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.

Chefs' Night Out 2011

Ricco and the Hardwick join forces in Cardiff
 

Last Saturday Ricco once again joined forces with our friends at the Hardwick for Chefs' Night Out 2011 - an annual charity event to raise money for Ty Hafan childrens' hospice. An evening attended by 17 of the top chefs of Wales, each cooking for a table of 10 paying guests, it was clearly an honour for Ricco to supply the wines for the Hardwicks' table.
After a Champagne reception, the guests were sat at their tables to begin their evening of quality food and wine. Stephen Terry, accompanied by head chef Chris and front of house team Jo Terry and Daria Hoffman of the Hardwick, presented a fantastic 4 course menu, each complimented by one of Ricco's excellent Italian Wines.

Starter was Buffalo Mozzarella on Focaccia Bruschetta with fried, minced Wild Boar, Sicilian Olive Oil, chilli, parsley and capers. This we paired with our “Cerasuolo” Rosato Montepulciano D’Abruzzo D.O.C 2010.

A fish course of poached native lobster and heritage potato salad with baked amalfi Lemon, locally foraged sea shore greens and Caviar, for this we chose the “Codronchio” Albana di Romagna D.O.C.G. 2009.

For the meat course, of roast Veal chop with fried smoked anchovies, polenta ‘chips’, Stem Artichokes, salsa verde, Black Olives, rocket and Parmesan, the guests were spoiled with Fausto’s “Mazzamurello” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo D.O.C. 2007 - what a response and great combination!

Last but not least, a dessert of late Summer fruit pudding, what else could we choose than our “Visciola” Dolce Dalla Tradizione Marchigiana. A cherry wine of limited production and availability - certainly not lost on Stephens’ guests.

Stephen and Chris joined the table and were refreshed with a glass of Althea Cartizze Prosecco to meet their diners and witness the Chef’s auction, during which more than £90,000 was raised for Ty Hafan Hospice.

Ricco was incredibly proud to be involved in such a wonderful evening and we wish to thank and congratulate all of the Chef’s and organisers for making it such a special event - special enough to entice Trevor to wear a tie! (see picture for evidence!)

Salute' Wales!

Watch this space...

The Grimaldi's Join Ricco For Lunch

I first tasted the wine of Bruna Grimaldi at Villa Borghesi in the Frascati region, just south of Rome during May 2006. With good memories of Bruna and Franco's wine we are delighted to have their son, Simone, here with us at Ricco. During a short break to London, we were happy to receive them for a tasting lunch at my ex-wife Sophie's house in East Tisted (its a long story). Thanks to Simon and Suzie at the the Hawkley Inn, the Grimaldi's enjoyed an excellent aperitivo of English Beer. On then to lunch, where we enjoyed another aperitivo of Althea Cartizze Prosecco and four top quality red wines of Bruna Grimaldi.

With our starter of mixed antipasti, we tasted their Nebbiolo d'Alba 2009 and also the Barbera d'Alba Superiore 2009. This was followed by a main of braised shoulder of Lamb, with which we drank two Barolo's; Camilla 2007 followed by Bricco Ambrogio 2007. Both were also enjoyed with a selection of English and Italian cheeses. We returned to the Cartizze for desserts of roast Peaches and Chocolate salami.

We say 'Watch this space', as it is highly likely that fairly soon the wines of Bruna Grimaldi will be sold by Ricco. We found all four wines to be highly regional in style and of excellent quality. Unlke many Barolo's which mask the true quality of the Nebbiolo grape, these wines truly expressed the very individual character of this sometimes difficult grape variety.

Nebbiolo d'Alba is rarely found at the quality of this 2009, a very versatile food wine. The Barbera d'Alba Superiore has all the character and drinkability of this very likeable grape variety. This 2009 is drinking now, but will age perfectly - well done Franco and Bruna. All in all, a wonderful day was spent with Franco and Bruna and their children Simone and Martina, our thanks to them for bringing the good weather with them -for one day at least.

Friends of Ricco - Munden House

Munden House, Luxury B&B

Having known Colin and Annie for 10 years it was a pleasant surprise to hear of their new venture at Munden House, a beautiful collection of old farm cottages just 3 or so miles from the Dorset town of Sherborne. As well as excellent accommodation, Colin and Annie can provide you with a great venue for a family party, small wedding or gathering.

Together they provide a warm and personal service and during a stay here you would be wise to take advantage of Annies' delicious home cooking. Utilising the freshest local produce, Annies' constantly rotating menu wont fail to please.

The quality of the food at Munden is complimented perfectly by Colins' wine list, providing excellent matches for Annies' food; wines of interest, versatility and exclusivity. From this concise list, Colins' expert choice of wines can accommodate anything - from an aperitivo on the patio, to a superb desert wine to share with your friend, partner or lover.

From £95 to £140 per room, (including breakfast), Colin and Annie provide a warm, hospitable and relaxing experience. A perfect location from which to explore the coast and hinterland of Dorset and Ricco are very proud to be associated with them.

Friends of Ricco - The Hardwick

The Hardwick at Abergavenny

Having dealt with the Hardwick for upwards two years, it’s always a pleasure to deliver wine to this top restaurant - Michel Roux Jr's favourite in Wales! Nestled in the rolling hills just two miles from Abergavenny, this restaurant (with accommodation) sources locally produced ingredients of the highest quality and is owned by Stephen and Jo Terry. Stephen won his first Michelin star aged 25 and at the Hardwick has created a restaurant of genuine quality, hospitality and inspiration. From a well-chosen menu, bolstered by an equally knowledgeable wine list, Stephen and his team have created an absolute gem with the Hardwick.

In a nutshell, if you are in this area and wanting good food, some great Italian Wine (from Ricco of course) and perhaps accommodation, a visit here is a must. Since supplying the Hardwick I have even been able to overcome the emotional trauma of the Welsh occasionally beating the English at Rugby.

A recent highlight was the experience of Stephens' rump of Lamb with Black Olive Gnocchi, accompanied by a glass of Piergiovanni Giusti's L'Intruso - one of our wines to be found on Stephen’s wine list.

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.

Taste of Italy Weekend

Corks popped, wine flowed and orders rushed in as Ricco hosted its annual Taste of Italy event last weekend.

With more than 40 top quality wines available to taste and plenty of thirsty customers, it's no surprise that demand was high and we are now busy restocking the cellar!

Alongside the wine, customers also had a choice of food - Mary's biscotti and Valeriana's Ciabatta were joined by authentic cheeses, pasta, Olive oil and premium balsamic vinegar.

On Sunday we were very pleased to be joined by Jonathan and Roberto from Shardana, (top of Guildford High St) - authentic Italian food and great ambiance, Ricco recommends a visit!

Thanks to all that attended, we enjoyed it immensely and it was great so see such a good turn out - we will announce the winners of the competition shortly.

Off to the bottle bank now, followed by supper and a glass of Mazzamurello

Thanks again,

Trevor.


P.S. Watch this space with regards to our planned wine tours to Italy - looks like Florence for the first trip!