Italian wine tasting is enough a temptation without even knowing where exactly you would be doing it. I am not much of a wine drink but I do enjoyed a good glass every Friday night at home. We were recently invited to review the wine tasting menu at Veeno Reading and we couldn’t say yes fast enough. You see my sister is a wine snob and when I asked if she wanted to accomplish me, let’s just say we went.
Veeno Reading
Veeno is an Italian wine cafe that brings you the best wines from Italy straight to your glass. Founded in 2013 by two Italian men in Manchester who missed the Italian lifestyle of Aperitivo. It is described as a ritual of drinking, nibbling and relaxing after work. I think most of us can relate to this type of ritual though we don’t practice it often enough. But for Italians this is a daily occasion of sharing moments of happiness with friends and family.
Our booking for the Italian wine tasting was at 2pm, but with African timing we arrived just after 2pm. We were greeted by a lovely waitress who showed us to our table and offered us refreshments. I opted for rekorderlig and my sister went for prosecco to start us off. She also informed us we would be tasting 5 wines plus a dessert wine accompanied by platters of meats and cheese. One thing that impressed me before the platters were prepared was we were asked if we had any allergies. My sister does, she is diary free so she was offered the vegetarian platter to accompany the wines we would be tasting.
Italian Wine Tasting #weloveveeno
All the wines in Veeno come from the family vineyard in Sicily which has been in the family for generations. The family works hard to ensure the quality and tradition of the vineyards flow from the bottles to your glass. There is nothing I love more than a company that aims for authenticity in their business and their products. Veeno Reading aims to be authentic in all things and want you to feel part of the family.
As mentioned our wine tasting experience included 6 wines each nicely paired with our food platter. Though our food platter was specifically designed for our wine tasting, each wine has its own pairing.
The Driest Wine – Grillo {ABV 13%}
A classic Sicilian white best served with Mozzarella di Bufala, this wine is grown on the highest heel. It is fermented at a controlled temperature of 16ºC in oak and acacia tonneaux.
The Wine of Love – Zibibbo {ABV 12.5%}
This wine has an intense floral wine and best paired with pecorino in Grotta, this wine careless all your senses. This was my favourite wine, it is fermented for 20 days at a controlled temperature.
House Rosé – Syrah {ABV 12.5%}
It is not an overpowering wine, its fresh and summery and goes well with sliced speck.
Perricone – An Experts Wine {ABV 13.5%}
This wine is made in the same way as Shiraz using the same type of grapes and is aged for 4 months.
Richest Wine – {ABV 14%}
This wine goes well when paired with Gorgonzola Cheese, it is made from handpicked grapes.
Tagos – Dessert Wine {ABV 13%}
This is a really sweet and lovely wine which perfectly accompanies the delicious homemade Tiramisù. The dessert smelt like Christmas to me and definitely went down well with the Tiramisù.
All the wines are served in a 70ml measure which was truly reasonable and great size. During the testing, the waitress explained each wine’s history and what gave it the taste and flavour. She also recommend what else would go with the wines from personal experience which we appreciated.
By the time we were tasting the dessert wine accompanied by the tiramisu we were joyous. I don’t drink wine often so after the fifth glass it hit me for a bit but still enjoyed our dessert and wine. Because Veeno Reading is such a quaint wine cafe it was easy to chat and loss track of time. We noticed many people who came chose to buy a bottle and a platter whilst they enjoyed a conversation. We spoke to a few people who couldn’t recommend the wine cafe enough, it’s a really nice spot to have a catch-up.
Location
Veeno Reading is located behind the Town Hall, close to the Museum and only a 5 minute walk from the train station. From the train station main entrance follow the road on the left and is perched at the edge of your second turn.
OPENING TIMES
Monday – Thursday: 10:00am – 10:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 10:00am – 12:00am
Sunday: 12:00pm – 10:00pm
ADDRESS
Minerva House, 20 Valpy Street, Reading, RG1 1AR
Value for money
The wine tasting we did costs £26.90 per person for five 70ml glasses of wine plus a dessert wine accompanied by a meat and cheese platter. I think it is definitely worse the money, if you think about how much we spend on wine in restaurants for a glass or worse on a night out.
