Ascona Riserva Merlot Ticino DOC Riserva 2021

Appellation: Ticino DOC Riserva

Vintage: 2021

Grape variety: Merlot

Alcohol content: 13.5%

Ascona Riserva is the one true wine of Ascona: it comes from the first rows planted on the Cantina alla Maggia estate over forty years ago, on a sandy-silty soil shaped by the millennia-old work of the Maggia river. A pure Merlot, aged 30 months in new barriques, it shows a clear, intense garnet colour, with aromas of blackberries, strawberries and ripe plum, followed by sweet spices, liquorice, sweet tobacco and a peppery finish of bitter cocoa.

Firm yet velvety tannin, with long persistence on the nose and palate. Pair with beef cheek with polenta, eggplant parmigiana with lamb ragù, or a spiced churrasco.