When a reader wrote in a recent email that Jonathan Parker is her go-to guy for wine advice, I realized it had been ages since I’d been to Parker’s Table, his evolving Richmond Heights shop.
Parker’s Table used to be in Clayton, and I was heartbroken when that cozy wine and Italian food market closed in 2009. However, it reopened in 2012 at its current location, 7118 Oakland Avenue.
The shop is housed in a 1928 building that once served as a post office, and Parker has been gradually remodeling the space since it first opened offering wine, beer and a limited selection of specialty food items.
After receiving the reader’s email, I decided it was time for a visit and was so pleased to see how far Parker’s Table has evolved. It has turned into an absolutely charming space with tables and comfy chairs, displays of artisanal pastas, small batch chocolates and other goodies. A counter is also stocked with cheese and sausages.
Parker’s Table now has wine-tasting events in the shop and is also available for private parties accommodating up to 35 people. By summer, Parker expects to have the kitchen completed. It will be run by pastry chef Summer Wright, who will oversee the shop’s planned wholesale and retail bakery operation.
Meanwhile, wine remains a strong focus of the shop, and I decided to concentrate on the Italian selection during my recent visit. I was happy to find a variety of whites because far too often, pinot grigio is just about all you can find. Because I wanted to try something different, I chose the Farnese 2012 Fantini Trebbiano d’Abruzzo priced at $11.99 and the Andrea Felici 2011 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore priced at $14.99.
Both wines come from appellations in east-central Italy that face the Adriatic Sea. Because of that, it seems to make perfect sense that both of these wines would go well with seafood. They are both light-bodied, crisp, uncomplicated wines that are pleasing and very easy to drink.
Trebbiano is extensively planted throughout the world and is even used in some red wines. For example in Tuscany, the wine production laws specify that Chianti reds must contain a certain amount of trebbiano. In France, the grape is called ugni blanc and it is used to make brandy, including Cognac and Armagnac.
The Fantini Trebbiano d’Abruzzo was the more delicate of the two wines I purchased. A blend of 85 percent trebbiano and 15 percent malvasia, the trebbiano was dry but not bone dry. It was fresh and fruity with an alcohol level of 12 percent.
Verdicchio is grown primarily in Italy’s Marche region of east-central Italy. The name comes from verde or green and refers to the slight green/yellow hue of the wine. It is the main grape in wines from the two Marche appellations: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Verdicchio di Matelica.
In the 1960s and 1970s, verdicchio was quite popular and was sold in bottles shaped like an amphora or a fish. I’ve even seen the bottle nicknamed “Lollo” after the famous actress Gina Lollobrigida.
The verdiccchio has a bit more body and complexity than the trebbiano and a slightly higher alcohol level of 13 percent. It also fresh and fruity with a touch of bitter almond in the finish.
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