Last time I visited New York City, I had the pleasure of stopping by Eataly – an Italian food mecca. With its variety of restaurants, food and beverage counters, cooking school, and more, it’s no wonder that it’s the world’s largest Italian marketplace. After I left, I was itching to have one back home. Luckily, I found out that La Centrale, Miami’s first Italian food hall, was coming to South Florida this December.

I was so excited to be invited to an intimate preview tasting in the private home of co-managing partner Jacopo Giustiniani, who hosted alongside his co-managing partner Matthias Kiehm. The cocktail soirée celebrated the upcoming opening of the 40,000 square-foot, three-level dining mecca, which I’m excited to visit later this month when it opens its doors at Brickell City Centre.

That evening, I sampled so much deliciousness throughout various tasting stations. From a ridiculous charcuterie spread to exquisite grilled octopus to fresh, homemade pasta – each taste represented a signature dish created by Executive Chef Vincenzo Scarmiglia for the eatery.

I sipped on an Italian wine all night – a 2016 Batasiolo Gavi del Comune di Gavi Granée. This wine is straw yellow in color and was fresh and floral on the nose. It was on the dryer side, how I like it, and was crisp and refreshing with nice minerality. I found it online for about $17.99 and you can find it later this month at La Centrale. 3.5/5.

At the end of the night, I received the best of goodie bags, which brought a peice of La Centrale home with me. Along with a quality olive oil, a scented candle, and sambuca, I found a pre-packaged ready-to-make portion of pasta bolognese (nom AF!). Definitely my kind of party!