Tag: gifts

Christmas 2021: wine gifts – Italian Cuisine

The wine world is in constant ferment. Now a bottle is no longer just … a bottle. But it often contains storytelling and experiential content that is nice to share with the people we decide to give a wine. Today more than ever, the choice of which label to put under the tree cannot be casual. On the contrary, we can and must tailor it to the recipient. In short, friend or friend you have, wine – personalized – what a gift!

Metropolitan urban
The urban type loves big cities and, if he doesn't live there, he goes there on vacation as soon as he can. With a contemporary style and punctual attention to the fashions to come, because those of today have already passed, he is not satisfied with what the masses like, but seeks personal and personalized experiences.
The right gift is the possibility of creating a wine that is only hers. To offer it, Urban winery from Milan. The first "small town" production company in Italy created the Make your wine kit, a box with 3 bottles of “base” red wine, the same blend aged in steel, wood and amphora (peculiarity of the cellar). In addition, a corkscrew, tasting sheet and measuring cup, necessary to mix the three nectars as desired and thus create the formula of your original blend. Once conceived, you can even order a supply, even with your own label. The same assembly experience can be done directly in the cellar, under the guidance of a sommelier.
Winks to pop and the world of snowboarders ZAI Urban Winery. ZAI stands for Highly Innovative Zone and this Veronese winery is definitely looking ahead with its wine production … in cans. The modern comics-style packaging, colorful and light-hearted, contains reds, whites and bubbles. For the toasts under the Holidays, the most captivating is Gamea, 100% Garganega Verona Igt, vegan and organic, personified in an adventurous and independent woman-cartoon, who dedicates her life to nature and to the protection of the Planet.

Sartorial tastings
The discerning connoisseur loves wine but, above all, loves knowing its facets and dreams of a guided tour among the different labels, told by expert sommeliers and producers, tailor-made according to their tastes.
Please this typology Sommelier Wine Box, a wine club that for Christmas presents an offer consisting of exclusive and rare wines, from niche wineries and selected by the best sommeliers. The boxes suggest a thematic journey that takes place around three bottles of wine, linked by a fil rouge, like that of January, which explores the world of natural wines. Not only that: thanks to a set of targeted questions, it is possible to create a box calibrated to the palate of the recipient and … of the gift giver, because a precise price range can also be established: impossible to go wrong!
An all-round experience is the proposal to give (or treat yourself!) By Tannic Wine Bar, the wine shop with kitchen that the e-commerce brand inaugurated in Milan last year. Top events, the Master Experience, horizontal or vertical tastings of the highest level, from Sassicaia to Krug and Dom Perignon champagnes, combined with a tailor-made menu designed by chef Francesca Lecchi, for an intoxicating joy of the senses.

Mon amour bubbles
Its watchwords are refined elegance and refined excellence. And he always has a flute in his hand from which a fine perlage is released.
If you have to make a gift to someone who fits this description, the labels of the moment come from the hills of Prosecco di Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, registered in the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites.
If this excellence is combined with the signature of a great chef, Daniel Canzian, the result can only be a unique bottle, a perfect gift for those who are attentive to every stage of production. Is called Ancestral Two Valleys, can be purchased at the Milanese restaurant or online and is a limited production with zero dosage, refermented in the bottle in a natural way, coming from hand-picked grapes to ensure less stress to the plants and longevity to the vineyard.
The rarest production of Prosecco comes from the Asolo hills. The cellar is part of the Consortium Moltelvini which for the Holidays proposes "FM333", the first Cru Superiore Docg Brut Millesimato 2020, fragrant and original even in the aesthetics of the bottle in black and gold.
A really important gift? We move to Champagne for the cuvée Nec Plus Ultra 2008 from Bruno Paillard. The best vintages from 17 "Grand Cru", a selection of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blended in equal parts, are the protagonists. First pressing, fermentation in small oak barrels for 10 months, second fermentation in the bottle and long aging in the cellars of the Maison, 12 years on the lees and 2 years of rest after disgorgement for an Extra Brut with a very low dosage. A champagne from conoisseurs that will leave those who receive it speechless and those who, in the upcoming holidays, will have the opportunity to toast with him or her!

Francesca Romana Mezzadri
December 2021

Tiramisu: greedy Christmas gifts – Italian Cuisine

A nice and affectionate gift idea for the passionate uncle or colleague who is greedy for tiramisu. The most loved Italian spoon dessert in the world declined in liqueur, panettone, chocolates and …

Raise your hand if you don't like the tiramisu. I would say it is almost impossible. From my experience as a judge at the Tiramisù World Cup 2021 in Treviso I was able to see firsthand how much transport there is around this now classic recipe of Italian cuisine. Basically, the disciplined recipe provides for the use of 6 basic ingredients: ladyfingers, mascarpone, eggs, coffee, cocoa and white granulated sugar. Then, everyone can decide whether to stay on the traditional and maybe just change the shape (as the 2021 champion did with his tiramisu at heart) or to elevate it to more daring flavors (like the ham and melon tiramisu of the 2021 creativity category champion). The most loved Italian spoon dessert in the world has fans everywhere – not for nothing has there just been the Tiramisù Global Marathon, which we participated in to give our support.

In short, a dessert that lends itself to all tastes and that tells a bit of our history. Perhaps it is among the desserts that you learned to make as a child so easy to prepare, then growing up you have refined the technique (whipped egg whites yes or no?) Until the result that satisfies you most. Now that we are under the holidays, you will inevitably prepare your tiramisu or someone will do it for you. What if you have a real tiramisu lover with your family or friends? What if the office colleague can't resist ordering the tiramisu dessert even during lunch break? So, we thought we'd give you some ideas for delicious gift ideas perfect for those who love tiramisu. Are you ready?

