Dunfermline Italian restaurant Ciao Italia is celebrating Italy’s pasta heritage throughout March, with the launch of its ‘pasta festa’ or ‘pasta party’. The first pasta party is tonight (Friday 3 March) between 5 and 6.30pm.

There will be a choice of eight different pasta dishes, of which diners will choose four to enjoy. Each dish will be introduced to them by Ciao Italia’s Sommelier Michele Cassano, whom together with the restaurant’s chefs, has matched each dish with Italian wines. 

The sauces on offer at the Pasta Festa will include fish and seafood choices, together with what Italians call ‘land’ choices, namely sauces made with different types of meat, vegetables and pulses. There will be vegetarian and gluten free choices available and children are also welcome at the pasta festa. 

‘We’ve put together a superb selection of delicious pasta dishes for customers to try at the pasta festa. Each dish they select is accompanied by a 125ml glass of matched wine,” said Marco Crolla of Ciao Italia. The pasta party is £20 per head.

“Using the right pasta with the right type of sauce is taken very seriously in Italy, as is producing pastas to the right length and thickness, with many local laws in place to ensure consistency.  Michele will certainly bring passion to the subject. He has selected some exceptional wines from regions across Italy, which will considerably enhance our diners’ enjoyment of the food,” added Marco.

Wines featured are: 

The Whites:

Gavi di Gavi (Piedmont) – A wine with Cortese, Piedmont’s finest white grape, at its heart,  Gavi di Gavi is distinguished by a crisp, floral peachy aromatic quality.

Pecorino (Marche) – Also found in the Abruzzo region of Italy, a classic Pecorino wine is dry and minerally, straw yellow in colour, and has an elegant floral boutique of acacia and jasmine, sometimes faintly spiked with liquorice.

The Reds:

Aglianico (Campania) – Originally from Greece and brought to the south of Italy by Greek settlers, the aglianico grape produces full bodied red wines with the very best examples offering aromas of chocolate and plum.

Primitvo (Puglia) – translating in Italian as ‘early ripening’, the primitvo grape produces wines that are rich and full bodied with flavours of blueberries, fresh figs and baked blackberries. The same grape produces Californian Zinfandel.

 Plus: Rose Malvasia (Puglia) – A light and fruity wine, Malvasia is one of Italy’s most widely planted grapes and produces a refreshing wine with flavours of sweet apple, ripe pears and lemon.

Pasta Festa is running on Fridays throughout March (3, 10, 17, 24 and 31),  call 01383 726669, or book online at www.ciaoitalia.co.uk.