The Vices York

RECIPE: Risotto with Taleggio cheese and Balsamic Vinegar

To celebrate the birthday of Giuseppe Giusti on 16th May, our co-founder, Daniel Curro, has put together this beautiful recipe for Risotto with Taleggio Cheese and a splash of Balsamic Vinegar "Banda Rossa".

INGREDIENTS

 - 320g of Carnaroli rice

 - 500g of Taleggio cheese

 - 1 small glass of Grappa

 - 20g of butter

 - Salt

 - Balsamic Vinegar of Giuseppe Giusti IGP, Il Banda Rossa

METHOD

Start preparing the risotto by boiling some vegetable broth in a saucepan.

Put the rice in another saucepan and toast it without adding anything else. Stir it to make sure that the grains are roasted evenly.

Deglaze the toasted rice by adding the grappa, and continue cooking by adding a ladle of hot broth as the rice absorbs it.

Cut the Taleggio Cheese into cubes and when the rice is cooked, but still a little “al dente”, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter and cheese cubes to make it creamy - in Italian we call this “mantecatura”. Season with salt as necessary, then divide the Taleggio Risotto into individual dishes.

Complete with a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar IGP Banda Rossa by Giuseppe Giusti.

Buon appetito!

by The Vices York

Starting your wine collection

There’s something very special about your personal wine collection. A chance to curate your own selection of delicious flavours and taste experiences to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.

We sat with our co-founder, Daniel Curro, and a glass of his favourite wine, the Cantina Moros, Moros Salice Salentino Riserva DOP to learn more about starting your own collection, specifically for personal enjoyment as opposed to investment.

“When collecting this way, don’t buy wines for show but buy wine that you actually enjoy drinking. Make sure you have wine for different moods, different guests and to complement  different food. Start with trying different wines to understand your taste. You want to have fun with it and try new things. Understanding your palette will really help structure what you want in your collection.

“When it comes to buying, I usually buy more than one bottle of a particular wine, which gives me the opportunity to taste the same vintage over the years. I can see how it evolves, taste the peculiarity of that particular vintage and confront it with different vintages - perhaps in a vertical tasting.”

A vertical tasting is when you sample the same wine, but from different years so you can better appreciate the difference in vintages. This can be fascinating for any wine enthusiast, but also a great way to entertain guests and encourage discussion around the wine.

Aside from the taste, there’s also the beauty of the story behind the wine too, which Daniel sees as just as important. “I always look for the story that the wine wants to tell. Where does it come from? Where were the vines grown? But then there’s the emotive story to consider. The smell, the taste and even the label on your wine can evoke a memory and arouse an emotion. Perhaps you enjoyed a bottle with a loved one, or during a special event that you want to always remember.

“In my collection I have wines divided into three different categories. The first ones are the wines from older vintages. These are fully developed, with a great complexity and can be enjoyed right away without the need to be stored for longer.

“The second category is the wines that would benefit by staying in storage for an extra one to two years. This time allows them to develop more complex aromas.

“And lastly, the new season release, which is a bit more of a treat and a wine to keep for longer. Some of the wines I recently bought in this category were the Brunello di Montalcino 2016. These particular wines will need a few years to express their true potential and, with  longevity, you’ll be able to enjoy them over many years."

Throughout our discussion, we talked a lot about the concept of keeping and storing wine for a longer length of time. Daniel knew exactly when wine should be enjoyed and opened, and each bottle in his collection was being stored at the perfect temperature to enhance the flavour. In fact, a fluctuation in temperature or continuous exposure to light can permanently damage a wine. The ideal storage would be at around 12 degrees, with ideally 65% humidity and no sunlight. This could be a cool cupboard under the stairs or even in a well-insulated shed.

Or of course, you could consider a professional wine cooler or cellar. Stores like Counter Interiors have incredible solutions for the home that will keep your collection in the perfect condition.

