Tag: Lake

Restaurant with a view of Lake Como: Amandus in Mandello – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

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If Lake Como is famous, it is also thanks to Clooney, who has given charm to this area. But who has a restaurant with a view of Lake Comoas Villa Lario Resort in Mandello del Lario, must take credit for making the dream of feeling a bit like the American star possible. With this very objective, Esa Secca and Raffaella Di Gennaro, two friends with a passion for travel, have renovated an elegant early twentieth century residence to transform it into a 5-star boutique hotel with restaurant.

Nine luxury suites, gourmet dining, a heliport with direct access to the property, a private dock on the lake, a 10,000 m2 park² and two private beaches, one of which is equipped, with direct access to the lake: Villa Lario Resort is a little gem. And it also offers the possibility of accessing high-level catering, from breakfast (à la carte, also for guests outside the structure) to dinner, at Amandus, a restaurant with a breathtaking view of Lake Como led by chefs Luca Mozzanica.

How to eat at the Amandus restaurant in Mandello del Lario

The gourmet experience proposed by Luca Mozzanica It is made of a delicate contamination between traditional elements and modern techniques.

“The name of the restaurant expresses the philosophy of Villa Lario Resort. Amandus, in fact, is the Latin toponym from which the name Mandello, the town where the villa is located, originates. But it also means “lovable”, “to be loved” or “worthy of being loved”. This concept is the basis of the idea of cuisine proposed by the restaurant: a welcoming place able to make the guest feel at ease in front of a dish with a sophisticated composition, but with an immediate taste, capable of making one fall in love at first bite” explains Mozzanica.

In addition to the enchanting sunset – which deserves to be included among the dishes on the menu – Mozzanica offers a menu that changes with the seasons and some signature dishes, such as the Risotto with basil, raw red prawns and tartare of datterini tomatoes, with the addition of fresh lemon zest in the creaming and a sprinkling of squid ink for a touch of flavor and crunchiness; or the unmissable Tiramisu, an expression of Luca Mozzanica’s passion for pastry making.

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Mountain wines overlooking Lake Garda – Italian Cuisine

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It is time to discover and rediscover enchanting places and territories, such as Riva del Garda and Cembra. And their vineyards over 800 meters above sea level

On the ancient Bastion of Riva del Garda (early 16th century), now also reachable by a panoramic lift, the mild air that rises from the lake blows. It is theHour of Garda, the wind that caresses the territories surrounding the lake basin, especially in the north in the province of Trentino. Therefore in these places there is a unique microclimate in northern Italy, which attracts tourism, especially foreigners for at least nine months a year.

The submerged wine

The Lake Garda it is a bit like the Mediterranean of Northern Europe. Here, in fact, in addition to olive trees and vines, we even find prickly pears. The local oil mills from year to year are distinguished by the production of increasingly competitive and above all tasty oil. An extremely varied palette of hints and notes on the palate. From sweet to spicy. So much so that it would be worth visiting these places even just to take a tour dedicated to this product, tastings in purity and combinations with fish from the lake and meat dishes.

And then there is the Ora del Garda that blows on the vineyards, which nourish themselves by sinking their roots on soils that are definitely suited for native and international vines. Even at considerable heights. Indeed, here we find some of the best expressions of local viticulture. Right next to the sixteenth-century Bastion we taste an unprecedented bubble, Brezza Riva Riserva 2016, Classic Method Trento Doc. A limited edition sparkling wine of Chardonnay in purity from vineyards located on the high Tennese area, around 800 meters above sea level. An extremely fresh and direct Pas Dosé, a visit card of the territory. A wine that from June 2020 for 12 months will mature on the lees even at a depth of 38 meters, on the bottom of Lake Garda. A daring operation of Riva del Garda winery, conducted together with a team of divers. An experiment for which in the first 12-month maturation period on the lees, 1216 bottles will be lulled by the lake currents, subjected to a natural remuage, protected from light, at a constant temperature and pressure. We'll see. On the contrary: to taste.

Wine at high altitudes

And from the depths of the lake we move to the heights of Cembra, the valley of the Red Gold, or rather of porphyry, a stone so loved by the emperors on the threshold of the Middle Ages. See the sculpture of the Tetrarchs in Venice between the Basilica of San Marco and the Porta della Carta: they seem carved in wine! Stone that distinguishes the soils on which vines are grown from which sometimes excellent wines are obtained. Here, too, the Ora del Garda expires, and the grapes enjoy considerable temperature variations between day and night. Of course, harvesting in these parts is not child's play. The vineyards are planted on often steep and steep walls. But the harvest here has always been a celebration that involves the entire community. Like when it comes time to harvest the grapes of Müller Thurgau of Vigna delle Forche, a handkerchief of vines at almost 900 meters above sea level.
We did a vertical tasting of this wine, vintages 2013, 2015 and 2017. And, surprisingly, the most beautiful, the best is the last.
But yet, Cembra – Mountain Cellar uncorks three more bottles of a cru di Pinot Noir, Saosent vineyard. Vintages 2011, 2015 and 2016. We are 560 meters above sea level. The vineyard is arranged like an amphitheater and the resulting wine is a chorus of aromas on the nose. And it conquers the table with its unmistakable personality, also the result of a wise work in the cellar. Pinot Nero Vigna Saosent ages in tonneaux and barriques for 12/18 months before bottling and continues its refinement in the bottle for at least one year.

Where to eat and sleep a weekend in Riva del Garda

Lunch overlooking the lake (from above). To the Bastion Lounge & Restaurant, not only you can enjoy a truly remarkable panorama, but you can taste light dishes with quality raw materials, accompanied by wines from the region. While in the evening the cuisine is decidedly more gourmet and refined, with excellent raw fish.

