This Valentine’s Day weekend, acclaimed Boston Italian restaurant Prezza reopens after a winter break, ready to serve diners in search of a date night featuring romantic wine. One of the more popular items on the menu will surely be a wine from Pasqua’s Passione e Sentimento series, predicts David Petrilli, co-owner and beverage director for Prezza and Boston-area sister restaurants Tonno and the Blue Ox.
With its familiar label featuring a photo of love letters from the Verona courtyard of Juliet, of Romeo & Juliet fame, the Passione is an obvious choice for Valentine’s Day pairings, made easier by the options: Pasqua offers a Rosso Veneto (Corvina and Croatina with a bit of Merlot), Blanco Veneto (Garganega), and Brut and Extra Dry Prosecco.
Pasqua's Passione e Sentimento Rosso Veneto. Credit: Courtesy of Pasqua
Petrilli says that the wines also happen to live up to the hype. The white, for instance, is crisp and pairs well with crudo at Prezza and with seafood dishes at his two Tonno restaurants, which features fresh fish “pulled right off the boat from Gloucester” on Massachusetts’ Atlantic coast, he says.
Gnocchi “a la Bolognese” from Prezza.
The red is a hit with Prezza’s pasta, such as the gnocchi “a la Bolognese” and other handmade pasta dishes from chef-owner Anthony Caturano’s kitchen. Petrilli leans on Pasqua’s fuller-bodied Amarone to pair with the restaurant’s grilled meats, such as a veal porterhouse.
Of course, for Valentine’s Day, Petrilli plans to pour plenty of the Passionmente prosecco too. These and the other Pasqua wines connect with diners for their drinkability but also because of the name, the label, and the messaging. “You see that label once and you drink it and you know the story, you’re going to recognize it in the future," he says.