We had such an amazing time, so much that I am heading back with my girl friends in a few weeks. The location is perfect, it is easy to find and had an incredible atmosphere. We started our wine tasting just after 2pm and left gone 4.30pm, it’s easy to lose track of time in there. I can not recommend Veeno enough, they know there wines and have incredible staff. Another to note is, everything they serve in the cafe can also be bought in the cafe ‘wine market’ too which I thought was neat.
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Kylie Shayne Go says
Ahhh I’d love to do a wine tasting too! Looks like you guys had so much fun!
Anosa says
We did thank you, you should definitely check Veeno out
Cristina Leau says
Ok, this is looking and sounds amazing. I love wine as well, so I would love to go there. They seem to respect you and the wine as well.
Emmanuel Damian says
I wish there was a wine cafe like this in my country. Why visit Italy if they can bring the best wines to you in your table? Cool!
Anosa says
Can not argue with that luv, it’s definitely a good spot for sure and such great atmosphere
TColeman says
I have never been to a wine tasting. I have some particulars that I like but I would love to see what else is out there.
Anosa says
This was my second time wine tasting and I feel like I am getting the hang on it now lol
Cinema On The Sofa says
I’m not a fan of wine but randomly I love the creativity behind their sign! (the first photo)
Anosa says
It’s cute photo isn’t it, though I am not much of a wine person I am getting into it slowly
Jennifer Bendewish says
I am not a wine drinker, but would gladly tag along for the cheese, breads, salami, and prosciutto. The ambience looks like you could spend hours chatting and relaxing.
Anosa says
I am with you there, the ambiance was second to none and though initially we thought we would be done in half an hour. We stayed for over 2 hours
Lavanda Michelle says
Have been to a wine tasting since before I was married, while planning my wedding. That looks like an awesome place.
Anosa says
Aww that sounds lovely and yes it is an incredibly awesome place with some great wines
Annette Yedlin says
Oh my goodness I am so jealous haha I love going to wine tastings. What a fantastic looking place to visit, I know you had fun!
Anosa says
You know it luv! We had an epic time and now looking forward to visiting more wine tasting places
Heather Johnson says
Veeno sounds like an amazing Italian wine cafe. I would love to go to a tasting with the hubby.
Anosa says
You should give it a try should you ever be close to one of their many wine cafes in the UK
Amber says
I do not like wine, but I’d be pigging out on all that food. It looks like a lovely place!
Anosa says
Hahahaha, I loved pigging out on the foods too but my sister loved her wine more
Sarah Bailey says
Now this sounds like a must visit for anyone who loves a good wine! I like that they include some food with the tasting as well so you aren’t doing it all on an empty stomach.
Anosa says
That is one thing I had to research before heading over as I wanted to see if we should eat first or not and glad they had the accompaniments
Jen Sky Walker says
I live in Sonoma County, so wines are a constant part of my life! I really enjoy Italian wines as well and would love to visit this place if I’m ever in the area!
Anosa says
I wish wines were part of my life too lol but yes I do enjoy a good Italian wine
Ashley @irishred02 says
This sounds like a great place to go wine tasting. My bestie and I like to do tastings all the time!
Anosa says
Sounds like you and your best know how to have fun, I am enjoying doing wine tastings for sure
Aishwarya says
Italian Wine tasting sounds so perfect! And that photo on Instagram is just beyond perfect!!! Loved the whole ambience of the place.
Anosa says
Thanks Aishwarya, it is such an incredible place we can not recommend it enough
Ivia Hui says
You are so lucky to have wine tasting! I would totally drop everything just to go for this event!
Anosa says
That was my sister’s reaction, drop everything and go. We are fortunate to have had this experience
Blair Villanueva says
OMG Miranda, this is my kind of event! You are so lucky to be invited for the wine tasting. Their wine tasting menu ia impressive. I want to try the Wine Of Love.
Anosa says
You would love the wine of Love, it is so rich and incredible. I was impressed at how awesome each of their wines was.