As the old saying goes: When in Stratford-upon-Avon, do as the Romans do.

Or at least that’s my new motto after visiting Veeno Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar last week.

Located in the town’s buzzing Bell Court restaurant & shopping hub - just a short walk from tourist hotspots Shakespeare’s Birthplace and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre - this stylish, family-owned wine bar & restaurant chain boasts a total of eight branches across the UK. Each of them serves up a carefully selected menu of handpicked wines, classic cocktails and aperitifs, presented alongside a generous serving of Italian pasta, pizza and classic bruschetta dishes. And that’s before we even get onto the signature chef’s sharing board!

Fuelled by a passion for authentic Sicilian produce, what makes this franchise unique is its handpicked selection of 15-plus house wines, home-grown on the family vineyards of Giumarella and Cutaja in the southern Italian province of Trapini. And, for when flying first-class to soak up the Sicillian sunshine isn’t an option, Veeno’s Trip To Sicily Wine Tasting experience is the perfect way to embrace the best of what this family-owned franchise has to offer.

Settling into our rustic surroundings, our 90-minute masterclass in Sicilian wine-tasting consisted of six 75ml glasses of house wine (two white, one rose, two reds and one dessert wine). These were accompanied by an impressive and generously proportioned sharing board of hand-prepared Italian meats, speciality cheeses and bruschetta, priced at £34.95 per person.

Sceptics take note: If, a bit like me, the very idea of an assisted wine-tasting fills you with fear, I urge you to leave your worries at the door. Whether you are an aficionada of the grape or a first-time taster, Veeno’s unpretentious approach to service instantly put us at our ease. This was thanks - in large part - to our laidback sommelier, Elena, who was both effortlessly warm and impressively knowledgeable (but never patronising).

Working our way through the menu, our tasting journey began with a glass of the Inzolia Terre Sicilliane; a sharp (if uncommonly flavoured) white wine, punctuated with notes of mango and pineapple, which was smooth on the tongue yet came with a subtle, dry aftertaste. Great for special occasions (if not for every day), it was perfectly paired with the savoury, salty flavours of Italian cured and smoked ham and green olives as recommended by our guide.

By complete contrast, the Grecanico, a mid-dry white wine not dissimilar in flavour to a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, was deliciously light, fruity and refreshing, as well as infinitely drinkable. The perfect accompaniment to a cool midsummer’s evening.

As a white-wine drinker by default, perhaps the biggest surprise of the night came in the form of the Tasari, Syra Rosé wine - a beautifully balanced and lightly fruit-flavoured number, blush with the colours of a Mediterranean summer garden. It was here that the expertise of our guide once again came into its own. The recommendation of pecorino cheese and spicy bruschetta with spreadable nduja spicy sausage provided the perfect complement to the sweet, fruity notes of pomegranate, raspberry and strawberries.

If red wine is your aperitivo of choice, the Cusora Cabernet Sauvignon comes highly recommended. Delicate in flavour and smooth to the taste, who could resist the pairing of this elegant, fruity number with a salty slice of serrano ham, savoury focaccia bread and vegan fig jam. Bliss!

And whilst early spring in Stratford-upon-Avon might not have been the ideal time of year in which to sample the Cutaja Nero d’Avola - an intensely rich, 14% volume red white, not unlike a dessert wine in consistency and colour - one could not think of a more perfect celebration wine for when the nights draw in. Grown from the Avola grape, on the gravel banks of the nearby river, one could almost taste the flavours of earth and stone, amidst the rich and sweet notes of winter berries and prunes, which again found their perfect counterpart in the recommended appetiser of salty parmesan cheese and serrano ham. Bellissima!

Rounding off our evening with a delicious portion of home-made Tiramisu, our final serving of the Tagos Grillo Sicillia was, in every way, worth the wait. Intensely sweet, nectar-like in texture yet surprisingly easy to drink despite its higher-than-average alcohol content, this deliciously rich dessert wine was worth the visit alone!

For the armchair adventurers amongst you, Veeno Restaurant & Wine Bar also offers a diverse range of tasting experiences to suit all palates. These are as follows: A three-course wine-tasting dinner (£31.95 per person); Quattro Rossi Red Wine tasting experience (£24.95 per person); Italian Afternoon Tea (£19.95 per person) featuring meat and cheese-filled panninis, cake and cannoli; Bottomless Pizza & Fizz (£29.95); and a two-hour Cocktail Masterclass in mixology, courtesy of Veeno’s in-house bartenders (£44.95 per person). And for the godfather of all birthdays - Veeno’s also offers a range of gift cards as standard.

When it comes to the quintessential wine-tasting experience, few cultures come close to the Italians in pairing great flavours with great company, and it is this philosophy which underpins everything that Veeno’s wine bar does.

Taking inspiration from the Italian tradition of ‘aperitivo’ - where friends and family come together to relax over a glass of wine or a light cocktail and appetisers ahead of dinner - Veeno’s warm and relaxed ambience, coupled with its personalised approach to flavour-pairings, is the ray of Sicilian sunshine that we all need in our lives, whether celebrating a special occasion or simply stopping off for a post-work drink with friends after a busy day.

For an authentic taste of Sicily via Stratford-upon-Avon… it’s a five-star ‘saluti’ from me.

***** Katherine Ewing