Bank Holiday Wining & Dining

If you're entertaining, or its a family gathering, or something special (for someone rather special) come and visit us at our shop in West Liss and choose something from our list of quality Italian wines.

In the sparkling range, we have three styles of Processo - Frizzante for a quality aperitivo - or a chat in the kitchen; Chloe for a very versatile and food friendly glass; or Cartizze for a very special aperitivo or something to accompany fresh fruit or light desserts.

Something different and rarely seen is Nerodise - a sparkling rose' made from 100% Nero di Troia from Angelo Paradiso in Puglia. A top class slightly drier alternative to Processo.

In stock now is the new 2012 vintage of Salapia a white wine from Puglia from 100% Bombino Bianco, full of clean crisp fruit, just perfect to accompany all vegetable dishes, fish, seafood, white meats, or just a glass on its own.

There are lots of reds and whites to accompany all types of food and dishes, dinner parties, roasts, barbeques (they are promising sun) and we can advise you with food and wine matchings.

There is also new season olive oil from Puglia, and wine jelly if you fancy a change from quince jelly with your cheese.

Soon to be announced will be dates for regional wine suppers, where we will match regional menus and wines across Italy.

P.S. If youv'e just finished the lawn - try a glass of Nerodise!

Thats all for now - I look forward to seeing you.

Salute from all @ Ricco

Trevor

Fine Art & Fine Wine - March 2013

From the 12-17th of March 2013 Ricco is playing host to the Stilwell art group as they hold one of their major exhibitions of the year in our wine shop and throughout the adjoining building.

This fantastic art group, based in Southern England, have gained an enviable a reputation for themselves through the quality and originality of their work and diversity of their exhibitions. 

The exhibition is launched at 6pm on Tuesday 12th March when you are invited to meet the artists and (of course!) have the opportunity to enjoy a glass of fine Italian wine. The exhibition then runs from Wednesday 13th to Sunday 17th of March from 11am-8pm.

A percentage of all sales will be donated to the Dreams Come True Children's Charity.

For more information email us or contact 01730 894751.

Introducing Cantine De Gregorio

An introduction to our newest supplier - Cantine De Gregorio of southern Sicily.

Winter Wine Tasting 2012

A huge thanks to all of our guests for making our annual Winter Wine Tasting yet another great success.

Joining our 100 customers for the evening were Luisa from Cantine de Gregorio and Hugh from Val di Toro. Both producers are new to the list of Ricco.

The night began with a glass of Althea's Prosecco Frizzante, a perfect aperitivo.

A further 9 wines were enjoyed by our guests alongside an excellent 4 course meal from Janie and her team at Blue Fig Catering.

All the wines were very well received, but particular praise was reserved for; the 'Rahana' Inzolia from Gregorio, both the Vermentino and Morellino di Scansano from Val di Torro (very classic Tuscan examples from Vermentino and Sangiovese). The Rosa di Nero and Magaria Rosso also proved extremely popular, so much so that the demand for the Magaria Rosso (Nero d'Avola/Cabernet) has cleaned us out! Back in stock soon.

To finish the evening we broke out the Albana di Romagna Passito, another great reaction from our ever discerning customers. An excellent combination with Janies' Meringue with frangipan and winter fruit compote. A lot of wine for £14.95 and drinking beautifully now. Perfect for Christmas and New Year.

Always fantastic to see so many old and new faces. Thanks also must go to all of the staff who helped to create such a wonderful evening, not least Mark 'Swifthands' Bamford (KP)!

Don't forget, top up for the Party Season with Ricco, join us for one of our FREE tastings this December; Saturday 8th, 15th and 22nd, 10am - 6pm.

Short of time? We can deliver or dispatch any order. Free Local Delivery.

Need advice for food/wine matching? Come and see us at the shop.

Thanks again everyone,

Salute'!

STOP PRESS

Coming soon: 'Capotesta Rosso', the best Primitivo we have tasted in a good while. Another hit from Angelo at Cantine Paradiso - this is certainly a wine to stock up on. Drinking now, but will age for several years. 

Selborne Wine Society 2012

On Tuesday Ricco had the pleasure of hosting yet another excellent wine tasting with the wonderful people of Selborne Wine Society. 

To accompany our 8 fine Italian wines, a team from the society cooked up a very fine selection of antipasti.

