Braschi Wines

On a laid back memorial day weekend I participated in an early (Pacific time) Braschi Wines and cooking zoom event. This was during covid, so I was quite happy to participate in this Vero Vino talk online. It took place live from Romagna, and it was led by Chef Riccardo ‘Raggia’ Severi as well as Davide Castagnoli, owner of Braschi Boy Winery.

Braschi Wines

Vero founder Sheila Donohue was on the East Coast, with some family in West Hampton, while I was joining on the West Coast in LA. Sheila had a personal connection with Riccardo. Several years back, she was a runner up for Master Chef Italy, and Davide introduced her to Riccardo, who taught her how to plate dishes. She will be forever grateful to Ricardo for teaching her this important technique.

*From left to right: Davide Castagnoli, owner of Braschi Boy Winery, Chef Riccardo ‘Raggia’ Severi;*
*Screen shot of live streamed VeroTalk;*

The event streamed live from Riccardo’s garden in Cesena, Romagna, Italy, and featured three Braschi wines. Although he does not speak English, Sheila did a great job translating. Of course Davide helped with translation as well as adding his knowledge of both wine making, and the historic region.

Riccardo Severi of Braschi Wines

Riccardo’s grand parents were farmers in Romagna. He ultimately returned to farming when he lost his chef job due to the pandemic. Now he has been experimenting with his garden, and how he incorporates these fresh ingredients into his cooking.

Riccardo told with us that it is a tradition that the farmers would share a glass of Sangiovese out in the field. Another popular part of Romagna culture, is to greet guests with a glass of wine. We all agreed, this was a great custom. Costone Sangiovese Superiore had a fruity nose and a smooth, round cherry flavor. This was a delightful way to kick off the event.

Riccardo took us on a tour of his garden. He showed us his crops, cherries, apricots, beans, potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, peas, as well as onions.

*The first two wines from Braschi; photo by Kathy Leonardo*

Wine & Cooking

The cooking began. Chef Riccardo used Fava (Lima) beans as well as a pungent cheese called formaggio di fossa. According to the duo, this cheese is aged underground. This is a tradition from a local town in Romagna. Elaine Januszewski who lives in Italy (Emilia, the western part of Romagna) also helped with translation. She clarified that the cheese is surrounded with hay. A fondue was created topped with a tart cherry sauce and the fava beans. This is a perfect aperitivo to be paired with the Monte Sasso Famoso White Wine.

The Famoso has a unique story behind it. A farmer had fantastic results while making wine with this specific grape that had been found on his vineyard. He was unsure what it was, so in 2001 he had it tested, and found out that the grape was originally thought to be extinct. Fortunately for us, this was re-discovered. The Monte Sasso Famoso White Wine is floral to the nose, offering a dry smooth wine high in acidity, with the delicate taste of apricots.

More Food & Braschi Wines

“An Egg with a shirt” is the name of the second dish. Benedict Monks used to make this dish. It is the origin of Eggs Benedict. Davide paired it with the white Famoso dry white wine.

Next, we would taste the Albana Sweet wine. I prepared my own snack ahead of time – some cheeses to eat while I sipped on my wine. A mushroom brie and a manchego went well with all of the wines.

The third dish was to pair with the Albana, which featured apricot jam…made fresh from his garden. Sheila told a story about how she was first introduced to squacquerone cheese while in Romagna. This unique cheese has a soft consistency. So back in the day, one would spread it on bread, add homemade apricot jam and radish leaves on top. Mothers would give this typical Italian snack given to children. Januszewski pointed out that since the radish leaves which are peppery, therefore bring a nice contrast to the sweetness of the dish. This was the perfect pairing to accompany this luscious sweet wine.

Wine History

Sheila recounted a story…Around the 5th century a powerful woman (an Empress) became the acting Roman Emperor for a short time while she stood in for her son, who was too young at the time. She loved this wine…she said it was like drinking gold. The straw color comes from the thick skinned grape. This also has a high acidity and works well pairing with food. The Albana Dolce is something I’ve never quite tasted. I am not a sweet wine lover but this was so lush with fruity orange notes.

Visit Vero to purchase all of these wines, and read about the unique history of the vineyard, and its grapes – https://www.verovinogusto.com/braschi-romagna-wines

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