Ferraro’s announces a spring Taste & Learn event, to take place Saturday, April 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. This wine-and food-pairing event comprises tasting pours of four wines, each accompanied by an authentic Italian small plate prepared by Ferraro’s Executive Chef Francesco DiCaudo. This month, Taste & Learn is presented in partnership with western Sicily’s renowned Donnafugata winery.

Donnafugata receives praise from wine lovers and critics alike. Owned by the Rallo family, who have more than 160 years of experience making wine, the Donnafugata label began in the early 1980s. The winery operates a historic cellar in Marsala, a country house and vineyards at Contessa Entellina in the western interior of the island, as well as another winery and estate on the island of Pantelleria off the southwest coast of Sicily. The name of the winery translates as “fleeing woman” and is a reference to the Bourbon King Ferdinand IV’s Hapsburg wife, Queen Maria Carolina, who fled the court at Naples for Sicily when Napoleon arrived. Donnafugata produces wines made with native varietals such as Ansonica, Catarratto, Zibbibo and Nero d’Avola, as well as international varietals such as Viognier.

The menu pairings for the April 2 Taste & Learn include:

  • First course:

Branzino affumicato – lightly smoked Mediterranean Sea bass served with orange, capers and bottarga (salted, cured fish roe). This dish will be paired with Donnafugata’s Catarratto white wine.

  • Second course:

Fusilli al ragu d’agnello – house made corkscrew-shaped pasta topped with lamb ragout, Ragusanno cheese and Bronte Pistachio. Accompanying this dish will be Tancredi, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d’Avola produced from vines on the Sicilian hills of Contessa Entellina.

  • Third course:

Maialino Nero dei Nebrodi – Sicilian domestic pig served with rapini and potato and accompanied by a sweet and spicy sauce. Paired with this dish will Mille e Una Notte, Donnafugata’s most important Nero d’Avola wine.

  • Fourth course:

Ricotta Panna Cotta – a spring-inspired combination of ricotta cheese yogurt, lemon and caviar. Donnafugata’s Ben Rye Passito di Pantelleria, a sweet yet balanced dessert wine, will be poured with this dish.

Under the direction of Gino Ferraro, Ferraro’s wine selection places special emphasis on presenting a broad and deep range of Italian wines, such as Barolo from Bartolo Mascarello, Bruno Giacosa and Giacomo Conterno; Barbaresco from Marchese dei Gresy and Produttori del Barbaresco; Brunello from Biondi Santi; Amarone from Bertani and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Emidio Pepe. Ferraro’s has been recognized with Wine Spectator’s “Best of Award of Excellence” and the Wine Enthusiast award.

Space for this intimate event is limited and tickets (tax and tip included) are $65 per person. To make reservations, call (702) 364-5300 or click here.