is likely to be served with the Panzanella Salad first course, she said.
Barolo, the wines for which Palladino is most noted, are full-bodied, food-friendly red wines, she said. They're higher in alcohol, at 15 percent, than the white wine but are balanced with a minerality and aromas of juniper and licorice.
The other courses for the dinner are a Risotto al Barbera, Brasato Al Barolo (beef braised in Barolo wine) and a savory Panna Cotta dessert.
Red, Wine & Brew chefs Hayden Schultz and Darren Brooks will develop the dishes served from 6 to 9 p.m. in The Loft, the restaurant's upstairs dining room, which is accessible by stairs and elevator. The gratuity is included in the price of $125 per person. A limited number of the wines poured for the dinner will be available for purchase.
Red, Wine & Brew is at 9620 Old Johnnycake Road. Reservations are due by 5 p.m. April 23. Make them at bit.ly/rwb-italian-wine-dinner or call 661-406 7084.
