Radici Virtuose live in Düsseldorf

On Saturday 9 March the Salice Salentino DOP & Brindisi DOP on tour, the roadshow dedicated to the two Apulian denominations made its home in a romantic corner of Düsseldorf, the restaurant L'Arte in Cucina led by chef Gianluca Casini. The restaurant is among the best in Germany according to the Top Italian Restaurants guide ranking where it is awarded Due Forchette.

A dinner dedicated to Negroamaro and authentic italian flavours

The tasting dinner is part of the Radici Virtuose (Virtuous Roots) project, created as a response to the spread of Xylella Fastidiosa in the Ionian-Salentine area, thanks to the work of Mipaaf (Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies) and Dajs (Distretto Agroalimentare di Qualità Jonico Salentino - Jonico Salentino Quality Food District). It was a true exaltation of regional flavours, thanks to a wide repertoire of Italian recipes, with a Tuscan accent, but not only, that met with no less than 13 wines, the absolute protagonist being Negroamaro, which found in Malvasia Nera its partner for the evening. Among the most successful pairings of the evening were pappa al pomodoro with a 2001 Brindisi Rosso Riserva, baccalà alla livornese with a Salice Salentino Rosso Riserva 2020 (surprising, to say the least, thanks to the use of tomato and olives to bind the dish and glass) and rabbit with a Salice Salentino Riserva 2019. In closing, thepairing of a 36-month Parmigiano Reggiano and a Salice Salentino Riserva 2015 still perfectly intact and snappy was perfect. The evening was hosted by Gambero Rosso journalists Marco Sabellico and Lorenzo Ruggeri, in the company of Federico Chimenti, marketing manager of the Consorzio Tutela Vini DOP Salice Salentino. The producers gave a first-hand account of the wines to an audience of journalists and sector operators, who demonstrated an increasingly in-depth and punctual knowledge of the region.