Grazie Ristorante offers so much more than just fab eats and vino – the restaurant and wine bar also hosts monthly Italian language classes for beginners and “Tour of Italy” wine tastings.
While Grazie has three unique locations – Old Town Scottsdale, Verrado, and Canyon Village – the Old Town venue is the one you want to claim as your new haunt. For a flat fee, make a reservation for a “Tour of Italy” tasting to nosh on wine, hors d’oeuvres, and pizza while sampling eight delicious wines from various regions of Italy, each presented by a bona fide expert. And even better, there are several raffles held throughout each evening, during which guests can win such prizes as, yes, bottles of fine wine, as well as cute Grazie apparel. (Think shirts lettered with “Friends don’t let friends drink white zinfandel.”)
And sure, maybe you’re already fluent in Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana, but if you’d like to learn how to string those together using complete sentences, consider taking part in conversation-style Italian language classes at Grazie. Offered for a fee in the evenings for 10 consecutive weeks and instructed by native speaker Maurizio Cristiani, the classes are a great way for total beginners to gain some experience with the language, or for more intermediate speakers to brush up on their skills. Not to mention, students receive a complimentary glass of wine to sip during each class, so not only does that add to the fun, it ought to also help overcome any fears of public speaking. Call the restaurant to find out when the next session is scheduled to begin.
Grazie’s Old Town venue is located at 6952 E. Main Street in Scottsdale (480) 663-9797
