Martini on wine

SO there they were, two 20-something Italians who randomly met in Manchester, started playing football together and, probably over a post-match pint, discovered they both missed the good old "aperitivo" back home - the ritual of drinking, nibbling and chatting in an Italian bar.

Now there's nothing wrong with an ale and bag of pork scratchings after work or a kickabout, far from it (unless of course the “ale” is one of those fizzy chemical lager swills). But if you’ve been brought up on quality wine and authentic Italian meat and bread appetisers to chew the fat over, you probably would mourn its loss.

So what do Nino Caruso and Andrea Zecchino do after finding this kinship? Well, they set up their own aperitivo wine bars, of course, and recreate their passion over here.

And they recreate it so well they are now a finalist in the English Italian Awards.

Their first establishment was opened in Manchester two years ago and then followed sites in Leeds, here in York, on Piccadilly opposite the new Sainsbury’s Local, and, more recently, in Liverpool.

The chain is called Veeno (see what they’ve done there?) and while its York locale has its flaws, slightly off the tourist hot spots and near a busy bus run, it probably actually fits in well with the traditional Italian city aperitivo experience – a haven of pleasure amid of hive of passers-by and petrol.

So what has it been shortlisted for exactly?

Well, it could be for its nibbles and appetisers – imported Italian meats, cheeses, panini (sandwiches), piadine (flatbreads), spuntini (snacks) and apericena (buffet delights) – but it’s actually for its wine list.

That list, including eight whites, eight reds, two rosés and half a dozen sweet sparkling wines, is tailored to experts and beginners alike, with descriptions such as “our smoothest”, “the elegant” and “our fruitiest” keeping it simple but not patronising.

Moreover, Veeno’s selection (which is available for wine tasting, by the way) is entirely sourced from the expansive Caruso & Minini family vineyard back in Sicily where Nino's ancestors planted the first vines in the 19th Century.

Authentic – tick. But are they any good?

Well, if the reds are anything to go by, yes they are.

The house bottle, a Nero d’Avola Merlot (£10.90/£4.60 for 250ml/£3.60 for 175ml), is pleasant enough, but, for a few extra coins, it's worth trying their “classic”, namely the rich, deep and pure Nero D’Avola, or the light, refreshing, clash of tannins that is their “smoothest”, the Frappato Nerello Mascalese (both priced £15.90/£5.50/£4.50).

This column's favourite, though, after an argument between tastebuds, was “the elegant”, the spicily fragrant Cabernet Sauvignon (£19.90/£6.95/£4.95).

Then there's the "richest" (an apt moniker in more ways than one) - the vineyard's Nero D'Avola Riserva (£27.90/£9.45/£6.95).

Both were so good, they could have been named “the utterly luxurious”.

The English Italian Awards, by the way, will be announced at a ceremony in Manchester tomorrow.