City Wine Tours celebrated it’s maiden tour of the North End over this past weekend. We traveled through Boston’s Little Italy on Saturday afternoon accompanied by our “Wine Ambassador” Roz Angoff.
Our tour began at Aragosta, Fairmont Battery Wharfs most recent addition to its already stellar property amenities. The restaurant features modern Italian cuisine by award wining chef David Daniels, an open chef kitchen counter, and outdoor terrace with views of Boston Harbor.
At our first tasting we started with a Zonin Prosecco and Terlano Pinot Gris. Prosecco is an Italian white wine generally a dry or extra dry sparkling wine. This wine is produced in the regions of Fruili Venezia and Veneto in Italy, and traditionally in the areas near Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the hills of Treviso. The Zonin Prosecco had a light orchard fruit tone, recalling white peaches and pears, with bright acidity and light body.
The Terlano Pinot Gris was light and crisp. The group recalled flavors of Macintosh apples and hints of pineapple. This wine would be ideal with fresh seafood such as Tilapia, Grouper and Cod.
Our Wine Ambassador, Roz Angoff, opened the tour with a simple question “What was your most memorable wine memory?” Our guests recalled stories of wine shared over romance, a special birth and visits to far away vineyards.
The group consisted of two couples in their late-twenties, a straw cap wearing Bostonian, and City Wine Tours very own Jo-Ann Ross.
As we made our way toward our second stop Bacco, we visited Paul Revere Mall, the Old North Church, and the Paul Revere statue. Guests were treated to stories of the “Midnight Ride”, our Founding Fathers, and the immigrants that migrated to the North End. The weather was gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky.
Bacco, a North End Italian Trattoria, was our second tasting. This restaurant was featured in “The Town” with Ben Affleck and is the home to simple, fresh Italian cuisine. At this location the topic of discussion was that very sensitive subject “How to read and order off a wine menu?”. As simple as it may look, there is more than meets the eye in picking and choosing the right wines for the right price, food, mood. Roz, our Wine Ambassador, fielded questions and lead the tasting effortlessly.
First we tasted, Cerulli Spinozzi Montepulciano d Abruzzo, a full bodied wine with hints of dark fruit and oak. This wine featured lots of tannins and quite a dry finish. Next, we tried a Donna Laura Sangiovese Al, this medium bodied Sangiovese had a hint of slight spice and acidity, Guests learned how pair these wines and their growing environments.
We then traveled to Salumeria Italiana, the North End’s most popular Italian Market. This shop features a wide assortment of Italian breads, oils, olives, meats and cheeses. We were greeted by chef Raymond, who welcomed us with a big Italian smile. We tasted Auriccho Aged Provolone, Truffle Pecorino, Verde Capra, and Wild Boar. This stop was a wonderful addition to our North End walking wine tour.
For our final stop, we headed over to the Wine Bottega, Boston’s leader in organic and biodymanic wines. The owner Kerri, lead our tasting in the cavernous space located below street level. This space was intimate and cozy. We sampled two incredible wines. These wines were true crowd pleasers and the highlight of the tour. I will leave you with the wine notes.
