I am writing this review far from Reading in a village in Wales that used to have a bank. It closed down and the next village became the closest bank. And that closed down. And then the nearest town (18 miles away) had the nearest bank. And, yes, you guessed... I have no idea where you can find a branch of any bank in Wales any more. I think they have all gone offshore. Even in Reading, a town that used to have thirty banks, there are barely more than a handful left.

Which neatly sets up my premise for this month's review that no one under 50 will appreciate. 'Your bank has become a trendy wine bar'.

That was quite a trend in the 80s and 90s. But wine bars ? What happened to them ? Now there seem to be more banks than wine bars. Wine bars were places you could go and not come out smelling of fags having had a nice plate of cheese with your Beaujolais Nouveau on a cold November night. They launched at a time when the UK was moving beyond Blue Nun and Matteus Rose into Bulgarian and Australian wines. Gradually they paired off with local pubs and had babies like the Slug & Lettuce and All Bar One chains that, theoretically gave you the best of both worlds.

Vino Vita used to be part of a chain called Veeno before going it alone. So, today, it is an independent wine bar with Italian grub. Rather good wine and nice grub, it has to be said.

It had been my intention to test the menu, but somehow we ended up with the mixed platter for two and a very fine wine I had never encountered before (and I have encountered most wines, my friends..). Aglianico is a fine, deep and strong Calabrian wine from that area of Italy just above the foot and on its way to Sicilly.

So the reasonably lengthy menu of Italian favourites remained untroubled, I'm afraid, as we tucked into our lovely dark deep tipple on an autumn day with the leaves swirling from Forbury Park to the now empty outside seating area, which is a great bolt hole on a summer's evening.

But, of course, we got the nibble by around 3pm and ordered the sharing plate.

 

After all, this is a restaurant review and Vino Vita manages to walk a tightrope between being a traditional wine bar and a fully fledged restaurant with a full menu including pastas and pizzas.

However, the decor and the furniture has remained largely unchanged since its Veeno days, so you are confused about where you eat and where you drink and nibble. I think the idea is that it really doesn't matter. However, at my age, with the weight of too many a dinner out on my girth, I do not like to totter as I eat a meal. So, nibbles (as you can see above, that may well be the understatement of the year) on stools - tick; pizza on stools - well maybe; pasts on stools - uhuh...

So, the Grande Board it was (there is also a Grandissimo Board, but I'd hazard a guess we would have had to totter across two high tables to fit such a monster plate between us.

The dish of meats and cheese and crudités and olives was a veritable Italian smorgasbord (can you use that word for anything non-Scandinavian ?) of deliciousness.

I remember previously trying it under its previous guise and thinking that the equivalent dish at the nearby Carluccio's was better coming with courgettes and a bit more variety. But no more. My lunch guest and I spent three hours and two bottles over this delicious spread. It is curious that the two Italians left in central Reading are within a hundred yards of each other, begging comparison).

My main criticism was that the cheese constituent was somewhat paltry and samey - three softish cheeses (I forgot to ask what they were, but none stood out). There were copious amounts of meat - mortadella, proscuttio braesola and salami if my rather hazy memory is correct. There werer three dips based on a tapenade, a garlicky chaeese and tomato plus the obligatory olive oil and basalmic.

The bread was generous, but more focaccia was called for. There was a lot of taralli, the rounded biscuit like snack loved in Southern Italy, but something not to my taste, and olives and grapes.

It was a delightful spread. A perfect excuse for drinking too much red wine on a Wednesday afternoon. But then we were old school, brought up at a time when business was done after a hearty lunch and then you went home (have you ever watched Mad Men ?).

For me  Aglianico was a discovery. A totally new Campanian revalation. Thick, rich sweet and deep. It just suited an afternoon of deep discussion and wide ranging meats, cheese and accompaniments perfectly. When I ran a business in Italian in the deep dark past my biggest take away was not how good the food was, but how difficult it was to get some of the best wines in the world outside its borders. Instead it became an excuse to visit often...

Indeed, buy me a glass or two and I will regale you with tales from my honeymoon, when we passed through this deep region of Italy and in Pizzo, in the harbour, had a full on encounter with an 'Ndrangheta godfather, along with moll and bodyguard... But this is Reading and the lovely Greek manager looked after us royally with no need to check the kitchens for shooters on the way in. Although after that wine i migth have tried to leave by the kitchen door.

This is a lovely independent trader that Reading desperately needs. The location is a bit awkward, especially that everyone now works from home, but if you are on a blind date or on a catch up with your friends, or especially want that most unfashionable of things, a boozy lunch, make this a destination.