A dinner that recalls the territory at every course. The Leon d’Oro restaurant with the interiors in Austro-Hungarian style, it immediately stands out for its noble and informal welcome. As in all of Trentino, more or less, of course. But here the staff are more inclined to talk than elsewhere. Not useless chatter, but on the plates of the paper. Even the (notable) wine list. Two tasting routes: fish (fresh water is excellent) and meat.

After Dinner

In Riva del Garda there is also no shortage of cocktail bars for lovers of mixing. And for lovers of gin and its many variations, here is a place to pop in before the lullaby. The Pub dell’Oca. Express your preferences and leave the rest to the barman.

Where to sleep

Where to sleep well without spending staggering amounts and receive discreet service? L'Hotel Villa Miravalle is a residence that dates back to the 19th century, but with all the comforts of today. Including the location a stone's throw from the center of Riva del Garda.

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The rediscovery of Lugana, the wine of Lake Garda – Italian Cuisine

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An elegant and delicate white, to be enjoyed with a good dish based on lake fish, of course, but not only. Here is what we discovered by visiting the Tenuta Le Fornaci of the Tommasi Family Estates Group

The great wines of Veneto they are well known all over the world. They range from evergreen and always-ready-in-the-fridge Prosecco, the best-selling sparkling wine on the entire planet, to absolute excellence like his majestyAmarone, undoubtedly one of the most prestigious – and expensive – reds of the entire Italian wine heritage. Going to sift with more attention the Venetian territory and its surroundings, however, it is possible to come across wines that are undoubtedly less known, but absolutely to be rediscovered, if only as a direct expression of unique native vines. This is the case with the Lugana, elegant white obtained from Turbiana grapes, particularly interesting especially for its extreme versatility. So, to delve a little more into the universe of this wine, we decided to delve into the proposals of Le Fornaci Estate, the signed project Tommasi Family Estates which directly overlooks the shores of Lake Garda.

Lugana, the Doc of the lake

«A fertile plain south of Lake Garda. Vineyards neat and beautiful as paintings. A beneficial and caressing climate. Yesterday “Lucana”, an inhospitable place of woods and marshes, today an airy land, generous and welcoming like a garden . It is with these words of courtly charm that the Lugana Consortium presents us with its territory: a two-faced area, which stretches between the provinces of Brescia and Verona, for a total of over 2000 hectares of vineyards divided into two macro-zones. The first, wider with more tenacious and clayey soils, is substantially flat, and extends along the hinterland between Desenzano and Sirmione, giving the grapes – and therefore the wines – a particular minerality lacustrine. The second, of a more hilly nature, instead extends from the Monumental Tower of San Martino della Battaglia, and is characterized by more sandy soils, with a good presence of gravelly elements. The grapes from this area are generally characterized by a more marked one acidity. In short, the area of origin of the grapes can significantly affect the final peculiarities of Lugana: in the glass, in any case, we find most of the time the typical delicacy of this wine, characterized by gentle citrus notes.

The Fornaci and the evolution of Lugana

The Tommasi family enters the world of Lugana starting from a vine of about 5 hectares in the municipality of Desenzano del Garda, located near San Martino della Battaglia: the name of the estate, immediately baptized Le Fornaci, refers to a archaeological site of the area, which houses – in fact – a rare Roman furnace dating back to the 1st-2nd century AD. In 2013, 2 further plots were acquired, located in different areas of the Lugana Doc: to date, therefore, the estate includes a total of 45 hectares of vineyards, located partly inland and partly towards Lake Garda, at the gates of Sirmione. An expansion that has also brought with it further investments on the front ofwine tourism, with the inauguration on the horizon of a new wine bistro and a new cellar dedicated exclusively to the processing of Turbiana grapes; and which, at the same time, has determined a natural evolution of the wine produced: the result is a Lugana Doc Le Fornaci in continuous improvement, which in its 2019 version offers notes of pineapple, mango, grapefruit, with a sapid and mineral finish that it resists in the mouth, leaving a very pleasant freshness on the palate. "For the future," he anticipates Giancarlo Tommasi, winemaker of the Tommasi Family Estates Group, "we have two new products in the pipeline: Le Fornaci Lugana Doc Riserva version, vintage 2018, and a new Le Fornaci Rosé, which intends to become a premium rosé wine purely dedicated to catering".

How Lugana is paired

Among the main characteristics of Lugana we find without any doubt the versatility: the delicacy of this white, which almost seems to represent all the elegance of the Garda coasts in a glass, means that it can be drunk practically throughout the meal, even starting with the simplest toast at aperitif time. For the rest, as he points out Andrea Bottarel, director of the Lugana Consortium, «we are faced with a wine that obviously marries perfectly the typical dishes of its territory, starting with preparations based on lake fish. But it is perfectly capable of supporting even tastier first courses, risotto, white meats such as chicken or rabbit, and yes, even sea fish, if not excessively processed and seasoned. A very interesting combination, in this sense, can also be that with Japanese cuisine . Or with thehaute cuisine del Garda, as shown by the menu developed by the chef Fabrizio Molterni of the restaurant The Speranzina from Sirmione, and accompanied step by step, course after course by Lugana Le Fornaci: salmon trout tartare alla pizzaiola, complete with key ingredients of the pizza laid on a base of lake fish; risotto with tench jus, capers, lemon and extra virgin olive oil; and zander à la poele, with courgette in butter glaze and red wine sauce.

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