Chinese Haute Cuisine for Drago wine
On Saturday March 31st, at the Green T Chinese restaurant in the heart of Rome, Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s “Il Drago e le 8 Colombe” 2007 was served
Roma-Green T restaurant- Toasting with Il Drago e le 8 Colombe
This was a family party reserved to a few friends of Donatella and her husband Carlo Gardini. Friends with a refined palate such as Giacomo and Yan Rech owners the “Green T” restaurant. They prepared 24 spectacular Chinese dishes chosen to be matched with rosato 2011 “Rosa di Tetto” and most of all with “Il Drago e le 8 Colombe” the wine that was to be celebrated. The result was wonderful, a real love marriage! Wines and food that married in an impeccable way.
An all Chinese lunch, during the year of the water dragon, for a wine that happily s looks towards the Orient. A small party that wants to bring good luck to a wine that has been completely revisited: new blend of grapes, new packaging new name, and even a new dragon.
Let’s start from the name. The doves represent women and her refer to the all
Rome- Green T- The antipasti for the IGT 2011 Rosa di Tetto
female staff in Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s wineries, a unique situation in Italy. With the arrival of the consultant wine maker Valérie Lavigne the number of women in the cellar have increased so the name of the wine changed from “Il Drago e le 7 Colombe” to “Il Drago e le 8 Colombe”. The dragon represents the male presence on the estate in the person of Carlo Gardini, Donatella’s husband, and a great wine lover.
Then there is the grape blend with Sagrantino – a typical variety in central Italy – which is a small step towards wines with more local identity. Regarding taste, the wine results elegant and harmonious. A change in quality which is looking towards China and benefits from a wonderful harvest, the 2007, which is considered a 5 star one. The numerous changes are underlined by a restyling of the label created by Alessandro Grazi, Sienese painter, who actually adores the colour red, dominating colour in the new label and loved by the Asian continent.
After having presented the protagonist wine at the party here are the guests at the table: Monica Larner
The young and clever taster from “Wine Enthusiast”, Alfredo Tesio in charge of the Gruppo del Gusto in the Stampa Estera di Roma and his wife, the Danish gastronomist Helle, and finally Shi Kedong correspondent for “Quotidiano del Popolo” (People’s daily) the most important Chinese newspaper with more
Rome Green T restaurant- Giacomo Rech and Violante with Il Drago e le 8 Colombe
than 20million readers. Then Massimo Arcioni owner of one of the oldest and better known wine stores in Rome and Luca Mittica who with Violante Gardini is in charge of the sales of Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s wines
Even though they were all great food and wine experts they were all at “Green T” for the first time. This is a Chinese restaurant like no other, it is one of the few places in Europe where it is possible, to eat Chinese haute cuisine. There is a great chef form Hong Kong and the owner Giacomo Rech knows how to explain the Chinese culture of food and the specificity of each dish. So in other words other than offering the highest quality food “Green T” is also somewhere to g to learn things about the Asian civilization. For this reason Donatella Cinelli Colombini has chosen it and has wanted to demonstrate the different wine and food cultures, when of excellent level, can find meeting points and can reciprocally emphasize each other still maintaining their own identity.