A Taste of Italy!

At this week's tasting we will be transforming your palate to Italy. All our wines are from Italy and Arny is featuring Carfagna's Puttanesca Pasta. Grandmother Nonna Maria taught the Carfagna family how to make celebrated Italian food using authentic family recipes from the Abruzzo-Molise Region of Italy. With each of the Carfagna homemade products, they follow her advice and use only the freshest, premium products available.

We will be featuring Vernaccia and Chianti Classico from Rocca delle Macie and the new-to-the-store Bicerin White Chocolate Liqueur from the Vincenzi Family Distillery of Turin, Italy. Thanks to the commitment and foresight of the Zingarelli's, Rocca delle Macie has grown in fame and grandeur and boasts a property of 600 acres, of which about 200 vineyards and 60 olive trees are divided between the six properties owned. Founded in 1930 by Fernando Vincenzi and operated today by the fourth-generation great-grandsons, Andrea and Luca, the Vincenzi Distillery has the history and master distilling talent of 85+ years to produce award-winning liqueurs in competitions from New York to London to San Francisco.

Vernaccia is a form of the Italian word Vernaculo, meaning "common" or "indigenous". It has been used in several wine regions around Italy to refer to a number of entirely unrelated grape varieties. The majority of Vernaccias are light-skinned and produce light white-wine styles. Vernaccia-based wine has a long history, and since the Renaissance period has been considered one of Italy’s oldest and most noble wines. Rocca's Vernaccia has a light citrus aroma with pleasant light flavor, dry and rich on the palate, with flavors of dried apricot.

By law, modern-day Chianti wines must be made from at least 70 percent Sangiovese. For the region's most prestigious wines this minimum rises to 80 percent. Rocca’s Chianti Classico wine has received good scores from various critics and is one of the most popular wines from the region.

The Vincenzi Family Distillery spent 12 months of research and experiments to develop a new recipe that has given rise to the new Bicerin White Chocolate Liqueur, winning a Gold Medal in its second year on the market at the New York International Spirits Competition. This sinfully delicious white creamy chocolate liqueur is a must for every bar and home. Try this in coffee, any cocktail calling for chocolate or a cream liqueur, over fresh fruit, or by itself straight or on the rocks. The Bicerin White is the perfect blend of tradition and innovation.

Join us Friday night from 5-8 p.m. for this Taste of Italy!