Slightly off the beaten path, in the beautiful City of Carmel is Vino Napoli Wine Bar offering food and wine tasting. A quiet escape from the main drag Vino Napoli offers wine enthusiasts an opportunity to taste local California wines as well as Italian wines. The fact that they serve food makes this a go-to destination.
My wife and I often have opportunities to visit the quaint City of Carmel California, AKA ‘Carmel By The Sea’. We discovered Vino Napoli quite by accident on a whim, wanting to get off of the main drag, away from the hustle bustle and see what else Carmel has to offer. We walked down Seventh street and found this little taste of Italy. I grew up in an Italian neighborhood, and my wife is half Italian so we’re naturally drawn to Italian themed displays. The painted white plaster, the Italian Flag flapping gently in the breeze and the Vespa on display drew us in. On this particular visit we were in an especially laid back mood and purposely headed there for some relaxation. One thing they offer for those interested in wines, are flights of wines, which is a sampling of three wines. My wife chose the ‘California Red’s’ and I chose the ‘Italian Red’s’ flights so we got to taste six different wines. They also serve food and we were a little hungry so we ordered off of the appetizer menu. Their specialty is garlic bread – served with marinara sauce so we ordered that and Carpaccio – an authentic Italian dish of raw thinly sliced fillet mignon laid on the plate with greens, parmesan cheese and dressing.
This was a wonderful experience, leisurely sampling the wines with our appetizers. Overall the Italian wines were drier than their California cousins, but flavorful nonetheless. The biggest lesson I came away with is that the Pinot Noir goes very well with food. I’d learned to drink and appreciate the wines grown in the foothills of Northern California, mainly Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Pinot Noir always seemed too ‘lite’ sort of like the ‘Lite Beer’ of the wine world. A big steak, crusted in peppercorns and grilled to perfection, served with a BIG peppery Zinfandel has long peen my favorite wine and food pairing. Now I try to keep a few bottles of Pinot in my collection for milder meals.
If you find yourself in The beautiful City of Carmel By The Sea and want to step away from the tourist attractions – head for the corner of Dolores & Seventh streets to Vino Napoli Wine Bar. That’s #NorCalWineLife