Central Bottle Wine & Provisions, a Cambridge wine bar and store, offers private tastings for groups. The shop, which opened in November, emphasizes wine pairings with food, serving a menu of cicchetti—bite-sized Venetian snacks like salt cod brandade with olives on toast and pickled white anchovies. Tastings can have an educational focus as well. The shop has a 52-inch television that can be used for virtual chats (via Skype) with winemakers from all over the world. Or the staff of wine professionals can provide background information.
The space can accommodate about 75 people, or Central Bottle can hold tastings at nearby restaurant Blue Room, which has a new private wine lounge that seats 12. Tastings start at $25 a person for three three-ounce pours of wine and cicchetti with each glass. Full buy-outs of the shop are available for an additional fee depending on the day of the week.
