Apericena (a-pair-ee-chaina) - a social hour that begins as an aperitivo and segues effortlessly into a wine-filled dinner.

At Restaurant Olivia, we're thrilled to continue our Apericena Wine Education series, using this relaxed format as a platform where wine takes center stage, complemented by a lighter, multi-course dinner.

Our quest for native grapes and overlooked regions takes us, for the first time, to Puglia: the heel of the boot, and one of the oldest continuously farmed winegrowing landscapes on the Italian peninsula.

Masseria Li Veli sits in the province of Brindisi, deep in the Salento peninsula, on the southern slopes of the Murgia plateau. A masseria is a fortified stone farmhouse, part castle and part farm, built from the 16th century onward to house workers and defend them from pirates and bandits. This one has an unusual second life. In 1895, the economist Marchese Antonio de Viti de Marco restored the ruin into a model wine cellar, an experiment in what quality winemaking could do for the economy of the entire Italian south. It ran until the 1950s, then fell silent.

The Falvo family, bought the estate in 1999 and picked up where de Viti de Marco left off. Since 2008 it has been run by brothers Edoardo and Alfredo Falvo: 33 hectares of estate vineyards on sun-drenched carparo limestone, farmed for one purpose, which is to set the quality benchmark for Salento.

Owner and CEO, Alfredo, is our special guest for the night, guiding the conversation around our community table as we taste through the estate's entire lineup. We’ll be exploring hyper native grapes such as Verdeca, Fiano, the near-extinct Susumaniello that Li Veli helped bring back from the brink, Negroamaro and Primitivo. Each wine tells a unique story of place and typicity. In addition, our culinary team has created a menu of hearty stuzzichini (small bites), a dedicated pasta course, and dessert.

Expect an evening full of discovery, education, and lively conversation.

Reception at 6:00, sit-down tasting begins at 6:15.