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.

Diamond Jubilee @ Ricco

Sunny at last and Ricco also has something to brighten your calendar! 

In celebration of the Queens Diamond Jubilee, we invite you to join us for a free tasting from our portfolio of excellent Italian wines - Thursday 31st May, Friday 1st June and Saturday 2nd June - 10am-8pm.

We will taste lots of wines that are perfect for the holiday weekend; whether it be a glass with friends, a BBQ or a bank holiday meal. Also available will be a selection of light bites and our new range of high quality extra virgin Olive Oils and produce - exclusive to Ricco.

DISCOUNTS OFFERED ON PURCHASES OF 6 OR MORE BOTTLES.

Lots of new wines to taste, come and see us.

Also, we are close on Sunday and Monday, so be sure to stock up and I am available for lunch or supper (please form an orderly queue!)

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NEW DELI IN SELBORNE

Talking of the Queen, you may be aware of the Queens Pub and Restaurant at Selborne; we certainly are and are pleased to announce the opening of their new delicatessen.

Erick and mum at the Queens Deli

They have an excellent range of fresh bread, fruit and veg, meats, cheeses and most things you would expect to find in a good delicatessen. From personal experience, their Scotch Eggs are simply delicious!

You will soon be able to experience a fantastic range of Ricco's wines in both the deli and restaurant.

We are lucky to have such a shop in the local area, so get along and have a look - it is well worth the effort and Nick and Erick's venture deserves to be a success. This truly is another little nugget for anyone interested in quality food and wine and the Queens pub has ample private parking for the deli.

Very well done Nick and Erick!

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Ever in London? Fancy a good glass of wine?



Ricco are proud to announce that our wine can now be enjoyed in Claridges Bar and Restaurant.


Happy Drinking Wills and Kate! 

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.

Ricco @ The Isle of Wight

A short message to all of our customers.

Ricco will be exhibiting at the Isle of Wight "World of Wines Exhibition" at Robin Hill Park this weekend; 28th and 29th April, so the shop will be closed on Friday the 27th and Saturday 28th April.

If you're on the island pay us a visit!

Salute!

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!

Puglia 2012

Early last week, Messrs Ford and Davies of Ricco Wines were fortunate enough to visit the Italian region of Puglia.

The purpose of our trip was to visit the cantinas of two new suppliers; "Podere Belmantello" and "Azienda Agricola Tarantini", both of which produce wines of excellent quality and provenance.

Escaping the snow and freezing weather conditions of England, we arrived in Puglia on Sunday afternoon. Exiting the aeroplane we were immediately hit by the intense heat of Southern Italy (temperatures were approaching 10 degrees Celsius) and we made our way to the beautiful town of Corato where we were to stay.

On Monday, with the snow falling (Puglia's first significant snowfall in a decade!) we travelled into the countryside to visit the winery of Tarantini. At present they produce 3 wines; A rosato of Bombino Nero, and two reds - a Nero di Troia and an Aglianico.

We tasted these throughout the day and they are truly excellent wines, we also tried some of their 2011 vintage (still maturing in stainless steel casks) and even for young wines they are already showing real character and promise.

The following day we journeyed to Cerignola, another fine Puglian town. Here we met Angelo and Daniele of the cantina "Podere Belmantello" who produce a fantastic range of regional whites and reds, including (amongst others) a white Fiano and reds from Primitivo and Negroamaro. Pictured (left) is the entrance to their their impressive new tasting room.

We had an great time in Italy; the wine, food and hospitality were faultless and we are proud to announce that within weeks we expect to receive our first consignment of wine from both producers. Watch this space!

Salute!

UPDATE: Ricco is delighted to tell you that Nadia Tarantini (of Az. Agr. Tarantini) will be joining us at the Farnham Wine Festival on March 10th 2012. Yet another reason to visit www.farnhamwinefestival.co.uk to buy your ticket - just £15!

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.