Eccentric gin distilled in Llantrisant and in stock at the Elephant and Bun Deli. Try Limbeck, a new western style gin or Young Tom, a fresh juniper malt gin and Cardiff Dry, a unique dry gin.
Information about these gins can be seen at Eccentric Gin

If you live near Cardiff and would like to sample authentic Sorrento dishes before you visit, or to reminisce a recent holiday, then book a table at I Giardini Di Sorrento.

The owner, Massimo, has managed to recreate a corner of his home town with wall photos and traditional interior design. Add to this Italian chatter from staff and customers and you could be excused for thinking you were on Sorrento’s main square, Piazza Tasso.

Freshly made pasta and bread are lovingly prepared in-house by Chef Gianni and his dedicated team, nearly all of whom are from Sorrento and the surrounding villages. Wherever possible, produce is sourced from Sorrento especially olive oil and the infamous limoncello.

A Sorrento welcome from Michele, Gianni and Massimo

A good selection of regional wines together with Massimo’s knowledge provide a perfect introduction to what suits your meal today or when you are in Sorrento. By the way, if you have never tasted Limoncello, now is your chance.

There is a passion not only for preparing true Italian dishes but also for the traditional cooking of their beloved Sorrento. You can sense the pride as well as the flavours, a restaurant worthy of its name.

Here’s an idea for a night in. Order a dish from Massimo (yes they arrange local deliveries) and while you look through your holiday photos of Sorrento, or book a visit online, you can savour its cuisine.

For a wonderful selection of appetising photos visit their facebook gallery.
Current menus can be viewed on their website and when you book don’t forget to mention that you are a Friend of Sorrento.

I Giardini di Sorrento
Cardiff
www.i-giardini.com

Cowbridge Style brings you reviews on wines from Italy courtesy of Richard Ballantyne, Master of Wine. This month’s recommendation is Sergio Arcuri 2014 Cirò Classico Superiore ‘Aris’.

Calabria is a little off the beaten track so you could be forgiven for having never heard of the wines from this region. We have discovered one outstanding producer whose wines are incredibly stylish and authentic.

Sergio Arcuri is a fourth generation wine producer in the DOC of Cirò where the grape variety of Gaglioppo is king. Sergio has a very small estate of 4 hectares which includes a parcel of vines planted in 1948, and another planted in 1980.

It’s these old vines that give his wine such depth and complexity. There is no oak in this wine whatsoever – it is fermented in cement tanks, then aged for 18 months in another cement tank underground to keep it cool from the blasting heat of the South of Italy.

The wine bears remarkable similarity to top end Barolo for its fragrant notes of dried rose petals, dark berries, dried figs and prunes. The wine is remarkably fresh and lively with great acidity and framed with powerful, but ripe tannins.

The wine is made partly from the vineyard planted in 1948 with the remainder from vines planted in 1980, always from bush vines (Alberello) and it certified organic. Sergio eschews the use of sulphur dioxide in his winemaking, and this wine spends 18 month ageing in an underground cement tank.

Richard Ballantyne MW

This is a truly exciting discovery and we are delighted to introduce you to it See details.