Satisfying Palates and Palettes

Westville resident David Sepulveda sent in this photo and write-up about one of his favorite local events.

It’s Friday just after after five p.m. Like clock-work, familiar faces duck off of the traffic bottleneck at Whalley and West Rock Avenues and into a small wine shop to enjoy a brief respite from the week’s bustle.

Westville Wines opened in May of 2008, replacing one of those ubiquitous convenience stores and its fortress-like facade. It was a welcomed development in Westville Village’s continued evolution as an arts and cultural center and a boon to those who prefer a little ambiance with their convenience. Owner Sanjay Patil​‘s (Sunny to friends) extensive selection of domestic and imported wines, however, is only part of the attraction.

Holding ​“court” each week, is wine connoisseur and educator Elliot Brause (at left in photo), former owner of the Quality Wine Shop on Broadway which served the New Haven and Yale communities for four decades. Elliot’s enthusiasm for wine continues to be expressed with each pouring at Westville Wine’s free, Friday wine tastings. Between examinations of the wines’ nose, color, taste and finish, Elliot regales customers with in-depth histories of wines, their vintners, and engaging anecdotes not necessarily tied to grape-vine lore. The offering of tasty cheese and crackers, he instructs, is designed to ​“clear the palette, coat the tongue and take the edge off of the natural acidity of the wines.”

Though Elliot continues to teach wine seminars at Yale, he sees the wine tastings as an opportunity to serve Westville’s ethnically diverse population and ​“a wonderful chance to bring neighborhood residents together socially, as well as educationally.”

Seating is limited, but plenty of standing room affords you a great view of another of the shop’s unique amenities. Welcoming customers, are the large energized paintings of artist and instructor Steven DiGiovanni (at right in photo). Steven is the Director of Painting and Drawing at New Haven’s Creative Arts Workshop on Audubon Street, and also teaches painting classes at the University of Hartford and Norwalk Community College. On Fridays, he uses the occasion of his weekly one-man, one-painting exhibition, to sample and stock up on wines that impress his palate. He lives just across the street in one of the recently constructed ArLoW buildings that house artists’ lofts, the street-level Jennifer Jane photo and Hungry Eye galleries and Manjares, a new coffee/pastry shop.

The confluence of wine and art continues to attract a growing number of regulars who linger, enjoying the offerings and robust conversation reminiscent of the art salons of another era. As reds and whites engage their palates with challenging nuances of oak or various fruit and spices, the colors and imagery that spring from the palette of Steve DiGiovanni’s paintings, inspire discussion, friendly critique and an awareness of a special synchronicity in the small urban oasis.