Wines tasted on the evening were; 'Nerodise' Rosato Spumante, 'Salapia' Bombino Bianco, 'Versure' Fiano, 'Le Fossette' Falanghina, 'Secondopasso' Nero di Troia, 'Capoposto' Negroamaro, 'Terraferma' Rosso Primitivo/Nero di Troia and Albana Di Romagna Passito - a fantastic white dessert wine.

The winners of the evening? 

- Best value for money: 'Secondopasso' Nero di Troia.

An excellent medium-bodied red for everyday drinking. My favourite at the moment!

- If money were no option: 'Terraferma' Rosso 

Drinking now, will age. Very well made with elegant fruit on the nose and palate. A lot of wine for £14.95!

Both of these wines would make perfect choices for Christmas.

So yet another victory for Mr Angelo Paradiso at Cantine Podere Belmantello. Keep up the good work! 

Also great results again for Alberto Longo, with his 'Le Fossette' being the most popular white of the evening, great remarks also for his 'Capoposto'.

Always a pleasure to visit Selborne Wine Society; a very active, friendly group with a great mix of people. Why not join them for a meeting? See their website for details.

Thanks again to everyone that made it such a good evening, hope to see you again soon!

Ricco Review - Nerodise Extra Dry 2011 and Terraferma Rosso Puglia 2010

Trevor introduces two seriously good Puglian wines - both from Mr Angelo Paradiso of Cantine Paradiso. Brand new to the list of Ricco.

Tenuta di Sesta wins Gold!

Great news just in, one of our wineries "Tenuta di Sesta" has won a Decanter World Wine Awards 2012 Gold Medal - one of only three awarded this year - for their Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG 2007. 

At present we stock Tenuta di Sesta's 'Camponovo' Rosso Toscana IGT, an excellent Sangiovese based Red with immediate appeal on the nose and palate.

Congratulations Giovanni and all the family at Tenuta di Sesta! 

Ricco Tasting July 2012.

Ricco are holding an open tasting this Saturday 14th July, 10am-6pm at our shop in West Liss.

See below for our latest video - a sneak preview of some of the excellent discounts available this Saturday!

Hope to see you here!

DIT 2012

This week Ricco were at Lords Cricket ground; has Trevor (finally!) been discovered as the worlds greatest Cricketer? No...although he did once have a beard to rival that of W.G. Grace.

Daniele and Trevor

Instead, we were at the Definitive Italian Winetasting 2012 to showcase a selection of our fine Italian Wines to an audience of Restaurateurs, hoteliers, wine merchants and journalists. Joining Trevor and Owain was Daniele Manfrini of Cantine Podere Belmantello - an excellent producer from Northern Puglia.

An immediate impact was made by a new wine to our list, Podere Belmantello's 'Nerodise' - a sparkling Rose' from 100% Nero di Troia grape. Steven Spurrier of Decanter Magazine described it as "a very well-made wine" which was "clean, refreshing and uplifting". We would go even further and say that this is the finest sparkling wine we have tasted for a good while; a great aperitivo and very versatile with food.

Overall this was a very good day for Ricco and the other wines that caught the attention of the professionals included; Salapia, Pignoletto, Secondopasso, Cacc'e' Mmitte and the Albana Passito.

We were very happy to have been visited by a number of our clients; Jonathan from Shardana, Andres and Marie-Lou from the Purefoy Arms, Preston Candover along with Stephen Terry and Ben Bedell of the Hardwick, Abergavenny.


Later, we enjoyed an excellent supper with Stephen and Ben at the Galvin "Bistrot de Luxe" in Baker Street. The whole experience here was truly refreshing; the food, ambiance and service were excellent. A real pleasure (and an affordable pleasure!) well done "Bistrot de Luxe", Ricco will definitely be back.

Queen's Jubilee Weekend - June 2012

A huge thanks to all that joined us at Ricco for our tastings last week, we had a busy weekend and really enjoyed your company.

As ever, the "Chloe" Spumante from Althea was very popular. The new vintage Pignoletto was also a real winner - a very food friendly white wine. The new "Lorenzo" Piemonte Cortese also received a very positive response; this is in every respect a Gavi, but cannot be named as such because it has a screwcap closure.

Going south into Puglia, the range of wines from Alberto Longo were universally enjoyed for their style and quality; in particular his "Le Fossette" Falanghina - a very impressive premium white wine from 100% Falanghina. A wine traditionally matched with seafood, white meat and fresh cheeses.

Something (almost) as popular as the wine was the arrival of Mark and Nicola in their classic Ferrari Testarossa, Mark would do anything to outshine Trevor in his Renault Kangoo van!