Tiramisu: Christmas gifts for fans

Milk chocolate and tiramisu bar

Venchi took care of combining the sweetness of Venezuela milk chocolate with mascarpone and coffee. In a 100-gram layered tablet, it is a delightful little thought that lets a hidden message pass: how sweet you are! Retail price 5 euros.

The tiramisu liqueur

Tiramisù Bottega is a new tasty liqueur that proposes in liquid form one of the most popular desserts in Italy and in the world. It is characterized by a moderate alcohol content (17% vol.) And the harmonious balance between cocoa, coffee and Savoyard with hints of cream, mascarpone and egg. Soft and velvety on the palate, it seems to be able to enjoy a tiramisu simply by drinking it, isn't that a fantastic idea? The original bottle with its characteristic oval shape has a capacity of 50 cl and a retail price of around 15 euros.

Tiramisu panettone

The historian took care of it Motta to create the Tiramisù Panettone. The classic soft dough of the panettone sweetened by the rich fillings of mascarpone cream and coffee plus an exquisite covering with dark chocolate and cocoa meringue grains. This is the apotheosis for a truly "GranCremoso" Christmas! Retail price 7.70 euros.

Sweet ravioli with tiramisu

A crescent-shaped chest of amber pastry with the scent of coffee that contains an inviting filling of delicious and precious blend of coffee and soft mascarpone. To be prepared fried or in a pan, Giovanni Rana's sweet ravioli with tiramisu are an original and unforgettable dessert. Ready in 3 minutes in packs of 4 servings, recommended price 3.99 euros – available in the best food outlets or online.

The tiramisu truffle

La Perla chocolate shop in Turin has prepared gift boxes of really intriguing chocolates. The creamy Tiramisu leaves room for the strong flavor of the Brazilian cocoa beans of the Macaé Dark Chocolate, to finally indulge in the delicacy of Salted Peanut. Packaged by hand, retail price 20 euros.

The best gifts for the wine lover – Italian Cuisine

Wine cellars, courses, thermometers, buckets, glasses: many gift ideas for those who love wine, objects that know how to combine aesthetics and functionality and that will last a long time, representing a special and certainly welcome gift

Those who just have a day off go to visit a new winery. Those who know how to distinguish a Verduno Pelaverga from a Saluzzese Pelaverga even blindfolded. Those who, if the glass is not the right one, do not even sit at the table. Those who would like to know everything about wines but are actually still studying. Those who know everything about wines but do not show off their science in front of the whole family on Christmas day. On the other hand, those who do, and with every sip show off technical terms and gustatory appreciations. Those that wine is an art. We all know what to give for these holidays. Courses, tastings, essential items for those who have made good drinking a passion for life.

This is our selection of ideas.

Tannico Flying School at home

The revolutionary Tannico wine courses, tastings carried out online and in person at the Tannico Wine Bar in Via Savona, change shape and become tasting kits. These are practical kits designed to accompany users through a guided tasting, which they can follow comfortably from the sofa at home, alone, with friends or live with Tannico's Wine Experts. You can choose from a selection of 6 different courses. It starts with "What white wine are you?" and “What red wine are you?”, suitable for anyone who wants to approach the world of wine and find out which white or red wines are closest to their tastes. Continue with "Pinot Nero", "Chardonnay" and "Rosé" that reveal everything there is to know about the different grape varieties and types of wine. Each kit contains 5 or 10 tastings in practical numbered glass cups, a tasting paper placemat, a pad and a pencil for taking notes and, in the case of the kits dedicated to the vines, a geographical map illustrating the origin of the wines to be tasted. . Kits can be ordered on the website.

The “Enology” proposals of Masterpro by Carlo Cracco

Bergner proposes the Enology line of Masterpro by Carlo Cracco, the Masterpro capsule collection signed by the starred chef and dedicated to all wine lovers. It is a range of products designed to enhance all the aromas, flavors and nuances of wines and spirits. High quality items, designed to allow perfect service, conservation and tasting: the Stainless steel + abs thermometer to be applied to the neck of the bottle, equipped with a LED screen to facilitate the reading of the temperature; the Automatic Conservative which delays the oxygenation of the wine, maintaining its freshness and organoleptic and olfactory qualities; two sets consisting of several essential accessories for the operation of opening and pouring the wine, which alongside the professional bottle opener, other tools such as the foil cutter, the stainless steel cap or the dispenser; and finally many different proposals for corkscrews.

CASA sparkling wine bottle

There are many proposals dedicated to the world of wine from CASA, a brand that has been synonymous with hospitality for over 40 years: and the sparkling wine cellar is dedicated to those who want to return to experience hospitality and the convivial dimension of the holidays, simple and elegant object, which becomes the center of any party or party. The bottles of sparkling wine and champagne remain cool, beautiful in sight, ready to be uncorked at the moment of the toast.

Brandani Flute Strong Cristal Glass

The right glass is essential to best savor a good wine, managing to grasp all the nuances of taste and aroma. Brandani offers glasses for all wines and for all tastes. But at Christmas the flute, the undisputed queen of toasts, rises to the fore. The new Strong line by Brandani transmits class, lightness and good taste: the new Strong flute set, in crystal glass, will fit perfectly into any context and will give any table a chic effect with attention to detail, capable of creating a festive atmosphere not only during the Christmas period.

Vadholma Ikea bottle holder

Lots of bottles and little space? Ikea has the right solution to arrange them in a functional and beautiful way. The Vadholma bottle holder, practical but elegant, with its warm tones and geometric lines, will add personality to the kitchen as well as to the dining room, playing an essential role for any wine lover: allowing you to store (many) bottles in a correct and orderly way.