A Night of Italian Wine and Hand-Crafted Plates at Prima

As most of you know, Prima is a beloved piece of the Boston dining scene. Since Broadway Restaurant Group opened the doors to this elegant, swanky Italian steakhouse in Charlestown, it’s been nothing but a success. Time and time again, Prima wins awards for its consistently delicious menu items, can’t-miss cocktails and dessert, and recognition for offering true Italian fare and wines. Chef Nick Dixon and the team at Prima have created an atmosphere that keeps customers coming back for more. Now, they’re putting their touch of magic and creativity on special event nights that you can attend.

We indulged in an unforgettable Italian wine dinner in the Park Room, featuring the best of Italy’s wines: Barbaresco, Barolo & Brunello, tasted side by side with the finest crus from each region. This seated four-course dinner was expertly paired with wines from Ceretto & San Polo Wineries, with insights into each pour from James Bishop. Wine was supplied by Vinodivino, and we were able to purchase bottles at the end for a discounted price!

This was an intimate, delicious, and educational experience we will never forget! It was so special to have never-before-seen Prima dishes handcrafted and delivered directly from Chef. And the wines were some of the best we’ve ever tasted, so to understand where they come from and how they are produced just makes you appreciate them that much more.

We began the night with a nice Italian white wine and some appetizers. This bottle is in high demand in Italy, selling 80% of its production in the country, while only exporting 20%.

Off-menu delectables made up each course, with each pate hand-crafted by Prima’s, and Broadway Restaurant Group’s, Chef Nick Dixon. Think your favorite Prima flavors with an imaginative twist, bursting with flavor. Every plate was impressive, and “mmm”s were heard as a chorus around the room. At the start of each course, Nick came into the room to describe the dish he had prepared for us.

Each course had two paired wines. They were from the same region, but one was a Classico, or “village wine,” and the other was a Cru, or “single vineyard.” They tasted very different from one another! Classico wines contain grapes from across the entire region/village, while Cru wines come from a single vineyard, sometimes grapes from just a few acres of land. We unanimously agreed that Cru was our preferred pour. At the end of the night, we also voted on our favorite between Barbaresco, Barolo and Brunello. Brunello won by a landslide, although we voted for Barolo! Here are some facts about each type:

• Barbaresco: grapes ripen more quickly, and the soil is younger so it creates softer wines.
• Barolo: grapes take longer to ripen, in older more compact soil which creates bigger, more powerful wines (more tannins).
• Bruenllo di Montalcino: actually the same grape as Chianti, but Chianti can have blended wines. Brunello can only contain a few different grapes, which creates a beautiful wine; powerful, with a long finish.

Last but not least, we finished the night with a pour of Cerrato’s Moscato. Did you know Moscato is known as the “only wine that tastes like wine?” Check out the video below, which gives you a glimpse of the plates and pours. We can’t wait to see what other special events Chef Nick Dixon, Prima, and Broadway Restaurant Group put on. It’s always an experience you don’t want to miss!