As for the reds, the wines of Petrigama continue to delight, the Rosato, Aglianico and Nero di Troia. Take advantage of our June promotion; 15% discount on this fantastic range!

Our new addition from Tuscany, the "Camponovo" 100% Sangiovese from Tenuta di Sesta - a wine of great character and drinkability, offering versatility with foods; salamis, steaks, roast meats, lasagne and young cheeses. Watch this space for other new wines from this excellent cantina.

Another new addition to our list is "Scassa" Barbera d'Alba Superiore from Grimaldi Bruna. An excellent example of Barbera with a great balance of fruit and rounded tannins.

To complete the weekend, the "Albana Passito" dessert wine proved popular for those indulging their waist-lines, no offence intended to the officers from Sandhurst who found this particularly appealing! For those needing to accommodate both chocolate and cheese, we advised the "Il Griccio" red dessert wine from 100% Syrah from Alberto Longo, well done Alberto!

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR RICCO'S EXCLUSIVO EVENINGS - DATES SOON TO BE ANNOUNCED.

UPDATE - Buckets and Spades back in storage

Our dalliance with the Isle of Wight has been cancelled (for now) - the organisers have had to call off the Spring Garden Show due to the severe weather that is battering the Island. 

As a result, Ricco will be OPEN on Friday the 27th and Saturday 28th April as per usual. 

We’ve also had a delivery today, so our Rubente (as featured in the Sunday Times) and Gavi are back in stock. We also have 2 new wines to offer you, both from the highly accomplished cantina of Alberto Longo.

- "Le Fossette" - a high quality white wine from the Falanghina grape.

and

- Cacc 'e Mmitte (pronounced Catch-a-me-te') di Lucera - a blend of Montepulciano, Nero di Troia and Bombino Bianco. A very versatile, rounded and satisfying red.

Easter @ Ricco Wines

Easter's here and with it the sun, the perfect opportunity to spend time with family, friends or that special person.

Take advantage of Ricco's specially discounted wines, perfect for the Easter weekend. 

Frizzante Prosecco - perfect as an aperitif - a great match with canapés and antipasti. Was: £8.95 Now: £8.25

Castel del Monte Bianco - a top quality dry white wine from Puglia - perfect with all antipasti, fish and shellfish and white meats. Was: £8.75 Now: £7.99

Etna Bianco - a characterful dry white from Sicily - enjoy with all antipasti, grilled vegetables, fish and shellfish and white meats. Was: £10.95 Now: £9.90

Castel del Monte Petrigama Rose' - a very versatile and flavoursome Rose' from 100% Bombino Nero - perfect for most vegetarian, fish and white meat dishes. Was: £9.95 Now: £9.25

Having Lamb, Beef or Pork? Try one of these Puglian wines from local grape varieties;

Darione - 100% Primitivo - from Angelo Paradiso, a very classic, very good example of Primitivo at a very good price. Was: £9.95 Now £9.25

Aglianico - 100% Aglianico from Az. Ag. Tarantini, a highly drinkable and rounded style of Aglianico. Was: £10.95 Now: £9.99

Nero di Troia - 100% Nero di Troia from Az. Ag. Tarantini - Soft tannins, rounded fruit, an excellent wine from a great producer. Was: £11.95 Now: £10.99

Something to drink with your Easter Eggs or chocolate desserts? You have to try our 'Visciola' - a Cherry wine from Le Marche, another one of Piergiovanni Giusti's gems! Its also wonderful just sipped on its own at the end of a meal. Sometimes found as a Liqueur or fortified wine, this is the real thing; a straight table wine (13.5%) rarely found in the UK, for a short period only we are offering this at the discounted price of just £19.95, take advantage whilst the offer lasts!  

We are happy to deliver free in the local area, for more information please give us a call on 01730 894751 or visit our shop; we are open normal hours throughout Easter (Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10am - 8pm).

Happy cooking and drinking! 

Salute!

New wines, Trevor learns to Skype and Farnham Wine Festival

As we begin to finalise our list for 2012, we can already announce a number of new wines, from a number of new cantinas, that will be available from Ricco in the very near future.

Within the next few weeks we will be receiving our first delivery of Barolo and Nebbiolo d'Alba from our friends at Cantina Bruna Grimaldi (see their sparkling new website here). We tasted their wines when they visited us in the summer and not only is the quality excellent but the price will be too!

