Sommelier in the Garden

On this moody Sunday in November, we wanted to return at least with a touch of nostalgia to the ‘Sommelier in Girardino’ event: a summer evening enlivened by our selection of wines and champagnes explained by the masterful sommelier Lodovico Badariotti. We started with raw fish paired with Champagne Taittinger Cuvèe Prestige, Lacourte Godbillon Premier Cru and Jacquesson Cuvèe No. 746. A complex journey into Champagne that we enjoyed thanks to the guidance of our sommelier. Pasta with bottarga, a must-have first course on an exceptional evening, was accompanied by Emidio Pepe’s Trebbiano d’Abruzzo 2022.

Ceretto’s Barolo 2019 in magnum format made the grilled tuna with classic Sicilian onion even more unforgettable. We concluded with an exceptional spirit: Hampden Estate LROK 2010 that we tasted while smoking a Trinidad Topes. Those who love Cuba know what an unforgettable occasion smoking Trinidad can prove to be today. A special mention to Nino Modica of the Mazeh restaurant for lending us a hand in the kitchen and to Dario Piluco and the Ceretto winery for supporting us in organising the evening.

Words are of little use when one has had such a good time, and all that is needed are a few memories that are unlikely to leave us, a few shots of rare beauty, and the knowledge that we have been there and contributed, each with his or her presence, to making a summer dinner in Sicily unforgettable, eating well and drinking very well.