Author Archives: larapansera

Wow! It’s so nice to come back to Villa Crespi! This is my favorite restaurant ever! Chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo is a cuisine master God. A truly amazing and unique food experience.

Whenever I am in Italy I go to his restaurant. I like to be spoiled and pampered every time.

This is not just a two Star Michelin Restaurant but it’s also a romantic boutique hotel in the fabulous area of Lake Orta (north of Piemonte).

This time I enjoyed not only a great dinner but I had the privilege to attend one of his cooking experiences inside his kitchen! It was an unrepeatable chance to observe and to learn the secrets of Chef Cannavacciuolo’s awarded cuisine during two hours spent in the kitchen learning to prepare delicious dishes that will surprise and impress your guests at home.

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Villa Crespi website

I love High Tea! It’s so british and cool!

You take your time and relax sipping some good tea and having some yummy scones.

I love to do it…it’s a great way to spend some time together…perfect for a different girls party!

My favorite is the Champagne High tea where you can combine scones, sandwiches, salty snack and petit four with the bubbling world.

Let’s High Tea guys!

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I was lucky enough to be hosted in some of their estates in the wonderful Tuscany to discover their wine philosophy and taste their extraordinary products

The Frescobaldi are a florentine family devoted to the production of great Tuscan wines for thirty generations. With the goal of being the most prestigious Tuscan wine producer,  this family believes in respect for the territory, strives for the excellence of their grapes, and invests in communications technology and in human resources professionalism.

From the Chianti region to that of Pomino DOC, from Montalcino to Maremma one finds the estates and splendid vineyards of Frescobaldi, where the perfect understanding of the environment and uniqueness of terroir brings a guarantee of constant quality and wines of distinctive personality.

Danilo has been such a great host guiding me through this huge reality. Beyond the great and interesting wine tastings a wonderful dinner was held in their restaurant “Dei Frescobaldi” in Piazza della Signoria in Florence where I could taste the amazing Ornellaia, one of my favorite.

WINNER OF 10 GAMBERO ROSSO TRE BICCHIERI AWARDS

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South Africa is an amazing country! Full of nature, history and great wines!

South African wine has a history dating back to 1659 with Constantia, a vineyard near Cape Town, being considered one of the greatest wines in the world. Access to international markets has unleashed a burst of new energy and new investment. Production is concentrated around Cape Town, with major vineyard and production centres at Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester. There are about 60 appellations within the Wine of Origin (WO) system, which was implemented in 1973 with a hierarchy of designated production regions, districts and wards.

The Cape winegrowing areas, situated in the narrow viticultural zone of the southern hemisphere, mainly have a Mediterranean climate and the mountain slopes and valleys form the ideal habitat for the wine grape Vitis vinifera, the products of which have given pleasure to man for many centuries. Long, sun-drenched summers and mild, wet winters contribute to the ideal conditions for viticulture at the Cape.

Noble varieties which have been cultivated increasingly in the past few years include Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, which produce top-class white wines, and Shiraz and Pinot Noir.

Although most of the vine varieties cultivated here today were originally imported, up to now six local crossings have been released. The best known of these is a red variety, Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Hermitage (Cinsaut), which more recently is being cultivated locally on a fairly large scale.

I had the fortune to be hosted by Delaire Graff, a great estate in the Stellenbosch area, and taste their wonderful wines

http://www.delaire.co.za/

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Batasiolo, owned by the Dogliani family, is a winery located in the Langhe area, in Piedmont.

I visited it in La Morra several times. Fiorenzo Dogliani and Paolo Alberione are the most exquisite people in the industry. I always love to come back. Their wines are amazing,

Batasiolo, the wine cellar which besides having all its vineyards in the heart of the Langhe, a land known above-all for its great reds, produces all the most celebrated wines grown in this region, including Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera d’Alba Sovrana and Dolcetto d’Alba Bricco di Vergne, as well as great whites such as Moscato d’Asti Bosc dla Rei, Langhe Chardonnay Morino and Gavi del Comune di Gavi. This magnificent range is completed by the elegant Batasiolo Metodo Classico millésimé and the exclusive Moscato Passito Muscatel Tardì.