We will also be stocking some wines from a cantina called Spinelli, their Sangiovese and Pecorino are both highly drinkable (and affordable!) - but retain the provenance and quality that Ricco demand.

In its never-ending search for excellent wines at great prices, Ricco Wines now has another weapon in its armoury - video conferencing! Throughout this week we have unleashed the devastating force of Trevor 'Adonis' Ford via webcam, securing yet more excellent new wines from new cantinas.

From the Puglian cantina of Paradiso we will be importing a number of very regional styles of red and white wines including Bombino Bianco, Fiano, Negroamaro and Primitivo. The winemakers from this estate were here with us last week and we rounded off their visit with a very successful and enjoyable business lunch at the Queens at Selborne.

Also confirmed this week was a new collaboration with a cantina (also in Puglia) called Azienda Agricola Tarantini; including a rose' from the Bombino Nero grape and two reds -  a Nero di Troia and an Aglianico. We first met Nadia of Tarantini at a tasting in London last year, her wines are very impressive - another little gem in Puglia!


Nadia Tarantini will be joining us for Ricco's table at the Farnham Wine Festival on Saturday the 10th of March 2012. Tickets are just £15 which includes tasting food, live music and a chance to sample up to 80 wines! See www.farnhamwinefestival.co.uk for more information.

2011 Highlights

2011 has been a good year for Ricco; new customers, new wines and new staff.

The year started with successful visits to Italy - Tuscany, Le Marche, Emilia-Romagna and Abruzzo. One particular memory was my visit to Setriolo (Tuscany) in the company of Silvia Formigli; our off-road, downhill journey in 4 inches of snow at 60mph was somewhat stressful. As she launched the car through snow-covered potholes she reassured me that she knew the track "like the back of my hand" and as such I was not to be concerned. Silvia's driving is something to be experienced, even on dry roads in the Summer - not for the faint hearted.


Spring saw the arrival of our "Visciola" a cherry-based dessert wine from Piergiovanni Giusti, as well as the Rosso Piceno from Cimarelli, both of which have proved very popular additions to our wine list.

In June Ricco was present with Shilling Communication at the Wintershall charity concert with guest appearances from Ronnie Wood, Roger Taylor, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and many others. Bit of a trip down memory lane for me. Later in that month Ricco hosted its Summer Exclusivo at Ricco HQ in the company of Luca Cimarelli, Luciano Zeoli, Piergiovanni Giusti and Domenico Di Marco.

During August we received Simone Grimaldi from the Piedmontese cantina of Bruna Grimaldi - producers of Barolo, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera. Soon to be found on Ricco's list! Later that month Simone was joined by his parents and sister, Martina. His stay of 5 weeks was a mutual pleasure and a good way to start a business collaboration.

In September and October Ricco was busy conducting several tastings both at Ricco HQ as well as at the Purefoy Arms, Preston Candover. We were also proud to supply the wines for Stephen Terry (of the Hardwick at Abergavenny) at the Chef's Night Out in Cardiff - a charity event hosted by 17 of Wales' top chefs. November saw the arrival of Alberto Longo from Puglia, whose wines Ricco have sold for several years. It was Alberto's first visit to us which culminated in a very successful tasting at the Hardwick.

The month of November was particularly busy for us a Ricco with a tasting at the Unicorn Inn, Heyshott, followed by Ricco being very happy to supply and serve the wines at Richard Buer's 50th Birthday Party at Chawton House - a great evening. The end of the month was dominated by our Winter Wine Tasting at Grayshott Village Hall, a very enjoyable and successful evening.

2011 ended with a very successful and busy December for Ricco Wines. We would to thank all of our customers for their loyalty and look forward to seeing you all again in 2012!

Check our website for all the dates for 2012 - soon to be uploaded.

Once again, thank you for your support and from all the team at Ricco, we wish you all a happy and prosperous 2012.

December @ Ricco

Well it’s nearly here now; have you considered your wines for the festive period? If not, log on pick up the phone, or come and see us at the shop!

We have tastings throughout December - every Thursday, Friday and Saturday until Christmas eve. A good chance to taste and leave with perfect wines for your menus and parties! To mention just a few, our Frizzante and Chloe Prosecco’s are perfect for aperitivo and many food combinations. The Gavi, Pignoletto andAlbana can cater for all the normal requirements of a white wine - Smoked Salmon, all fish and shellfish, vegetables and white meats.  Our Codronchio (a late harvest wine) derived from the Albana grape is just perfect for sashimi and carpaccio of fish, pasta with cheese - also perfect with the cheeseboard! A little ‘outside the box’ but try it, it really works.

