The Frescobaldi family, one of Italy’s oldest a wine dynasties has opened its first standalone restaurant and wine bar in the UK.
Frescobaldi follows in the footsteps of restaurants and wine bars in Florence and at Rome’s Fiumicino airport. The London restaurant is presided over by young chef Roberto Reatini, formerly of Zafferano. Prior to this, he was senior sous chef at Shoreditch House, working alongside head chef Michele Nargi.
Reatini has created a new menu for Frescobaldi in which he offers his own take on classic Tuscan dishes.His hors d’oeuvres menu features red prawn carpaccio with green apple & caviar.First course choices include veal cheek pappardelle with rosemary bread and maltagliati pasta & cannellini beans, whilst mains includevegetables & olives ossobuco. Desserts include mille-feuille with caramelised apricots.
Key to the Frescobaldi experience is an extensive array of wines produced by Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi, a company of nine estates (predominantly in the hills around Florence and Siena), an annual production of seven million bottles, distribution in 65 countries and countless awards.
Overseen by head sommelier Fabrizio Pavlic, formerly of the Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Frescobaldi’s offering ranges from entry level wines such as Castiglioni Chianti 2013 through to such legendary names as Mormoreto, a single-vineyard cru of Castello di Nipozzano, and the flagship Frescobaldi cuvée, Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo Riserva. The list also includes the family’ssparkling wines, grappas and dessert wines.
Frescobaldi also offers a selection of different tasting flights, a new way to embark on a”journey” through the world of Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi wines. These flights represent a simple and fun way to taste three wines, each vinified and aged in a different way, and all from different estates or regions. Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi wines account for some 75% of the restaurant’s list; thremainder comprises a selection from both the Old World and the New World.
In a rare move, the majority of Frescobaldi’s 150 bins are available by the glass,.