Production Paolo Basso
My repositioning from sommelier to producer was a journey that took me back to the origin of my passion and proved to be a new growth and continuous discovery, culminating in the creation of my own wine labels.
After winning the title of Best Sommelier in the World in 2013, I chose to deepen my connection with the Ticino region, turning my passion into a new entrepreneurial adventure.
I bring to my wines the experience I have accumulated over the years and my relentless pursuit of excellence. Among the creations I have the pleasure of offering are:
Il Fiore di Chiara is a typical merlot vinified in white, supplemented with 10 percent Chardonnay that brings structure and intensity and 10 percent Sauvignon that gives aromaticity and freshness. It is a fresh and floral white that accompanies aperitifs, appetizers, and light fish dishes.
Il Bianco di Chiara is the elegant and complex Merlot white. It is with this type of wine that I used to amaze my clients who agreed to taste a wine blind when I was a sommelier. Amazed by the quality, they thought of a French wine and once they discovered the wine, they were so surprised to find in a Merlot Blanc de Noirs from Ticino.
This is a white Merlot with great personality and structure that accompanies quality fish and white meat cuisine.
Le Rosé is a Merlot rosé partially aged in oak barrels that evokes freshness, lightness and good structure. It accompanies light summer cuisine and has the advantage that it can also accompany red meats if you prefer a rosé with character to a red on warmer days.
Chiara's Bouquet, reminiscent of the bouquets of flowers Chiara picked as a child in the meadows of Ligornetto. It is the traditional and versatile Merlot that accompanies typical local cuisine: cured meats and cheeses, risottos and pasta with sauce, grilled meats, roasts, stews and stewed meats. It is the traditional red wine that always finds its proper place.
Chiara's Red is my flagship red, structured and persistent. Dedicated to my daughter Chiara's red hair, it is the wine that signified my repositioning as a producer.
It is 80% Merlot, supplemented with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. I interpret it as a future projection of Ticino's winemaking potential, which, with the climate change, proves to be well suited to the excellent expression of these latter two Bordeaux-derived grape varieties.
It is a structured and elegant wine with great personality, accompanying meat dishes of fine cuisine. It particularly enhances risotto, beef, lamb, kid and aged cow cheeses.
Samhàin takes its name from the Celtic New Year that was celebrated on the night of October 31. For the Celts, skilled farmers who populated Insubria, it was the most important and spiritual time of the year. It is a Merlot from old vines that give it a very definite and quite unusual character and style. You could call it a bourguignonne-style Merlot.
It is a sublime Merlot that has great structure and energy on the palate. It accompanies great red meats in general and particularly enhances game, duck quail ormaggi stagionati .