Puglian Pleasures

It’s no big secret that I’m a big fan of wine but my other passion is chocolate and my absolute favourite is Lindor truffles by Lindt. So, when I heard that Cioccolateria Carone was hosting a Lindt festival to kick start the festive season, I just had to go! So, I called a couple of girl friends and asked them to come along with me, they didn’t need much persuading!

We were greeted by the iconic Lindt teddy bear; huge inflatable teddies, which we couldn’t pass without posing for a quick photo shoot! (Photo taken by a passerby, hence the poor quality but it captured the moment adequately!). Then we were lured to the Lindor truffle filling station. I was in heaven! People stood dribbling (or at least I was), patiently waiting for the master chocolatier to fill to truffles with silky smooth Lindt chocolate. Next was the heavenly Lindt chocolate fountain, where we were able to sample the warm, almost orgasmic, pure Lindt chocolate in a glass. WOW!!!

Feeling the urge to buy some chocolate we ventured into the store, which was established in 1951. I was literally like a kid in a sweet shop, or rather in a chocolate shop, even better!!! After much mouth-watering deliberation, we made our purchases and decided it was wine time!

We headed into ‘Centro storico’ the Old town of Mesagne and soon realised everyone was at the chocolate festival; the town was eerily quiet. Wandering through the old town we stumbled upon a fabulous bar, well actually it’s a ‘vineria’ wine bar and shop; Giudamino. They have a large courtyard outside where they hold Jazz and other musical events throughout the summer and blankets over the backs of the chairs for those milder evening. In fact, people were still sitting outside at the end of November but the warmth of the cosy bar, with its twinkling lights and rather handsome owner, Bruno. I persuaded the girls to venture inside and share an excellent bottle of red, Pietraluna, which is produced by a local cantina; Torre Guaceto. The fabulous red was accompanied by a small platter of local meats and cheese.

Giudamino is a family run business which was established 4 years ago. Bruno, with his good looks and charm, courteously tends to the needs of his the clients, while his brother assists with the wine bar and his parents prepare delicious antipasti and desserts ‘fatto a casa’, homemade.

Inside Giudamino, there’s an array of excellent wines to choose from and the somewhat rustic deco has a warm and intimate feel to it. Tucked away in the corner, almost hidden, was a grand piano; now I know that sounds like an oxymoron but it’s true, I didn’t even notice it but my friend did and she kindly asked Bruno if it would be ok to play a little tune. Of course he graciously agreed!

All-in-all a fabulous evening, and now I have two favourite places to visit in Mesagne that satisfies my desires; chocolate and wine; Cioccolateria Carone  and Giudamino.