Ricco Bambino is a boutique winery at 1630 Pandosy Street. Its focus is on creating minimal intervention wines. Come and discover your new favourite wine in the bright and airy tasting room or on the cosy outdoor patio.
Minimal Intervention Organic Wines
Ricco Bambino wines are elegant and well-structured, expressive and beaming with a refreshingly bright and balanced acidity. To create minimal interventions wines, they ferment and age their wines in concrete vessels to allow micro-oxygenation to occur. This process allows the wines to breath and develop a rounder mouth and textural feel without the addition of any unwanted flavours imparted by using oak or additives.
All the grapes used for their wines are organic, sustainably farmed and hand-harvested from biodynamic vineyards throughout the Okanagan Valley. Matt Dumayne is Ricco Bambino’s winemaker. He brings his philosophy of “less is more” to the winery’s minimal intervention winemaking ethos. After a gentle pressing, the grapes are transferred into stainless steel or concrete tulip tanks and fermentation begins with nothing more than the wild yeasts that naturally occur in the vineyards. This process is somewhat risky; however, it’s the only way to produce living wines that reflect the terroir where the grapes were grown.
Small Batch – Great Taste
Ricco Bambino is a small batch producer. The organic wines are made with passion and they place emphasis on the quality of the wine. The 2017 portfolio has four sparkling wines, two Metodo Classico Bruts and two Metodo Italiano sparkling wines.
“You’re sure to love our Kicked out of the Country Club Brut and the Very Troubled Child Rosé Brut,” said Jason.
In addition, they have an organic Cabernet Franc Rosé, a sustainably farmed Viognier and a zippy, Bianco-blend of Riesling and Viognier. Their single varietal organic reds include a Syrah, a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon. It is rumoured this first vintage is fantastic, so be sure you get yours before it’s all gone.
Future Land Based Winery
Although it is newly opened in Kelowna, Ricco Bambino’s owner, Jason Alton, has already expanded his love of winemaking.
“We want to ensure we always have enough organically grown grapes for our wines. Our longterm goal is to plant our own varietals organically,” said Jason. “To that end, we just purchased 12 acres in the Oliver area near McIntyre Bluff. It’s the gateway to the South Okanagan and we will be planting 12 acres next year. Ricco Bambino South will have a great tasting room too, so you can taste our wines in two locations.”
Caviar? Cocktails?
Come sip, sample and indulge your inner wine connoisseur. Indoors or out, you’ll soon discover this is a different type of winery.
“I believe we are the only winery offering caviar,” said Jason. “Our patrons can order Northern Divine organic caviar on a potato chip with crème fraîche. They can also enjoy some crunchy Marcona almonds, Castelvetrano olives or potato chips on their own. It all goes great with our portfolio of expressive red, white, rosé and sparkling wines.”
Despite the unique edible offerings, the Cocktail and Wine Bar was created to keep the focus on the drinks. “It’s reminiscent of a time when a bar was simply a bar. We serve classic cocktails, wine and bubbles, and offer a rotating selection of antipasti.”
Cocktails include Italian spritzers and champagne cocktails that feature their whites and rosé bruts. Ricco Bambino also has a rotating beer menu — one local and one Italian — that changes weekly. Then there are the stars of the show… the wines. Be sure to ask about the sit-down wine menu for private wine tastings. There are two tasting experiences: three 2-oz. pours or six 2-oz. pours which allow you to experience everything on offer. Come for a taste, stay for a glass, leave with a bottle.
It’s a What?
Ricco Bambino’s delivery truck is primed, painted and ready to roll up to your door filled with your wine requests. The wine delivery vehicle is a Piaggio Ape (pronounced aH pay) and will be hard to miss. This soft pastel pink wine wagon delivers Ricco Bambino wine directly to your door in Kelowna. It’s a great way to get the wine you want, when you want it.
Keep your eye on the website (riccobambino.com) for the special announcements and Ricco Bambino swag.