Episode 139
Wine Tastings and Cooking Classes: A Day at Rimessa Roscioli - Rome, Italy Pt. 2
Join Forrest Kelly as he continues his engaging conversation with Lindsay Gabbard, co-founder and sommelier of Rimessa Roscioli in Rome, Italy. In this episode, Lindsay shares the fascinating journey from Michigan to Rome, detailing how she and her partner transitioned from temporary tasting rooms to establishing a permanent, larger location in partnership with the Roscioli family.
Discover the hidden gem of Rimessa Roscioli, tucked away near the iconic Campo di Fiori and Ponte Sisto. Lindsay provides a guide on how to find their renowned wine bar and tasting room, while also sharing insights into her ongoing journey of learning Italian.
Explore the myriad of activities available at Rimessa Roscioli, from wine and food pairing dinners to cooking classes and private group events. Lindsay breaks down the expansive offerings, including their a la carte menu, extra virgin olive oil tastings, and the exclusive Roscioli Wine Club that delivers artisan wines from small producers to members in the US.
Whether you're planning a visit to Rome or simply a wine enthusiast, this episode offers a rich and detailed look into the vibrant world of Rimessa Roscioli.
Your Host: Forrest Kelly is an experienced Radio/TV broadcaster who has interviewed some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities, from Garth Brooks to Kevin Costner. A lover of wine who is fascinated by the science behind it.
Voted One of The Best Travel Podcasts and Top 5 Minute Podcasts.
Takeaways:
- Ramessa Roscioli shared her journey from the US to Italy, including her initial struggles.
- The wine bar in Rome offers a unique experience, combining tastings with culinary classes.
- Their business has evolved to include a diverse menu, catering to various customer preferences.
- The Richoli Wine Club allows members in the US to enjoy artisan wines from Italy.
- Ramessa emphasized the importance of learning Italian while living in Rome for better integration.
- The restaurant hosts numerous events, making it a hub for wine lovers and foodies.
Transcript
Welcome. Welcome to The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast with Forrest Kelly.
Lindsey Gabbard:We continue our conversation with Lindsey Gabbard, co founders Sommelier Rimessa Roscioli in Rome, Italy. In part one, we heard about your journey from Michigan to Rome. Let's get the rest of that story.
Forrest Kelly:The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast
Lindsey Gabbard:I basically had to go back to the US after my ten weeks being abroad.
And then I came back and surprised him a month and a half later and stayed out there for another two weeks, started working beside him pretty much every night I was there. And then after my 90 days, renewed again, I came out to Italy for another three months and again was working beside him. And then we opened up.
After we got kicked out of the old location, we opened up temporarily in a place for eight months that had two tasting rooms. So I had to do one of the tastings, and he did the other in the other room. And that's when we started really formally working together.
And then eventually, that was only an eight month lease, so we had to find another location. And the new location we found was much larger. And so we decided to form a partnership with four of us with the Richoli family for remounts.
Forrest Kelly:Once we're in Rome, can you kind of explain how we find the restaurant, the wine bar, the tasting room?
Lindsey Gabbard:Sure, if you. Well, most people would know Campo di Fiori, so if you come from Campo di Fiori, we're kind of.
Like I said, we're also still tucked away a little bit. We're not on the main. Our main restaurant, Salome Rircioli, is on kind of a main road there called Viri Giubinari.
We are about 300 meters behind Rimessa Roscioli going closer towards the Ponte Sisto. We're about a two minute, three minute walk from the Ponte Sisto, which is the bridge that connects trastevere over towards Campo de Fiori.
Forrest Kelly:So you're doing all of these activities to make Rimessa Roscioli a success. I gotta ask, how's your italian?
Lindsey Gabbard:I'm still learning it every single day, but I didn't know any before I came, so it's really been just since I've got here. But even the first five years, I was mainly speaking in English because I host the wine tastings in English, and I sound when I spoke in English, so.
And you can really get around in Rome without having any Italian. So really, it's not until the last few years that I really started speaking it.
Forrest Kelly:Once you arrive at Rimessa Roscioli
There isn't a lack of things to do. You've got tastings, you've got the restaurants, you've got cooking classes, got the food tour, you've got private groups.
Let's kind of go through all of that. When somebody shows up, what can they do?
Lindsey Gabbard: er service actually starts at: ffer an a la carte service at:So if you can do the math there, a few, a few turns, we have a few hundred, a couple hundred people coming through, probably about an average 170 at least in the evenings. But we're also open during the day for cooking classes. So if you add that on top, we kind of just don't stop.
Forrest Kelly:Yeah, let me rewind a little bit. And so describe the business, because it's.
The website is very expansive, and I was going down rabbit holes left and right, just like, wow, they pretty much do everything. But basically the first part you do is what?
Lindsey Gabbard:Yeah, we're definitely a pretty multifaceted business. We're not just your typical restaurant or wine bar. We were born from the idea of a fixed menu of wines and foods which were paired together.
Six wines paired with different fruit foods and a plate of pasta, tiramisu, etcetera. So that was the way we were born for about eight or so years. That was just the concept of rimasa rusioli.
When we opened up the new location, like I said, we had a lot more space, so we decided to add an a la carte menu. We also offered extra virgin olive oil tastings. We have now cooking classes throughout the day.
We then also, after probably about seven years ago at this point, we also created the Richoli Wine Club.
So beyond just all the services that we do in our Rome restaurant and location, people who want to kind of continue their journey with all that we do can also subscribe to our wine club. And we ship 24 wines per year from similar concepts.
ross to the US. We have about: Forrest Kelly:The Best 5 Minute Wine Podcast Don'T forget my favorite part. Please, please.
