For years now, we have processed the rice we harvest from each of our fields as separate batches. Today, we honour this highly selective process by naming Gli Aironi’s first cru “Campo dell’Aia” (2016-2017) which is the name of the field just behind Cascina Pracantone, where we first started growing our rice one hundred years ago. After that “Campo del Mulino” (2018-2019) and “Campo della Città” (2020-2021).

By processing the rice from a single field, a field that was sown and harvested at the same time, and that was therefore cultivated in the same agricultural and climatic conditions, we obtain a uniform grain of rice. We can therefore carefully eliminate the superficial micro-layers that differentiate a whole grain from a semi-whole grain. This is how we keep the germ on our rice, by simply NOT removing it.

The result of this light processing is a rough, young grain that has an ivory colour and an intense aroma, and that keeps its elasticity when cooked. It is precisely this germ, its light external layer, that will give it that perfect al dente chewiness, even after being plated, because rice too should be cooked al dente!

This sensory experience can easily be appreciated by boiling the rice for 13 minutes, but its greatest expression is as a risotto: after toasting the raw rice in extra virgin olive oil and adding a splash of wine, add two parts broth and stir for 16 minutes.