Dinner becomes a wine lesson in Sicily. At Leonarda Tardi Supper Club, culinary craft meets Sicily wine tasting in a real home-table setting run by innkeeper Calogero. You’ll get a full gastronomic meal where each course is paired with a specific wine, so you taste with a purpose, not just for fun.

What I love most is how the meal stays grounded in local, fresh, seasonal ingredients, cooked as a careful sequence. I also love the clarity of the program: four wines, four main courses, and pairing choices tied directly to what lands on your plate.

One thing to consider is timing. This runs as a structured 3-hour experience in either the lunch window or the dinner window, so it’s best if your day can flex around those set hours.

Key highlights you should know

• Calogero’s home-restaurant setup focuses on local traditions with thoughtful pairings
• Four wine tastings matched course-by-course to your meal
• A set menu with named pairings, including Alikase Chardonnay and LUNEDDA Grillo
• Small group limit (max 12 participants) for a more personal dining rhythm
• English offered so you won’t feel lost during the wine and food explanations
• Coffee and/or tea included, so the experience doesn’t end with the last sip

Leonarda Tardi Supper Club in Salaparuta, run like a home meal

This isn’t a big tasting room. Leonarda Tardi Supper Club is set up like a home restaurant experience, with the host role centered on Calogero. The whole point is that the cooking and the wine pairing feel connected, not like separate “activities” you shuttle between.

You’re in Salaparuta, a Sicilian base that makes the experience feel specific rather than generic. The meal is built around locally sourced ingredients that are fresh and seasonal, cooked into a refined lineup. That matters because it changes the vibe from “event dining” to “you’re here for a real meal.”

The group size is capped at 12 participants. For you, that usually means less crowd noise and more time for questions. For the host, it means courses can land at a comfortable pace without everything feeling rushed.

Price and what you get for $94.93 in Sicily

$94.93 per person is a serious spend, but you’re not paying just for wine. The price covers alcoholic beverages for tastings of four wines, plus coffee and/or tea. On top of that, the lunch or dinner format includes a multi-course meal with pairing.

Lunch is scheduled from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm with tasting of 4 wines paired with 4 main courses. Dinner runs from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm with tasting of 4 wines paired with main courses. In both cases, you’re getting the wine experience plus a full dining program built around it.

If you love food and wine pairing, the value is in the structure. You get a guided tasting logic tied to what you’re eating, including named wines and named dishes. If you’re expecting a short snack-and-sip stop, this will feel more like a planned meal event.

How to show up: meeting point, timing, and the simple setup

You meet at Via Giovanni Boccaccio, 25, 91020 Salaparuta TP, Italy. The activity ends back at the meeting point, so you aren’t left figuring out the “last mile” alone.

You’ll use a mobile ticket, and the tour is offered in English. Confirmation is sent within 48 hours of booking, depending on availability. That’s helpful because it keeps the last part of planning straightforward.

If you’re coming from outside Salaparuta, transportation might be the biggest practical question. A private transport service is possible for €20 per person, with a maximum distance of 1 hour away. If you’re not local, it’s worth asking early rather than guessing.

The meal and wine lineup: 4 courses, 4 named pairings

This is the heart of the experience: a set menu with wine pairing decisions that map to each course. Here’s what you’ll eat and taste.

Starter: Ricotta cream soup with mint and bottarga, paired with Alikase Chardonnay

You start with a ricotta cream soup that includes mint and bottarga. That combination is a smart pairing target because creamy textures like this typically need wines that can handle rich mouthfeel without flattening the flavors.

Your pairing here is Alikase Chardonnay. Even if you don’t obsess over varietal profiles, the big takeaway for you is that the host isn’t guessing randomly. The course is paired to balance the feel of dairy (ricotta) with the salty intensity and complexity that bottarga brings, plus the freshness from mint.

Practical tip: start slow and let each spoonful and each sip work together before you rush to the next course. This kind of pairing is designed to be tasted in sequence.

Main: Cous Cous alla Norma, paired with LUNEDDA Grillo

Next comes Cous Cous alla Norma, served with a pairing of LUNEDDA Grillo. This is where the experience leans into Sicilian identity. You’re eating a dish with strong local association, then tasting a wine chosen to match the overall character rather than overpower it.

For you, the value is that the pairing is explicitly named, so you can remember what worked. Grillo is a common Sicilian grape, and tasting it alongside this dish helps you build a mental map for where flavors meet on the palate.

Note: the menu doesn’t list specific ingredients beyond the dish name, so if you have dietary restrictions, this is the moment to ask direct questions about anything you need to avoid.

