Bringing Italy’s Finest Wines to Colorado

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After a weeklong winery and vineyard tour throughout Italy, Carmine’s owner Brad Ritter is back on American soil with a head full of wine knowledge and a belly full of authentic Italian cuisine. We’re not jealous..

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Thanks to Dalla Terra Winery Direct – a direct importer of Italy’s finest wines – Brad was invited to attend a ‘Giro d’Italia’ for a behind the scenes look at where Carmine’s wines come from. This trip gave Brad the opportunity to meet the people who spend their days at the vineyards and in the wineries actually producing our wines – starting from the vine, to the grape, and finally, to the bottle. Learning about the wine making process first-hand allows us to appreciate and truly understand the wines we serve our customers.

Brad’s adventure began on the southeast coast of Italy, which is bordered by the Adriatic Sea. After enjoying the coastal life for a few days, the group traveled northwest to the Tuscany region, where a handful of Dalla Terra producers are located. To close out the trip, the group enjoyed their last few days in northern Italy and the “The Floating City”,  or Venice as we like to call it.

http://www.dallaterra.com/producers/

Photo Credit: Dalla Terra

With so many wonderful sights, smells and tastes captured in Brad’s memory, it seems impossible not to share them all. Join us for our next Tour of Italy dinner and wine pairing on October 14 and enjoy your own Italian sensory adventure! More details coming soon.

Saluti!

The Little Black Dress of Ingredients

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Throughout the history of fashion, the little black dress has become known as the essential staple in every woman’s closet. And when it comes to the Carmine’s menu, we have a staple of our own.

So what is this dress-me-up, dress-me-down, night or day ingredient we can’t live without?

It’s basil. 

The basil plant is one of the most widely known and grown herbs in the world. Often associated with Mediterranean cooking, basil is native to India, Asia and parts of Africa. As a member of the mint family, basil has antioxidant and antibacterial properties, and offers a healthy dose of vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese and magnesium. It’s no wonder we use it in so much of our cooking!

One of our favorite basil-touting recipes at Carmine’s is homemade gnocchi. Served in roasted pomodora sauce with kalamata olives, we toss in torn basil to maximize the dish’s flavor. We also slide some basil in our seafood dishes and use it to enliven our Panzanella (bread salad).

Basil is also the main ingredient in pesto – a mixture of basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese. Pesto appears in many places on our menu, and even just a small amount can take a dish to the next level.

Of course, we don’t limit our use of basil to food. Our new specialty cocktail, the Carmine’s Cooler, is a blend of Cruzan Light Rum, Tommasi Prosecco and fresh-squeezed lime, made perfectly refreshing thanks to muddled basil.

This summer, we encourage you to discover new ways to use basil in your own cooking (or drinking!) at home. And the next time you come in to Carmine’s, we promise there will be plenty of basil to go around.

 

Buon Viaggo: A Tour of Italy

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Last week, our well-traveled Assistant Manager Stephen hosted a Tour of Italy dinner and wine tasting based on his recent adventures in Italy. We had an amazing turnout, with a little over 20 guests filling up our back room to enjoy an evening of culinary indulgence!

As the group enjoyed their first beverage – Borgo Magredo Prosecco – Stephen shared his international travel tips, including the best times to visit Italy. Going in the spring? Expect a bit of rain. Summer is typically busy, as it’s a popular vacation time. Love wine? Experience the fall harvest! And of course, you can’t pass up the skiing when you visit in winter.

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Stephen then moved on to explaining the geography of Italy, which is very important when considering the country is one of the most popular wine growing regions in the world, and the 4th largest producer. The various climates and soils of Italy allow for a wide variety of grapes to be grown. Tuscany has your Chianti. Find your favorite white wines in the northeast. And look out for Sicily! This area is up and coming in the wine world.

All of this wine talk wouldn’t be complete without some Italian food, so guests were served Antipasti Carmine’s alan Rolatini along with samples of two white wines – Torre Rosazza Savignon and Umani Ronchi “Casal di Serra”.

Stephen then moved on to serving House and Caesar salads, which were paired with a rose wine – Rivera Pungirosa, and a lighter red – Vignamaggio Chiati Classico. And for the main course? Bolognese, Pasta Carcio, Chicken Parmigiana and Veal Pazzo with two full-bodied red wines – Giacosa Fratelli Barbaresco and Michelle Castellani “Colli Christi”. Delizioso!

Finally, the evening concluded with dessert and a sweet Moscato – Marenco “Pineto”. Lots of food, lots of wine. Now that’s what we call a Tour of Italy.

Want to attend the next Tour of Italy? Stay tuned for future dates by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And be sure to check our online calendar for more upcoming events!

***Wine buying tip: All the wines listed above are available at any liquor store in Colorado. If we have access to it, so does anyone purchasing in the state. The rare exception is a wine so hard to get your hands on, it winds up being purchased by restaurants exclusively. Wherever you shop for wine can get these for you. They may ask you to purchase a case if they don’t carry it. If so, don’t be afraid to ask for 10-15% off which is the standard discount on case purchases.

 

Little Carmine’s Italian Sandwiches!!

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Little Carmine’s Italian Sandwiches will open soon.  Serving Carmine’s style, freshly made sandwiches, salads and more.  Carmine’s at Lunch!

Visit our Little Carmine’s site at https://little.carminescolorado.com