A white with the Turkey?

Try our Giocheremo Con I Fiori, a 100% Pecorino, with fruit and acidity levels perfect for the flavour combinations  of traditional roast Turkey.

Reds?

For an easy drinking, highly versatile red wine why not try our Rosso Piceno from 60% Montepulciano and 40% Sangiovese. A little more complexity? Try our Le Morine, a top quality and well-rounded 100% Sangiovese. If you are having red meat this Christmas consider our Capoposto from 100% Negroamaro grapes, or Parco Marano from 100% Nero d’Troia.

Having game?

Seriously consider our Castaroto 2007, from a blend of Corvina, Oseletta, Raboso and Cabrusina.

For the cheese, well worth considering Rubbjano - 100% La Crima di Morro d’Alba, Renzo a Cabernet/Merlot blend from Bolgheri or Amarone Paverno.

Something for you sweeties?

AlbanaPassito - a dessert wine from 100% Albana. A real classic from Luciano Zeoli. If you want something really exclusive then you must have our Visciola, a rare and limited production wine made from white cherry, courtesy of winemaker Piergiovanni Giusti. At home with desserts of chocolate, cherry, biscotti, or just sip on its own with friends and family.

This is just a few of the wines that truly compliment Christmas and New Year. For more information on food/wine matching, come and visit us - we are open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am-8pm.  

Winter Wine Tasting - 26th November 2011

At our annual bash at Grayshott, Ricco were very lucky to have the company of a number of winemakers. On the Friday we received Sicilian winemakers; Remigio and Michela Candido, the wines of which Ricco will have on its list as from January. Two very distinctive whites from the Grillo and Inzolia grape varieties and two equally distinctive reds from Nero d'Avola and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Candido's were accompanied by Michela Basile (of Roman descent) now resident in Chelsea.

 The following day, the day of the tasting, Ricco welcomed two more familiar faces; Domenico Di Marco and Piergiovanni Giusti. After a Chloe Prosecco reception our 104 guests sat down for a 4 course meal and tasted 10 wines, including two of new wines of Candido, the 'Mucino' Bianco and 'Utru' Rosso.

Judging by customer reaction, the favourite wines of the night were; 'Chloe Prosecco', 'Pignoletto' a white wine from the Emilia-Romagna region, 'L'Intruso', the 'Utru' (a 50/50 blend of Nero d'Avola and Cabernet) and the ever popular Visciola - a rare cherry dessert wine from the cantina of Piergiovanni Giusti.



Our thanks to all of our customers and the winemakers for making it such a special evening.

Salute!

Alberto @ the Hardwick

Earlier this week Ricco had the pleasure of welcoming one of our wine makers, Alberto Longo from Puglia in the heel of Italy.

Arriving on a damp English Monday, Alberto visited Ricco's outlet before enjoying a lunch at the Spread Eagle, but found warm English beer a challenge! Later in the day we dined with Roberto and Lorenzo at Bar Centro, Guildford; we enjoyed a very good calamari fritti followed by risotto con tartufo. The tartufo (truffle) being English, from a nearby woodland - the location of which Roberto wouldn't disclose. We finished with a trio of desserts: chocolate panna cotta, tiramisu and semifreddo. Another good evening at Bar Centro.

Alberto having been accommodated overnight at the Hawkley Inn (very comfortable indeed), we set off the for the Hardwick in Abergavenny. Usual warm welcome from the team at the Hardwick and we set about arranging the Italian evening, a tasting of 5 of Alberto's wines, accompanying a 5 course Italian tasting supper.

The evening was ably assisted by the quality of Stephen Terry's food and the instant rapport between Stephen and Alberto - each being masters of their craft. In all a very successful evening at the Hardwick, much enhanced by the warmth and generosity of Stephen's staff.

Alberto and I were lucky enough to share a table with 2 of the Hardwick's suppliers, Amanda Stradling of Veggies Galore - supplier of organic vegetables and flowers to the Hardwick and Pasquale - an 83 year old Italian originating from Campania, supplier of soft-fruits and highly talented accordion squeezer.

I returned Alberto to Heathrow the following morning to witness a very Italian confrontation between Alberto and the Al Italia check-in staff, words and hands in full flight!

Sad to see Alberto leave after such a successful and rewarding visit, thanks Alberto!

