Wine Tasting Dinner at Il Forno

The wine-tasting evenings at Il Forno are going down very well indeed with the vino aficionados of the city. So much so that they're holding another one on Tuesday, June 16, this time in association with Enotria – a leading distributor of Italian wine.

Hosted by Sergio Di Luca, Italian wine ambassador for Enotria, this is a chance to sample some of the best Italian wines available, alongside a delicious five course dinner created by Il Forno Head Chef Paolo Cillo.

You'll be introduced to wines from all over Italy, from the Alto Adige, through to Tuscany, Sicily, Sardinia and the Piedmont region. These wines are not currently available at the popular Duke Street restaurant and have been specially chosen to show the diversity of the Italian grape.

The evening will start with smoked salmon tartare served with cucumber parcels filled with soft cheese and caviare. This will be accompanied by Pinot Bianco Classico DOC 2007, from Colterenzio, Alto Adige – a fresh crisp white with apple undertones.

Next up is parmesan and basil risotto.

served in a bread crust basket and accompanied by Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2007, from Panizzi, Tuscany – a wine with a brilliant, light straw yellow colour and a bouquet reminiscent of minerals, lime, apples, pears and pineapple.

This will be followed by paccheri pasta with a prawn and porcini mushroom filling, bound with leeks and oven baked. The wine this time will be Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2007 from Planeta, Sicily. Strawberries, cherries and figs are the flavours to look out for.

Course number four will be grilled slices of Aberdeen Angus sirloin in a truffle and porcini mushroom cream with green peas and crisp pancetta served in a polenta basket. A wine from Sardinia is showcased here; Carignano de Sulcis Riserva 2006, Rocca Rubia, Santadi. Described as 'succulent, round and complex'; this rich red sounds like the perfect accompaniment to the sirloin.

The meal will end on sweet pastry with crème pattisierre and a cherry marmalade, which will be matched by Moscato d’Asti 2008, Bricco Quaglia, from La Spinetta, Piedmont. This is the wine that made Giorgio Rivetti famous in Italy, and it's well worth sampling.

If the descriptions above have tempted you, book your place as soon as possible – the wine tasting dinners at Il Forno always sell-out. Places cost just £45 per head, which isn't bad at all for five delicious courses, five of Italy's finest wines and, of course, the setting.

The evening starts at 7.30pm on Tuesday 16 June. Call Il Forno on 0151 709 4002 to book your place.