Taste of Italy right here in Perthshire
Laura Raimondi and Steven Dalton are coowners of La Sicilyana, a wine importing business and bistro situated on Scone’s lively main street.
A beacon of contemporary Italian style, the bistro offers an authentic taste of Sicily, and provides a base for local and national sales of the fine Sicilian wines that Laura brings exclusively to the UK.
La Sicilyana means ‘the Sicilian lady’, reflecting Laura’s heritage.
There are historic links between Sicily and Perth, including during World War II when Black Watch soldiers were based on the island.
Laura’s grandmother and her family struck up friendships with the troops, providing food, wine and musical entertainment to show their gratitude.
Two generations on, Laura left Sicily to build a career in the UK, and met Steven – who just happened to be a former Black Watch serviceman.
The rest is history, and all to the benefit of local bon viveurs and wine lovers throughout the UK.
Laura regularly returns to Sicily to choose exquisite wines for import, concentrating on unusual grape varieties indigenous to the island.
“Sicily has a long heritage of traditional wine making using grapes that have grown on the island for thousands of years,” says Laura. “Most grapes are grown using organic principles many of the wines are vegan, and they are quietly gaining popularity in the UK.”
There’s a wine for every taste amongst La Sicilyana’s range. And for those who are new to Sicilian wines, there is no better guide than Laura.
“I am passionate about sharing my love of Sicilian wines with the world.
“Traditionally, Sicily has kept its best wines to itself so I love finding the very best varieties and bringing them to my adopted country.
“It’s wonderful to see how people react when they taste our wines. They really are a revelation.”
While Laura is La Sicilyana’s wine expert, Steven’s flair for customer service sees him taking the helm at the couple’s Scone bistro which is famed for its real Italian food, including pizza, paired with complementary wines.
It has expanded recently to offer home deliveries and online deli and wine orders which have proven hugely popular through the challenges of 2020.
Laura has also been doing things differently, offering online wine tastings as a safe and fun way of bringing friends together virtually.
La Sicilyana’s wines form an important part of Laura and Steven’s latest venture: Christmas hampers and other festive gifts which are being sent across the UK, as well as delivered locally by Steven in his instantly-recognisable La Sicilyana van.
With reduced restrictions in sight for next year, Laura and Steven have big plans for 2021.
“We’re looking forward to returning to the bistro’s longer opening hours and continuing to bring even more of the Mediterranean to Perthshire,” says Steven. “Hopefully there will be many of reasons to raise a glass in celebration in 2021 and we want Sicilian wine to be in lots of those glasses.”
See https://www. lasicilyana.co.uk for more information.