Soldera’s accusations towards the Consorzio and its Brunello producers published in “Corriere della Sera” are fantasy and can do a lot of damage

View of Montalcino

The nastiest thing is the accusing the Consorzio of having <<proposed a fraud, offering wine from others to be bottled as his own>>. This is ridiculous, the producers wanted to give him part of their production to help him in a difficult moment, creating a “Brunello della solidarietà” a Solidary Brunello and this is his reply? Is he not ashamed?

He creates doubts, talks of mysteries, when the only mystery is how miraculously barrel sand barrels of his precious Brunello have suddenly reappeared. At least 350 Hl it seems, not a demijohn ….at least 5 barrels for 50Hl, as the “Corriere della Sera” talks of 7.000 bottles per year. But hadn’t the vandalic act destroyed all of his wine? Are we maybe at the wedding at Cana?
Soldera accuses the Consorzio because it does not invest in the studies of control systems regarding the pureness of the Sangiovese for Brunello, but that is not true! The Consorzio has invested about 150.000 € in these studies, entrusting the to the major wine research centre in Italy, the one found in San Michele all’Adige. The researchers, directed by Prof. Mattivi have discovered a method of investigation and the Consorzio will present it during the next convention.

A day’s work in the cold in Washington with just a little time for tourism with the Brunello producers

Seen for you by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Us Capitol in Washington, Donatella and Carlo

We were up at the crack of dawn, and then took a taxi to Penn Station, the enormous underground station next to Madison Square Garden where Nino Benvenuti’s international boxing contests took place. Here we take a train with very large wagons but they are so old that for 2 hours 45 minutes they shake us ‘til we reach Washington. Once out of the splendid Victoria station we are in front of the United States Capitol, what a sight! The small group of representatives of the Consorzio del Brunello and I had planned a day at the Italian Embassy. The building was constructed in 2001; it is square shaped and has a spectacular glass-domed atrium. There are archaeological objects exhibited and a hall dedicated to Falcone and Borsellino with the photos of the two magistrates killed by the mafia.

After a long meeting and a buffet enriched with 20 odd bottles of Brunello, including mine, – which is something that I am particularly proud of- we are finally free to roam as tourists.

A series of 12 new spectacular Brunello to begin the new year of the Union Européenne des Gourmets di Siena with a memorable event.

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The Siena Consul Siena Alessandro Bonelli promises sparks in 2013 with wine tastings, conferences and tours of excellent producers. The beginning is a triumph, 12 wines that resemble the leading players on the Italian Premier league: Canalicchio di sopra, Capanna, Altesino, Costanti, Solaria, Casanova di Neri, Talenti, Fanti, Siro Pacenti, Banfi-Poggio alle Mura and of course Donatella Cinelli Colombini.

Nobody will quickly forget this wine tasting for its very elevated quality level and for the excitement in tasting them for the very first time. In fact the first official tasting of the new Brunello took place in the USA first and then in Montalcino.

A tasting of 41 Montalcino wineries in Houston - Texas attracts operators from hundreds of kilometres and even from other states

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The USA are now the largest Brunello market, even larger than Italy. They absorb 25% of the total production, which means one bottle of Brunello very four. If we consider that most of the wine sold in Montalcino is sold to foreign tourists Italy goes below this quota and become the second market. It seems strange but that is how it is!

For this reason the first important tasting of the new Brunello 2008 takes place in the USA even before the Benvenuto Brunello kermess in Montalcino.

Every year the presentation in the USA takes place in New York and in another key city. This year for the first time we are in Texas, and it’s a success.

Don’t think of cowboys and cattle, here there is true richness, petrol, an industry bound to electronics, here is found the best hospital in the world and the largest university if the States. A less formal lifestyle and dress style but, many dollars…everything is big, exaggeratedly big!

The Brunello tasting location is a structure used for banquets, with a large hall and a smaller one for the two seminars held by Kevin Zraly a wine expert and tutor for wine courses of international fame.

Two awards in one week for the Montalcino producers; here they get recognition as an Italian excellence with the award given by the “Fondazione Italia Cina e Milano Finanza”

Donatella Cinelli Colombini_China Awards

Palazzo Clerici, one of the most beautiful buildings in Milan, with its frescoed halls with lots of golden stucco decorations, is the frame for the China Awards organized by Milano Finanza and by the Fondazione Italia Cina with Cesare Romiti as President. The award giving took place during a charity dinner to collect funds for a hospital on tracks –Life Line Express – which travels through the remotest regions in Asia curing those who suffer from cataracts, about 400.000 people suffer from this condition every year.

So, a very important evening, with all of Milan’s high society present, the Mayor Giuliano Pisapia included. Among the awarded there were 26 Italians, and 3 Chinese societies, divided into seven categories. The Brunello wine was the first to be awarded in a section created this year and which regards those who represent Italian excellence in China.
<<For the last seven years the China Awards are the occasion to give recognition to the successes achieved by Italian companies>> said Cesare Romiti in his introductive speech. In fact the list of winners was really impressive, with societies who told stories of vast expansion with great business figures and fantastic production centres. There were even those who had the entire managing staff come over from China to take part in the ceremony. Consequently the event was a big one and Brunello was among the main protagonists also thanks to its brand fame.
In the same section as the Montalcino wine prizes went to Cucinelli, the Fratelli Rossetti and to Vincenzi Group.