Planeta Wines at Svago, KLCC, Malaysia

Piano notes tinkle in the background, as we sit at the picture windows overlooking the KLCC fountains. Svago strives for a cosmopolitan elegance and I imagine the sleek after work crowd enjoys slipping in to perch at the bar before a late dinner. Tonight we are blessed to be enjoying a wine pairing experience. Executive chef Felice has created carefully crafted canapes to showcase Planeta’s acclaimed Sicilian wines.  The Planeta family is imbued with Sicilian history and has been making wines on their Sambuca di Sicilia Estate since the 1980s.  Simone Di Domizio, Planeta’s Asian Export Manager, welcomes us into the evening, claiming that the wines represent an international expression of Sicily being frank, open and fruity.

La Segreta Bianco and Gingko Nuts

We’re enjoying La Segreta Bianco, a clear, slightly yellow wine in colour, with aromas of citrus, pineapple and white peach.  It’s a light fresh wine, ideal for starting the evening with our first food tasting being an Arancine Rossi. The wine cleanly cuts through the stickiness of the beetroot risotto ball, while the soft calamari with pesto enhances the citrusy notes of the wine, making for one tasty mouthful after another.

Arancine Rossi – Beetroot risotto ball topped with pesto calamari paired with La Segreta Bianco

Smoked Duck Breast with Grilled Ginkgo Nuts is quick to follow, paired with a big buttery chardonnay, golden yellow with aromas of peach, honey and vanilla. The lightly smoked and deliciously salty canapé brings out the fruity appeal of the Chardonnay Igt Sicilia, which we are told is considered to be one of the best in the world. Simone encourages us, ‘If it’s empty, you liked it, ask for another one!’

Smoked Duck Breast with Chardonnay IGT Sicilia

La Segreta Rosso is a young, light red glistening in the evening light with raspberry hues. On the nose a light perfume, on tasting very fresh on the palate. Though still young I imagine it good for an afternoon with laughter and friends, with its mulberry, plum and balsamic notes. The beef carpaccio with rocket and aged pecorino cheese is a perfect foil to this particular wine. The beef is superbly fresh; melt in the mouth Wagyu, the cheese pungent thin shavings with cracked black pepper. The wine freshens on each subsequent mouthful.

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio on rocket topped with cherry tomato and aged pecorino Romano paired with Le Segreta Rosso

Herb crusted baby lamb chop on the rack is so good we ask for seconds. It’s paired with the Maroccoli Syrah, which has a syrupy of blackcurrant to the nose. On tasting, it’s dry and full, with peppery clove and cinnamon notes. Ah yes, Morocco! It’s all coming clear now; the wine is well named for a sweetly spicy North African flavour.  The lamb is pink and tender bite to pick up in your hand, the sweet acid of balsamic cutting through. This, I think to myself, would go well also with spicy food, like curry or chili.

Herb Crusted Lambloin Provencal Style paired with Maroccoli Syrah IGT Sicilia

The Sito Dellumo Merlot is round and vibrant, hitting the front of the tongue beautifully, filling the mouth with its velvety texture, leaving a lingering chocolaty aftertaste. We thought we’d had our favourite pairing; think again! For the merlot, chef has created original cannelloni, stuffed with truffle mushrooms and ricotta, coated in an orange tomato sauce. It’s delicious and truly brings out the flavour of the wine. The fatty texture of this dish stimulates oral pleasure zones velvety while the slight acidity of the wine cuts through the creamy sauce cleansing the palate ready to enjoy the next mouthful. Maximum enjoyment. We hope that this dish it makes it onto the regular menu, it’s divine!

Ricotta and Truffle Mushroom Stuffed Cannelloni paired with Sito Dell’ Ulmo Merlot

Full glass in hand, Simone waxes lyrical about his passions for wine and life. ‘We work with emotion. I don’t sell wine, I sell to people, an occasion to get a pleasant feeling. To get emotion, we choose to drink wine. To enjoy the moment and enjoy the food and enjoy the people.’ We enjoyed it all. But with the canapé pairings, Chef Felice has excelled himself, bringing out the hidden qualities of each wine with perfectly matched food. The food tonight was original and unique; Svago’s reputation for high-class contemporary cuisine with an Italian twist remains intact.

Svago