Divino’s Secret Wine Club

Can you keep a secret? The Divino Bordeaux Wine Club meets the second Sunday of every month, but its members don’t want you to know that. And anyone can join, but they don’t want you to know that either. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that they’re not looking for new members (they are), but you have to understand that the more people know about it, the more they will be forced to divvy up their portion of Mr. Grippo’s secret wine collection.

And just who is this mysterious Mr. Grippo character? Why, the owner of Commercial Drive’s Divino Restaurant as well as Dolce Amore Gelateria next door.

The actual concept for the Bordeaux Wine Club was the brain child of Divino’s Austrian sommelier, David Fert. It is one thing to simply be a certified sommelier, and quite another to take an active interest in sharing your expertise with others. On this particular second Sunday of the month, Mr. Fert took us all on a tour of Italian varietals, educating us along the way about the methods behind Amarone (the grapes are harvested and dried on straw mats for approximately 100 days before pressing, which contribute to its robustness) and the history of the Super Tuscan (Antinori was the first to stray from the strict DOC Italian wine regulations by releasing a blend of Italian and French varietals in the 1970’s).As we chatted away about Oscars and Olympics, we sat down to the opening act of a sweet green melon and prosciutto millefeuille prepared with care by Chef Jefferson Alvarez, to accompany our sparkling Ferrari Perlè.The 2007 Pinot Bianco Schiopetto followed, with creamy avocado and tangy prawns, lobster and vegetable tempura topped with Osetra caviar. The prosciutto theme continued, this time enveloping rabbit served with wine poached apricots and rapini, which proved an excellent companion to the darkly perfumed, raspberry and cardamom-scented 2003 Brunello Antinori.The pacing between the third and fourth courses seemed slightly more delayed. Apparently, Plan A would have seen us eating handmade linguine, but alas, it didn’t hold up in the boiling water, explained Chef Alvarez. So he decided to whip up some handmade gnocchi last minute instead. Now, show of hands… how many of you have ever attempted gnocchi from scratch? I have, and let me tell you, there is no “whipping up” about it.  It is a craft that takes much time and patience, and so for Chef Alvarez to have been so quick on his feet as to rearrange the accompaniment at the drop of a hat, I can speak for everyone when I say we were thoroughly impressed.  Once boiled, it was sautéed in foie gras (always a bonus) and served with bison short rib, then scented with white truffles, which naturally granted us an all-access pass into Barolo territory, where we enjoyed a nose full of roses and tar, with dark dried cranberries courtesy of the 2001 Barolo Brovia.Back down to Tuscany we went as we sampled a selection of house cured meats such as the Lomo pork tenderloin and sweet Iberico ham terrine which capably assisted the 1994 Ornellaia Bolgheri Super Tuscan, a tight and spicy Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot blend.The grand finale to the savoury portion of the night was the roasted Cinghiale (wild boar) tenderloin served with not just the dark ruby red candied apple lip-smacking 1998 Amarone Allegrini, but out came another Super Tuscan to the rescue: the heavy hitting 2006 Tignanello! Could there have been a more perfect match? This combination is something one might expect to find amongst the rolling hills of Chianti, but instead we found it right on the Drive.And as if that weren’t enough, we were privy to a private lesson on how to make your very own liquid nitrogen ice cream! It sounds extreme, and it was, and went spectacularly alongside Chef Alvarez’s banana chocolate bread pudding.All this can be yours for only $299, an incredible value for the supreme quality involved in the service, food preparation and access to a seven course wine dinner that features labels you’ve only read about in Wine Spectator, let alone seen or tasted for yourself.

~ Katherine van der Gracht