Ricco's Winter Tastings

Heading towards the Christmas period, Ricco is set for a busy session of tastings.

On the 27th October Ricco is off to the The Purefoy Arms at Preston Candover for an evening with Hampshire's Women In Business group. Guests are set to enjoy a 2 course meal accompanied by a tasting of Ricco's Wines. The excellent food, ambiance and service found at The Purefoy is due to the husband and wife team of Andres (chef) and Marie-Lou (front of house), who have recently scooped Hampshire Life's Pub of the year 2011. A great country pub venue; so if you require good food, ambiance and some of Ricco's Wines I strongly suggest you pay them a visit.


Next, on the 29th of October Ricco will be at Munden House in Sherborne, Dorset; A hen party will enjoy Trevor's undivided attention for a lunchtime tasting of Ricco's Wine. A top quality Bed and Breakfast owned and personally run by two of Trevor's great friends, Colin and Annie. For a quiet, quality break, Munden House is perfect - as is Colin's front of house and Annie's cooking! A good range of Ricco Wines can be found on the wine list here.


November begins with a trip across the border to Welsh Wales on the 8th, for an Italian wine tasting and supper at the Hardwick at Abergavenny. Accompanied by winemaker Alberto Longo, Trevor will present five of Alberto's wines, accompanying a superb five course Italian menu, courtesy of chef / owner Stephen Terry ably assisted by his wife Jo. The whole team here are rightfully very proud of their achievements and it is venue that I personally find very difficult to leave.


The 18th of November finds Ricco at the Unicorn Inn, Heyshott. New to Ricco, the Unicorn commands a good reputation locally for its food, wine and hospitality. Head chef, nicknamed 'Bird' will provide a tasting menu to match Ricco's Wines. Tickets are available, call 01730 813486 for more information. We look forward to being there.

Topping off November Ricco will be hosting its annual Winter Wine Tasting on Saturday 26th of November at Grayshott Village Hall. As always, guests will enjoy a sit-down four course meal, preceded by a Prosecco reception and then a tasting of 10 red and white wines, in the company of guest wine makers. A great chance to catch up on some new wines and vintages, a perfect occasion to stock up for Christmas and New Year - a 5% discount will be offered on purchases of 12 or more bottles. Tickets are £27.50 per person and are available from our shop on 01730 894751 or Email trevor@riccowines.com.

On the 10th and 17th of December (10am-8pm), Ricco invites customers to join us for an informal tasting of our range of wines; wines for your Christmas and New Year, gifts and advice for perfect food and wine matching - achieve top marks, even from the mother-in-law!

Early greetings for the season,

Trevor and the team at Ricco.

Ricco's Winemaker of the Month: Piergiovanni Giusti

Piergiovanni Giusti is a man of considerable warmth and humour. Married with a wife and three children, he is deeply rooted to the culture and wine making traditions of Le Marche. In his company his presence and wit are infectious and the hospitality of the Giusti's is of the highest quality - the food is well worth a detour, salute!

Based in Le Marche, the winery of Piergiovanni specialises in the wines of La Crima di Morro D'Alba. This is an ancient, red grape variety particular to the sub-zone of Morro D'Alba, producing wines of great character and quality and of a style of its own.

Cantina Giusti produce several styles from this remarkable grape variety:

The base La Crima for everyday drinking - brilliant with salami, terrines, all meats and game and meat based pasta.

Rubbjano - a complex, full bodied red wine that has an intense bouquet of rose petals and brambles, mouth filling fruit on the palate and long aftertaste, perfect for a Sunday roast, lasagne or cheese. My preference here would be semi-mature goats cheese.

L'Intruso is a wine of 40% La Crima D'Morro D'Alba, 30% Sangiovese, 20% Montepulciano and 10% Merlot, and is named 'The intruder' because of the 10% Merlot included in this simply stunning, very drinkable medium bodied wine. Good bouquet and an abundance of soft fruits and tannins - we have never had such a response to a wine.

For someone with a sweeter tooth Piergiovanni hasn't forgotten you, Bollanera - a semi-sweet, semi-sparkling wine of just 8-9% alcohol, just perfect for a summer pudding, tiramisu, oven baked peaches or even as an aperitivo! But for a more complex dessert, the La Crima Passito is simply brilliant, or just sip on its own at the end of a meal.

The Giusti cantina will be one of the wineries that we will visit with Ricco in our forthcoming wine tours.