Wine and Food Tasting, Veeno, Leicester
Sometimes it's quite difficult to decide the preference in which you spend your evenings, more so now it's darker by around 5.30pm. If you do enjoy a good beverage combined with an education about the different types of specific drinks out there then I would definitely recommend you check out Veeno. The Italian wife cafe chain is the first of it's kind and offers quality Italian wines as well as a great variety of appetisers across the UK. The Leicester branch of the cafe itself is situated just by St Martins Walk.
The concept was created by two Italian guys who missed the Italian Aperitivo, a ritual of drinking, nibbling and relaxing after a long day spent at work. It's a daily occasion that gives the opportunity to share moments of happiness with your friends and family, something which we all tend to forget and struggle to make time for. The cafe is a place where everyone can enjoy a sample of great wine as well as authentic Spuntini, with platters of meats, cheeses and other appetisers that are imported from strictly selected Italian producers.
There is a definite intimate feel to the cafe once you arrive, although quite small in comparison to what I expected the cafe had a real cosy feel to it that made you feel relaxed in an instant.
Veeno also offers a selection of wine tasting experiences, great if you are hoping to try something new and want to understand what it means to enjoy a good wine alongside an appetiser. For our visit we were taking on the 'Selezione' Wine Tasting Experience, featuring some of the more premium wines that Veeno has to offer within its cafe. It's regarded as a special experience where you can enjoy two whites, a rose, and two red wines. You also get the opportunity to taste some of their most exclusive and authentic spuntini on a delicious sharing platter which complements each of the wines you were sampling in the experience. To finish off the experience you sample some of their sweet wine with their homemade Italian tiramisu. At £26.90 per person, it's a great opportunity to gather your friends and family, particularly as Christmas is approaching or as an alternative for a date night.
On our visit we thought that the wines on offer were delicious, we definitely enjoyed some wine flavours that we hadn't tried before. It was also useful to have someone guide us through the experience, explaining the variety of flavours, the heritage of the different wines but also about the appetiser in which we would be eating alongside it. We were kind of let down that our waitress for the evening was new to the team, particularly as we struggled to hear the information that she was relaying to us. I particularly enjoyed sampling the liquorice tones of one of the red wines, whilst enjoying the dry tones of the Grillo which went well with the mozzarella cheese.
I will definitely consider taking some of my girlfriends along to Veeno to enjoy an experience like this. Its what we all need after a long week at work.
*Complimentary visit in return for an honest review. All photos and words are my own.