Barolo is the emblem of the cellar’s production, its real pièce de résistance, and Beni di Batasiolo is proud to present as many as four different Cru grown on the privileged hills of Barolo, Monforte, Serralunga and La Morra: Barolo Bussia Vigneto Bofani, Barolo Boscareto, Barolo Cerequio, Barolo Brunate, and the winner of many awards, Barolo Briccolina.

They own a fantastic 5 star hotel “Il Boscareto” where, in the magnificent starred Restaurant “La Rei”, I was so lucky to enjoy their wines paired with some outstanding truffle dishes”!

Thank you again Mr Dogliani!!

http://www.batasiolo.com/_eng/home.html

http://www.ilboscaretoresort.it/welcome_eng.lasso

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I love Scotland. It’s an amazing country…so green, peaceful and full of history! A place where it’s always good to be back!

I’m in love with whiskey. It’s a passion.

Thanks to my job I’m always able to learn more and more about it.

This time I flew to Edinburgh first and then to the Highlands hosted by Bacardi to discover Dewar’s and Aberfeldy’s world.

And what a journey!!

After the usual and always helpful theory I had the chance to create my own blend and to live the scottish tradition with games and food in a tend on the mountains!

Thanks again guys for the great event! Everything was planned so perfectly.

3 amazing days I will not forget!

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Alsace offers charming wines of great quality and unmatched diversity. In the medieval Alsatian villages with their narrow, cobblestone alleys you will meet dedicated producers on terroirs tended by their forefathers since generations.

In Alsace you will meet unmatched serenity, beauty, hospitality and, not the least, some of the World’s best white wines.

Tucked into France’s northeastern corner, Alsace follows the Rhine River through its long, thin strip. The Vosges Mountains protect and provide Alsace with a backdrop for some of France’s most stunning scenery. My trip through this wonderful region started in Colmar, the biggest town and developed into a deeper knowledge of some of the biggest producers.

Briefly a couple of facts about Alsace:

Alsace became a region for quality wines, Appelation d´Origine Controllê as late as in 1962. It was the end of a long wait, as Alsace was one of the first candidates when the system once was established.

In terms of wine growing, Alsace includes two departments, Haut-Rhin (No 68) and Bas-Rhin (No 67). All in all, 119 communes are allowed to produce AOC Alsace wines.

Over 90% of Alsace wines are made from white grape varieties. Aromatic and balanced with impressive acidity and structure (such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc), these wines are remarkably food friendly.

So many producers should be mention but my favorite 2 remain: Paul Blanck and Hugel.

http://www.blanck.com/en/

http://www.hugel.com/

They produce some of the most amazing white wines I have ever tested. Try it!

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Two great days inside the blue world of Bombay Gin.

This time I flew back to London hosted by Bacardi to get deeper into this sophisticated gin. After the production and tasting session I was lucky enough to visit the pop up Bombay Museum held in Vinopolis and all this amazing experience ended up with a great Bombay cocktails/food pairing lunch at ROAST.

Thank you guys again for letting me be part of the journey!

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Just returned from this great Masterclass. I flew to London hosted by Bacardi to attend this new updated session for Grey Goose.

What an interesting experience!! We’ve got all the production and tasting skills on Vodka number 1 in the world. And a great cocktails session as well in one of the most secret and prestigious private club in London.

Thanks to Bacardi and Grey Goose World Brand Ambassador for the amazing journey

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Yes!! I had to come back to see these two amazing isles.

It was an adventure but it was worthy!

I flew back to Edinburgh and rent a car, drove to the furthest part of Scotland and then by ferry to the incomparable Orkney Islands!

Of course I was focused on whiskey, as usual..so my first stop was Highland Park, the most remote distillery in the world…and what a distillery!

Then I had to visit my favorite whiskey’s home Talisker in the amazingly beautiful Isle of Skye!

A quick stop at Bell’s coming back was a must.

Sooo interesting and unique!

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