As we finished our glasses and took the time to savour the last taste of cherry jam and the lingering notes of vanilla that Moros delivers, Daniel summarised with, “Ultimately, the whole experience should be enjoyable. If you’re unsure about anything, ask for help. Let an expert tell you how long wine should be stored, the right temperature to serve the wine, and even which wines would give you the biggest impact for your budget. You can then focus your attention on exploring the delicious tastes and fragrances that are available to you.”

by The Vices York

The Authentic Italian Unicorn – Merlino

“In short, Merlino is an authentic Italian Unicorn. The Unicorn is a rare and fabulous beast, wild and free, and a symbol of purity and grace. Only the Virgin Mary could ever tame it. That sounds like the perfect description of Merlino to me!”

– Paul Howard, The Wine Alchemy

This might be one of our favourite quotes in regards to describing a wine. Paul Howard sampled the Merlino by Pojer e Sandri and enjoyed it so much that he went on to purchase multiple bottles from The Archive. He’s written a fascinating article on his site, The Wine Alchemy, which breaks down this fascinating wine. He explores its delicious, yet unusual taste. He explains its method of creation. And he offers his advice on exactly how you can enjoy this wonderful wine at home.

This really is quite a unique wine, which is actually referred to as a “liqueur wine”. It’s purple in colour and you’ll experience notes of cocoa, coffee and caramel. Howard noted that the primary notes are red berry and cherry, and after ten minutes or so in the glass, he picked up herbal notes too.

For us, this wine is to be enjoyed on an evening with a chocolate dessert, and we love that Howard felt the same, “…Alternatively, a glass for quiet contemplation is all you need.”.

He suggests dark chocolate, coffee ice cream, tiramisu, but even strawberries and cheese as the perfect pairing for the Merlino and we couldn’t agree more.

The Merlino is currently out of stock, but we’re delighted to be restocking shortly. If you’d like to be on the waiting list for a bottle, please email daniel@thevices.co.uk and we’ll make sure you’re one of the first to know.

Click HERE to read the full article from Paul Howard.

by The Vices York

Why Italian wines?

Italian wine is produced in every single region of Italy, and it’s now the biggest producer of wine in the world, followed closely by France. Wine production is a huge part of Italian history, as the country has been producing for over 4000 years. And let’s not forget that Italy is the birthplace of Prosecco; Italy’s most famous sparkling wine.

There is of course a huge cultural association now too, with the average Italian consuming 37 litres per year. Wine is carefully chosen to complement a meal with the family, or a night of conversation with friends. Its taste and story is discussed and valued. The taste of the wine is important, but so is the region it was produced and the winery that nurtured it into fruition.

“Italy is home to a great number of different grape varieties and many of them are rarely seen outside of the country. Each one of them has a story to tell, some precise characteristics that describe the grape and where it comes from — they are all different from one another. You have wines that you can enjoy young, and others that require more time to evolve. You have a wine for every different palate, that no matter what you will be able to remember.” said our co-founder, Daniel Curro.

Wine is clearly an important to Daniel and his co-founder Moreno Carbone. Both Italian, they were brought up with an appreciation for wine, and with a soft-spot for Italian produce. Speaking of his family life in Italy, Daniel said,“I grew up in a family where drinking good wine and eating good food was very important. I still remember my parents going to visit a new vineyard, buying and storing new wines in our cellar. When I started tasting wine I understood that there was a world to discover. I started to study in order to know more about this fascinating world, and then this naturally evolved into buying wine to create a personal collection.”.

The Vices York was always going to be a beautiful showcase of Italian wine but opening our wine store, The Archive, gave an even bigger opportunity to really celebrate what Italy has to offer. When a customer books a complimentary 45 minute shopping session, they have exclusive access to both the collection and to Daniel’s expertise.

Italy is a treasure trove for any wine lover. Taste your way through the various regions to notice the variety in fragrance and to understand the differences in the grapes.

Wines from across Italy

Daniel's preferred region: “It’s always difficult to identify a preferred region as they all offer something unique, but if I have to I would probably go with my emotions and say Puglia, with its Primitivo and Negroamaro grapes.”

• North Western Wine: Barbera D’Alba DOC by Guido Rivella
• North Eastern Wine: Palai Muller Thurgau Vigneti Delle Dolomiti IGT from Pojer e Sandri
• Central Wine: Romagna Sangiovese Predappio DOC by Chiara Condello
• Southern Wine: Anima Di Primitivo – Primitivo Di Manduria DOC  by Tenute Emera 

by The Vices York