Main: Cunzato bread, paired with a Catarratto-Chardonnay blend

Then you get Cunzato bread, paired with a Catarratto-Chardonnay blend. Bread courses are often underestimated at wine events, but they matter. Bread can absorb, soften, and carry flavors across sips, so pairings like this tend to make the wine feel more integrated with the whole meal.

This pairing is also a good moment to pay attention to how a blend behaves differently than a single-varietal wine. You’re tasting two grapes together, so your palate learns what combination tastes like in real food context.

Main: Parmesan medallion, paired with Alikase Nero d’Avola

For the final main course, you’ll eat a Parmesan medallion paired with Alikase Nero d’Avola. The name alone tells you this is the “heartier” plate of the menu. Parmesan adds saltiness and umami, and that style of dish usually benefits from a wine that can stand up to rich flavors.

This is a strong closing pairing because you end on an iconic Sicilian red choice that has a clear job in the food cycle: bring weight, structure, and a satisfying finish after earlier courses.

Coffee and/or tea to end the meal

After the wine and courses, coffee and/or tea are included. It’s a small detail, but it helps you reset your palate so you don’t stumble out of the experience with only alcohol on your tongue.

Lunch or dinner, and how to plan your day around a set program

The experience runs about 3 hours. It’s offered in two time windows: lunch from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm, and dinner from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

That means you should treat it like a real meal with a beginning and end, not like a flexible stop you can squeeze into any time. If you’re juggling other plans, book the rest of your day with buffer time before and after.

Also, because alcoholic tastings of four wines are part of the program, plan around that. If you’re staying in Sicily, you likely won’t want to drive after the experience. If you’re relying on local transportation, check schedules in advance.

English service and what that means for your wine pairing

The tour is offered in English. That matters because wine pairing works best when you understand the “why,” not only the “what.” Even with a set menu, you’ll benefit from the explanations during the tastings, and you’ll be able to ask basic questions comfortably.

If your wine vocabulary is limited, that’s okay. A good home restaurant tasting is usually built around clear, practical guidance: how the wine interacts with the food you’re eating. You don’t need to be a sommelier to get value out of that.

Small group size: why max 12 participants feels different

With a maximum group size of 12 participants, the dining rhythm tends to feel more human. That can make a difference in a few ways:

• Courses can be paced without everyone waiting as one giant wave.
• You’re more likely to hear pairings clearly.
• The host can respond to questions instead of rushing through information for a full room.

This kind of setup is also part of what the best feedback is pointing to. People strongly appreciate the local feel of eating like it’s someone’s home, not like you’re queued for a show.

Who should book Leonarda Tardi Supper Club?

I think this works best for you if you want a Sicilian food-and-wine evening that feels personal and grounded. It’s a great fit for:

• Couples or small groups who like structured tastings
• Food lovers who enjoy a set menu without constant choice
• Anyone who wants to taste four Sicilian wines paired with a real meal
• People traveling with an interest in home-style hospitality in Salaparuta

If you’re the type who needs total freedom to customize your meal, this may feel limiting because the program follows set courses and named pairings. Also, because the minimum age for tasting is 18, it’s an adults-only style of experience.

Should you book this home wine tasting?

Book it if you want a focused, high-value tasting meal where the wine is connected to what you eat, course by course. The strongest reasons are simple: the program includes four wine tastings plus a full lunch or dinner, and the food is prepared around fresh, seasonal ingredients. Calogero’s home-restaurant approach adds warmth, not stiffness.

Skip it or think twice if your schedule cannot accommodate a set 3-hour window, because lunch and dinner are fixed in timing. Also consider whether you’re comfortable with alcoholic tastings included in the experience.

If you’re choosing between a quick wine stop and a real seated meal with pairings, this one leans toward the meal. And honestly, that’s where most people get the most meaning out of Sicilian wine.

FAQ

How long is the Leonarda Tardi Supper Club experience?

It runs for about 3 hours.

What is included in the price?

You get tastings of 4 wines with the meal, plus coffee and/or tea. Lunch includes the tasting with 4 main courses, and dinner includes the tasting with main courses.

Where is the meeting point?

Via Giovanni Boccaccio, 25, 91020 Salaparuta TP, Italy.

Is the experience offered in English?

Yes, it is offered in English.

What time is lunch and what time is dinner?

Lunch runs from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Dinner runs from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

What is the minimum age for the tasting?

The minimum age for tasting is 18.

How many people are in a group?

The experience has a maximum of 12 participants.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel for free up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, based on the local start time. If you cancel less than 24 hours before, the amount paid is not refunded.