Newport, RI - August 26, 2009 - The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar, located on Sayer's Wharf in Newport, RI, will host an Antinori wine dinner on Thursday, September 24th.  Aldo Rafanelli, Brand Ambassador, will lead guests through each selection of wine as they are paired with an elegant four-course dinner prepared by Chef Adi Mandel and his culinary team.

A reception will begin at 6:30 p.m.; dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m.  The cost is $80.00 per person; tax and gratuity are additional.  For more information or to make a reservation, please call 401.846.2260.

The evening will begin with a selection of hors d'oeuvres, including Scallop Carpaccio with jicama slaw and orange crème; Grilled Chicken Crostini with asiago and pancetta; and Roasted Sweet Corn and Jonah Crab Fritter with lemon aïoli, all paired with the 2007 Villa Antinori Toscana Bianco, featuring an intense nose with hints of spring flowers and a lingering aromatic flavor.

Dinner will begin with a Vanilla Poached Lobster Tail with fedjoa pasta and preserved lemon cream, paired with the 2007 Bramíto del Cervo Chardonnay, featuring fruity aromas with nice hints of vanilla and toast.

A dish of pan seared Monkfish with fresh papardelle pasta and pancetta-plum tomato "gravy" will follow, served with the 2006 Pèppoli Chianti Classico, showing intense red fruit aromas, especially red currants and raspberries, enhanced by hints of vanilla and coffee.

The evening's third course will feature a Veal Duo: Florentine-stuffed veal loin with milk braised parsnips and braised veal cheeks with horseradish gremolata and sweet potato-walnut risotto, paired with the 2005 Guado al Tasso, IGT, which offers subtle and fragrant aromas of red berries, chocolate and liquorice and blueberries and a hint of vanilla on the palate, and the 2006 Tignanello, IGT, featuring balanced ripe red fruit and spicy aromas on the nose and a full palate with chocolate and citrus fruits.

The evening will conclude with Toasted Almond Biscotti; Roasted Seckle Pear; and whipped Mascarpone, Roasted Fig, and Golden Raisin Baklava with toasted fennel honey, complemented by the 2004 Vinsanto del Chianti Classico, featuring complex aromas with hints of honey and dried fruit.

About Aldo Rafanelli

Aldo was born and raised in Florence, Italy and graduated from the Agriculture School of Florence.  In the early 1970's he participated as vineyard consultant in what has been called "the renaissance of the Italian wine industry," at which time he met with influential producers, including Piero Antinori.

Aldo moved to New York in 1979 with his American wife and first son, where he began working in sales and marketing of fine Italian wines across the USA.  In 1987 he joined Antinori as their sole USA representative.  Currently, Aldo works for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the newly appointed USA distributor for Antinori wines, with the title of National Business Development, Antinori.

Aldo's hobbies are fly fishing, cooking and the search for rare honey, in no particular order or discipline, always enjoying the company of his family, friends and associates.  Aldo lives in Tarrytown, New York with his wife Camilla.  They have two sons, Marco and Alessandro, who have inherited their father's passion for food and wine.

About Antinori

The Antinori family has been making wine for over six hundred years, since Giovanni di Piero Antinori became part of the Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri in 1385. Throughout its long history, spanning 26 generations, the family has always personally managed the business making innovative, sometimes courageous choices, always with unwavering respect for tradition and the land.

Today, Marchese Piero Antinori is director of the company, assisted by his three daughters, Albiera, Allegra and Alessia, who are personally involved in the business. The qualities of tradition, passion and instinct have made Antinori one of the leading Italian producers of fine quality wines.

Every vintage, every terroir, every idea is a new beginning, a new quest to raise our quality margins. As Marchese Piero loves to repeat: "ancient roots play an important role in our philosophy, but they have never held back our spirit of innovation."

As well as the family's traditional heritage of estates in Tuscany and Umbria, investments have been made over time in other areas highly suited to quality wine production, in Italy and abroad, in a quest to promote new terroirs, rich in winegrowing potential.

Antinori continually experiment with their vineyards and cellars, with selections of native and international clones, growing methods, vineyard altitudes, fermentation methods and temperatures, traditional and modern vinification techniques, types of wood, size and age of barrels, and various bottle-aging periods.

About The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar

A legendary dining experience 28 years in the making, the Mooring Seafood Kitchen and Bar elevates the Newport seafood tradition to a new level.  The newly renovated restaurant offers an expanded menu, fusing unique and distinctive flavors with "top-of-catch" seafood, the finest cuts of beef, and locally grown, organic produce.  The cuisine is complemented with one of New England's most award-winning wine lists, featuring more than 750 fine labels.  The Mooring's 25-plus page wine list can be downloaded at their website at www.mooringrestaurant.com.  For more information, please call (401) 846-2260.

The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar is a subsidiary of Newport Restaurant Group, a division of Newport Harbor Corp., an employee-owned (ESOP) hospitality company, located in Newport, RI.  For more information on Newport Harbor Corporation, please visit the website at www.newportharbor.com.