The Omaha Metro Food & Wine Gazette May 2025

The Omaha Metro

Event Report:

Tour of Italy Wine Dinner at Cibo Vino

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Morgante Don Antonio Nero d’Avola 2015 was not listed on our program, since it was a quaffing wine, but it was one of the hits of the Cibo Vino evening, nonetheless. Hailing from Sicily, it sports the popular Nero d’Avolo grape which is rapidly becoming THE grape variety of Sicily.

The fifth-generation grape-growing family of Morgante, with the guidance of enologist and renowned consultant Riccardo Cotarella, who makes the wine, produces a Nero d’Avola of unusual balance and grace from their old vines plots (planted at 1,600-1,800 feet altitude) in southwest Sicily, where Nero d’Avola reaches its optimal ripeness levels. The Don Antonio cuvée is their best-of-thebest reserve, a great wine for an old-fashioned roast or winter stew. The dark cherry, spicy, cocoa overtones are well-balanced by plenty of acidity and fine, nicely-integrated tannins. The dark cherry, spicy, cocoa overtones are well-balanced by plenty of acidity and fine, nicely-integrated tannins.

If you think nobody cares whether you are alive, try missing a couple of payments.

Event Report: Tour of Italy Wine Dinner at Cibo Vino

Written by Tom Murnan, Photos by Tom Murnan

This was Tracy Tylkowski’s first event as the newest Board Member of the Omaha Metro branch, and she hit it out of the park. She had the prescience to contact one of the newer Italian restaurants in town, and they enthusiastically embraced the idea of an Italian wine dinner. Cibo Vino (CV) means food and wine in English. It is owned by Wendy Becker (formerly Spezia manager) and Don Doty, longtime chef in the Omaha food scene. They began their partnership in May of 2023. The wines were a mix of club and CV wine. The hit of the quaffing wines was our Branch wine named Don Antonio Nero D’Avola 2015 by Morgante. We drank all of the bottles. Wendy’s husband, Dwight, works in the wine wholesale business, loves Italian wines, and was our wine commentator for the evening.

After a nice cheese and charcuterie board, we sat down to our first course, a Classic Fennel & Orange Salad. It was refreshing and light, with a user-friendly Lemon Vinaigrette dressing by which I mean it did not fight the wine, a Fontannafreda Gavi del Commune di Gavi Cortese 2022. Fontannafreda was established in 1858 by the first king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II. Cortese is the grape, and it has just enough acid to keep it lively and non-invasive. We moved on to a West Coast Cioppino of scallops, shrimp, mussels in a tomato broth. Cioppino means chopped or torn to pieces. The wine, a Dorillio Cerresuolo di Vittoria Classico Nero d’Avola Frappato Sicily 2022 tasted light without the food but doubled with intensity and flavor with the fish stew.

The 3rd Corso was a magnificent piece of Braised Short Rib sitting on a bed of Three Root Carrot Puree, Parsnip and Potato, in a red wine reduction sauce. This was a large piece of meat, but so tender and flavorful. It needed a powerful wine, and we got two: the Carparzo Brunelle di Montalcino 2010 and a Paolo Conterno Barolo Riva del Bric 2021. Brunello uses the Sangiovese (means blood of Jove) Grosso grape, while the Barolo is made from the Nebbiolo grape. Sangiovese has smooth tannins, high acidity and ripe fruit. Some compare it to Burgundy Pinot Noir. Nebbiolo gives us firm tannins, complex flavors of red fruits, tar and earthiness. We finished with a Cannoli stuffed with lemon flavored pudding and washed it down, not with a wine, but a Limoncello Basil Martini. Many Thanks to organizers Tracy Tylkowski and Joe Goldstein (who admitted Tracy did everything), owners Don Doty and Wendy Becker, along with husband Dwight as our wine guide. The service was great from Michaela, Scott and Lex (Alexis). I am sure we will return to this venue!

Congratulations as well to Dave Thrasher who was awarded the IWFS Gold Medal for all his work for our Branch. Dave helps buy our wine and maintains the inventory and wine cellar. In addition, he is on the Omaha Metro Board and puts on events, always with an interesting wine theme. Thank you for all your hard work, Dave! We appreciate it.