In our latest wine column with Matthew Clark and Tennent’s Direct, SLTN visited Edinburgh’s Italian food and wine powerhouse Divino Enoteca to talk over the art of pairing with sommelier Troy Sides.
Divino Enoteca in Edinburgh’s Old Town
Divino Enoteca, in Edinburgh’s Old Town, brings the essence of Italy alive with authentic dishes, and a selection of over 200 wines by the bottle and up to 40 by the glass, providing the perfect pairing for every palate.
Scialatelli Ai Gamberoni
THE DISH
Scialatelli Ai Gamberoni
Fresh linguine pasta tossed with king prawns, garlic, chilli, cherry tomatoes and Trebbiano wine
Served with Etna Bianco Tornatore 2022
THE WINE
Etna Bianco Tornatore 2022
100% Carricante
Can you describe the customer demographic at Divino Enoteca?
Troy: “I really like that I work at a restaurant like this where we are just as likely to get businessmen in suits ordering really big bottles of wine, to university couples who can barely afford their coke and a glass of wine, and everything in between.
“I think’s that is because of the style we are going for, it’s really a very intimate, very pretty setting, with exposed stone and candles, rather than a formal, regal setting – it’s really warm and inviting, which brings a lot of younger people, and a lot of families.
How do you approach putting together your wine list for Divino Enoteca?
“We have a really robust wine programme that’s constantly evolving and changing and adapting to the market. So there is a lot of tasting. Tasting tasting tasting.
“We always keep in mind our clientele. There’s a lot of people in between the university students and the wealthy businessmen, so we are not heavy-loading on the super cheap stuff, or heavy-loading on the super fine stuff… our money bottles are really good value wines between £50 and £80, that’s the richest zone on our winelist, where we maximise price to quality.
“The vast majority of our wine is Italian, with a small international selection. But there is more than enough range and variety within Italian wines to give us everything that we need.”
How important is it to be able to pair the right wine with the right dish?
“I have seen, first hand, tables turn based on the wine pairing. If the pairing really really works, customers who were perhaps a little ‘meh’ about their experience will turn pretty quickly. ‘That changed completely with the dish,’ is the sort of reaction you get.
“It is always fun to be adventurous and branch out, and I have a lot of fun with customers who are also willing to do that.
“Theoretically, I have a wine for everything on the menu, but that wine would not necessarily go to every table, because every customer is going at their own pace in the journey, and maybe they prefer certain styles of wine, so I would pivot to a wine in that style that works with the dish, that adds richness and complexity, but in a different way.
“The aim is to cater for the dish, and for the customer… and at the right price point.”
What makes this wine particularly well-suited to the dish?
“This wine comes from Mount Etna’s beautiful volcanic soil, which lends a very macho acidity, as the soil is naturally less fertile and the vines need to fight to get the nutrients.
“This produces smaller grapes which give a greater proportion of juice to acidity, juice to skin contact, juice to flavour, so it’s a naturally higher flavoured, higher acidity wine.
“With a seafood pasta you need acidity for at least two reasons – number one, seafood is bright, its lighter, its crunchy, so you want a wine that is structured similarly, bright and crunchy, which the acidity provides. Then you need something bright and refreshing to cut through the thickness of the pasta noodles.
“This is one of the Matthew Clark wines we do by the glass from the Enomatic, and it is great value. Sophie Birkbeck arranged for us to visit Tornatore Estates back in April, to meet the winemakers.
“The Carricante grape is indigenous to Mount Etna, and has been on there for thousands of years. The Greeks may have introduced it back in the day.”
How important a customer is Divino Enoteca?
Steven Dall, Matthew Clark account manager: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with Divino and the Vittoria Group on their wine programme.
“Divino’s Italian-focused wine selection brings vibrant character and beautifully complements their delicious menu. Partnering with the wider group has been an exciting and rewarding challenge, thanks to their impressive array of standout venues across Edinburgh.
“Supporting Divino and the team in selecting the perfect wines from our portfolio of amazing producers such as Tornatore and our fine wine portfolio, ensuring we honour the rich tradition of the group, has been a true highlight.”
matthewclark.co.uk
Dining and Cooking