Porto Vecchio recently celebrated its fifth anniversary with a Notte Sangiovese, an exclusive event in which proprietor Chris Cassar’s son, Walter John Cassar, paired some great wines with five equally dishes prepared by the restaurant’s chef Matthew Sammut and his team.

Among the guests was the grand dame of Tuscan wines, Donatella Cinelli Colombini, owner of the Casato Prime Donne and the Fattoria Del Colle, who was accompanied by her husband Carlo Gardini.

The occasion was also the launch of the DOC Orcia and Brunello wines of Cinelli Colombini in Gozo where she has a house and feels very much at home.

Since it first opened, the reputation of Porto Vecchio Restaurant and Vinoteca, situated at the seafront in the yacht marina in Mġarr harbour, Gozo, has grown steadily. Its varied menu features the best in Mediterranean cuisine, with the finest ingredients, both local and imported directly from the Friuli region of Italy.

The concept of the night was to show the difference in blends of the Sangiovese grape when paired with different foods.

All wines during the evening were from Abraham’s Supplies Ltd, the Gozo distributor of Attard and Co.