La Scolca Wines Take Center State at Italian-Themed Dinner Hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla

Last Friday, King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted an Italian-themed dinner, at their Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, featuring an extraordinary guest list, including Helen Mirren, David and Victoria Beckham, Rod Stewart, Donatella Versace, Sienna Miller, the Italian Ambassador to the UK, Inigo Lambertini, Chiara Soldati, and the British Ambassador to Rome, Lord Edward Llewellyn. A key evening figure was Stanley Tucci, an American actor of Italian descent and an expert in Italian gastronomy. Tucci collaborated with Chef Francesco Mazzei, a long-time ambassador of Italian cuisine worldwide, to create the exclusive menu for the evening.

The reception and dinner menu, prepared by Calabrian chef Francesco Mazzei, featured Italian recipes with British ingredients and was accompanied by English sparkling wine and Italian wines.

This dinner comes ahead of the royal couple’s state visit to Italy in early April, in which there will be engagements in Rome and Ravenna, with exclusive meetings with Pope Francis and Italian political leaders.

King Charles states this as a “most splendid evening which brings together two things very dear to my heart – slow food and Italy”, and “A nation’s food culture is a priceless social and environmental asset, intimately bound up with its sense of identity and place.”

“To say that we are looking forward to it would be to engage in a little British understatement,” he joked to diners, including Stanley Tucci, who inspired the choice of food.

“To better emphasize the special friendship between the two countries,” Chef Mazzei commented, “Stanley and I thought of an Italian menu made almost entirely with products from the United Kingdom. I must say, I found some exceptional products that are in no way inferior to those from Italy. The only products I imported from Italy were extra virgin olive oil and wines.”

The Piedmontese winery La Scolca played a leading role, with its Gavi dei Gavi Black Label 2023 accompanied by two of the dishes. “It was an honor to represent Italy, my region, and my territory at such an important event,” said Chiara Soldati, CEO of La Scolca and Knight of Labour, “during which Italian lifestyle excellence was celebrated. Chef Mazzei did a wonderful job of creating a gastronomic bridge between the two countries, in a union that is not just metaphorical but between two cultures and two important traditions. Events like this provide an important opportunity to highlight the value of our gastronomic tradition and our craftsmanship, elements that make Made in Italy a globally recognized and appreciated model.”

Food + Wine Served

Reception
Rare and pasture salumi
Tuscan-style paté and coppa
Yorkshire pecorino cheese puffs
British vegetables caponata tartelletta

Wine: Highgrove sparkling wine

Dinner
Scottish crab panzanella
Westcombe ricotta and Highgrove fine herbs ravioli
Isle of Wight tomato passata
Suffolk Red porchetta
Pumpkin and sage mash, Tuscan kale

Wines: white wine Gavi dei Gavi La Scolca Black label 2023 and red wine Barbaresco Gaja 2021

Zuppa Inglese and biscotti

Wine: Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Zenato

Source:  La Scolca Wines

WineGB calls for further support from Government for wine exports

WineGB is calling on the government to provide additional support to promote the growth of GB wine sales overseas through exports. The percentage of sales from export has doubled in two years from 4% in 2021 to 8% in 2023.

Currently, British wines are exported to 45 countries, with the largest markets being Norway, Japan, the United States, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and South Korea. Notably, sales of English still and sparkling wines in Norway have surged by 33% over the past year.

According to figures from Norwegian alcohol monopoly Vinmonopolet, sales increased by 21,551 litres, reaching a total of 87,318 litres.

WineGB is pushing for stronger partnerships with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the GREAT campaign, as outlined in its Manifesto for Growth. The trade body emphasises that no new wine-producing region has established itself in the global export market without significant government backing. WineGB is keen to work closely with Jonathan Reynolds MP, secretary of state for the DBT, to accelerate the growth of British wine exports.

To level the playing field for English and Welsh wines in international markets, WineGB has proposed five key actions:

1. Showcasing English and Welsh wines in 20 to 30 major cities worldwide

2. Enhancing grant funding, export financing, and support for physical distribution at overseas events

3. Improving trade access to European markets

4. Expanding the UK’s gastro-diplomacy efforts through its global network; and

5. Assisting exporters with better access to accurate and up-to-date export data

Sources: https://winegb.co.uk, and Harpers