Since opening in York on Piccadilly, Veeno has done a great job of establishing itself as offering a friendly and convivial atmosphere that’s supported by some great value wines from the family owned vineyards. It’s become somewhere that I regularly pop into when meeting people in town and the prices always seem to draw comment from first timers. These guys will set you up at lunch time with a pannini and a glass of wine for just five pounds! If you’re after a way to introduce yourself to Veeno’s wines, they offer Veeno wine tasting packages that walk you through their range at varying price points. I was invited to come along and try the Selezione package that features some of the higher end wines on offer along with a selection of paired morsels to enjoy. This Veeno wine tasting package features five wines to sample at a very reasonable £26.90 a head.
The Veeno wine tasting consisted of two whites, a rosé and two reds before a sweet wine to pair with a dessert. Before we got stuck into the serious business of trying the wines, we were presented with the platter of food to pair with as we worked through the evening; generous portions of bread being appreciated to dredge through oil and balsamic.
The two whites that started the evening were a Grecanico and Zibbibo to be paired, respectively, with mozzarella and pecorino. Accompanying me to this event was Olivia, who blogs over at https://www.frivolitea.co.uk, who agreed with the server’s suggestion that the Grecanico most strongly put forward orange blossom that appreciated the smooth, soft mozzarella. The Zibibbo was described as the “wine of love”. I’m not entirely certain what triggered that description but, as fond as I am of Olivia, it didn’t feel entirely appropriate for the situation. Still, the wine was very pleasant and did well to hold its own against the powerful pecorino.
Before we hit the reds, there was a Syrah rosé to have a go at pairing with some Speck. We both agreed that, while a perfectly nice wine, it lacked a bit of the sweetness you’d have expected from a rosé. We didn’t think that we’d have guessed that was what it was if blindfolded. The Speck that was paired with this was delicious.
Both of the reds maintained the same standard, with the Nero d’Avola providing a powerful end to the experience that put the preceding Pericone a little in the shade. To pair with these we enjoyed some Bresaola and Gorgonzola topped with walnut, both of which worked well even if the cheese didn’t pack quite the punch that my preference runs to.
We finished up with portion of light Tiramisu, reflecting on how generous the experience had been in both quality and quantity. A shade over fifty pounds gets two people a delicious and diverse selection of wines along with a generous selection of food that works well both paired with wine and as a meal in itself, definitely an evening I’d recommend.
Disclaimer: No charge was made for this experience, booking is recommended.
