There’s something just so relaxing, when you sit enjoying a glass of wine with a little food too, especially straight after a hard and busy day at work. I was in Parma, Italy a couple of years ago and when I was chatting to one of the locals they told me just how usual it is for this to happen in the bars. Little bites to eat as you relax with a glass of wine, often spilling out on to the pavement as its so popular.
Veeno in Nottingham offers just such an experience and it felt like a hidden gem, as I had no idea it was even there. Nestled on the edge of the lace market on Middle Pavement, it’s a really fab building, it’s listed, and you can see why with its gorgeous arches that greet you as you arrive. We had a reservation for 7 and were quickly shown to our table. We were going to be trying out the ‘Selezione’ Wine Tasting experience. Our barista (who was with us throughout the night) explained the platter of spuntini (a sharing plate) would take around 10 mins to prepare, and would we like to order something to drink while we waited. We decided to have a glass of Prosecco Rosalia, Giusti, which was the perfect way to start.
We were then presented with the huge platter of meats, cheese and breads, olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A carafe of water with mint, napkins and a small plate each.
Our barista then talked us through the first wine, its flavours and what it would go with on the platter. I want to point out that, even though I’m no wine expert, I didn’t feel in any way intimidated. It felt very relaxed, like someone was chatting to us, and giving us some interesting nuggets about each of the wines. This continued through the evening, which lasted around 2 hours. Topped off with a glass of dessert wine and a slice of Mille-feuille.
We both loved the experience, and I’ve got to say the Selezione wine tasting experience was fantastic value for money at £26.90 per person. With some of Veeno’s more premium and family wines, it was a great introduction to Italian wine. My husband was a fan of The Wine of Love, Sicani – Zibibbo, a delicious white which had floral and elderflower flavours. I loved Selezioni Syrah, a red that I’m hoping to return to savour another time.
There are around four different wine tasting experiences, in this one we enjoyed two whites, a rosé, two reds and a dessert wine. We loved the sharing platter, and you could really tell that the ingredients in it were great quality. I’m not meat eater, but my husband loved the cured meat, and we both raved about the cheeses. The buffalo mozzarella was amazing, as was the chili cheese and my favourite the aged Parmesan. I’m a bit of a Parmesan snob, and this was very good. If you tell them in advance, I believe you can ask for gluten-free and vegetarian platters.
I can’t wait to go back to Veeno, next time I think with friends before Christmas. You can even buy the experiences as gifts…just in case any of my family are reading. Ha!
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