There is a fantastic annual campaign every September known as #Organic September, led by the Soil Association that encourages people to make small changes to their purchasing habits and aims to raise awareness of genuine organic products.
I was thrilled to spend a lovely evening at Lamezia Italian Restaurant recently celebrating Organic September with some delicious Calabrian food paired with a selection of a selection of natural, boutique organic wines from the Cirò- a wild, sea-flanked corner of Calabria and one of southern Italy’s most exciting natural wine-producing regions.
Maria Dell’aquila, the owner at Lamezia Italian Restaurant, a family run restaurant, described each of the wines selected for the pairing, and paired it perfectly with some really delicious dishes. Maria’s vision of ‘Progressive Italian’ albeit with Calabrian heart, soul and characteristic Italian humour truly came out that evening and I will definitely be back in a heart beat for some more of those fantastic Italian dishes.
What’s more the wines are from the family’s vineyard in Calabria, and so really special.
For our first course that evening, we tried a white wine called Frandina, made with 100% Greco Bianco, and this was paired with Frito Misto, which was lightly battered squid, grilled prawn with tartare sauce and lemon. It was the perfect aperitif, and a really light, nutty wine.
The second or primi course was a Tagliatelle of handmade fresh ribboned pasta (by Maria’s dad) with a fresh tomato sauce and basil. Simple but ever so punchy, and accompanied with a Rosé wine called Rosemanno that had accents of wild strawberries and was ever so moreish.
For the third course we tried Calabria’s signature spicy sausage, N’duja, on pizza, which was just so flavoursome, with a spicy kick which I loved, and comfort food at its best!
This was paired with a Red wine, called Salvogaro, which is made from the Gaglioppo Grape, and was peppery and earthy. This was easily my favourite wine from the evening.
I unfortunately had to leave early so I missed the Cheese plate, paired with another red wine, Piana Delle Grazie, as well as dessert, which was Tiramisu, Canolo & Torta De La a Nonna, paired with bitters from Calabria, but from what I saw on Instagram from fellow diners, they looked incredible.
The great news is all the wines we sampled on the evening are currently featured on Lamezia’s menu as are all the dishes so if you are looking to try some amazing Calabrian wine, or organic wine, head on over to Lamezia and have a wonderful time with the fantastic wines and superb food! I know I’ll be back very soon.
Find out more: https://www.lameziaitalianrestaurant.com/
Hi, I’m Binny – a writer, dreamer, serial wanderluster and travel addict. I am originally from Kenya but now live in London. I set up this blog to share my experiences eating out as well as travelling.
I love packing my bags and going off on adventures as one of the best things about travelling is the ability to just get lost in it. To set aside the maps and itineraries and just see where the road takes you, learning and evolving and living in the moment along the way.
It’s my goal to get swept off my feet as often as possible.
Sounds like a dream meal!