The ambiance is lovely in the newly opened wine bar in the Monument Building.
Enoteca 5/Cinque Terre WEST will host a wine dinner on January 19 with FIRRIATO Winery at 970 Monument Street. There will be five courses, all designed and prepared by Chef and Co-owner Chef Gianba Vinzoni with seven different wines to taste. The cost is $150 for members and $220 for non-members. Reservations are necessary: (310) 454-0709.
U.S. FIRRIATO Ambassador Marco Scapagnini will be present for the event. The wines are made in the province of Trapani, in the wine region of Sicily.
The founder of the vineyard was Salvatore Di Gaetano, a businessman who saw the right elements in this landscape to bear the fruit of his freely declared passion: high-quality wine. Starting his company, FIRRIATO, in the 1980s, he has steered it to become one of the biggest wine production companies in Sicily.
The name FIRRIATO is the term used to indicate the area closest to the main house — a well-defined and protected area where the most valuable crops were planted, starting with the vineyard. It is an Italian term meaning enclosed, which by some strange linguistic trickery relates to the term Clos used in reference to French estates.
MENU:
Amuse Bouche
Arancino Sicialian — Sicialian rice balls
(Wine) Gaudensius is a white sparkling wine created from vines in the volcanic terrain and mountain climate of the Etna volcano. It has been scored 93 points by the International Wine Report.
Antipasto
Carpaccio di Tonno affumicato — Thinly sliced house smoked tuna
(Wine) Sabbie dell’Etna rosato is a rose with nuances of raspberry and pomegranate. It received 92 points in the 2020 International Wine Report.
Primo
Spaghetti alle Sarde — Spaghetti with sardines
(Two wines) Etna bianco and Cava nera bianco. The Etna Bianco is a straw yellow white wine made from the Carricante grape with an aroma of apples, pears, citrus and flowers.
Secondo
Coniglio alla Etnea — Rabbit
(Two wines) Etna Rosso and Cava nera rosso. The Le Sabbie dell’Etna Rosso is a red wine with a bouquet with notes of cinnamon, black pepper, blackcurrant and cherries in alcohol and received 93 points in the 2019 International Wine Report.
Dolce
Cannolo con pistacchio
(Wine) Passito di Favignana is produced in the “butterfly” of the Egadi archipelago, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The grapes are grown at sea level and winds work like a “marine nebulizer” by spreading nebulized sea water in the vineyards that contributes to influence the aromatic profiles of grapes but at the same time causing slight burns on the foliage surface because of the salt. Zibibbo grapes are characterized by citrus notes and fragrances reminiscent of prickly pears and dates.