THE HISTORY OF THE ROOM CREATED AT FATTORIA DEL COLLE, FOR THE ROMANTIC ENCOUNTERS OF THE GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY PIETRO LEOPOLDO WITH HIS LOVER ISABELLA. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SLEEP IN IT?
Agriturismo in Tuscany Fattoria del Colle Grand Duke’s bedroom
By Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard von Habsburg-Lothringen was born in Vienna in 1847 and became Grand Duke of Tuscany at the age of eighteen in 1865. He left my region in 1890 to become Emperor of Austria and died in Vienna two years later. Her sister Marie Antoinette was the Queen of France guillotined during the revolution and another sister, Maria Carolina, reigned in Naples.
His wife Maria Luisa of Bourbon was the daughter of the King of Spain and bore him 16 children, creating a family that, in the eyes of the Austrians, was too boisterous and disorderly.
Friends of Donatella’s Club will be among the first in the world to taste Brunello 2018 and the Prime Donne 2018 selection from the Casato Prime Donne winery
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This offer is for those who want to start the new year as every great wine lover dreams. The 2018 vintage crowns the talent of Tuscan winemakers. A vintage that is very reminiscent of those of our grandparents and that gave us a Brunello that is modern, elegant and very rich in perfumes. These are the first BIO Brunellos by Donatella Cinelli Colombini.
BIO is a certification that aims to protect the environment and consumers, and which only allows the use of a little sulphur and copper in the vineyards. The grass is managed only with hoeing and the fertilizer is exclusively stable manure. The vines are taken care of manually and we no longer tie the vines with plastic to prevent this from creating pollution.
Brunello Prime Donne is part of a project for the enhancement of female talent in the oenological field. A panel of 4 very expert female tasters blind taste the future Brunello in all phases of its life: as soon as it is born, in the barrel, in blending. They are the Masters of Wine, Rosemary George and Madeleine Stenwreth, the wine expert Astrid Schwarz and the sommelier Daniela Scrobogna.
Donatella Cinelli Colombini will taste these 2 splendid wines together with those who ordered them online. The date and link of the connection will be communicated as soon as the wine has arrived to all customers. In the connection Donatella will explain the wines and tell how they were born, together with some amusing anecdotes.
James Suckling, as always, is the first of the great international critics to publish his judgments on Brunello, and he rewards those by Donatella with 93 and 94 points
by Donatella Cinelli Colombini
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He was born in Los Angeles in 1959 and lives between his home in Borro (Arezzo) and Hong King but is also an honorary citizen of Montalcino.
After his studies in political science and journalism at the Universities of Wisconsin and Utah he began to write and from 1981 for the new born magazine Wine Spectator. In 1984, he followed his passion for wine by making his first trip to Europe and the following year he became the European correspondent of the Wine Spectator, a role he held until 2010.
Subsequently his activity as a taster continued with an online magazine that bears his name and that organizes splendid events all over the world. He was among the first to understand the potential of digital communication and is on the podium as one of the strongest wine influencers in the world.
Suckling is internationally regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and influential critics for wine and vintage cigars. His sophisticated style is known in life as in tastings. For example, Suckling has always tasted only with his glasses and now uses a line of crystal goblets created especially for him.
Women, followers and themed hotels. These are the gifts that wine tourism can give to Italian wineries and which can greatly increase the business
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For the second time I have been invited to the Divinea Wine Tech Symposium this year in Milan in mid-November. My contribution focused on what wine tourism can give to Italian wine and here I explain the 3 “gifts” of wine hospitality to the wine business.
The wine incoming has contributed to the growth of interest in wine among the fairer sex. In reality it is not a new thing, 80% of the world’s wine is bought by women and these above all are bottles for daily consumption. 55% of habitual Italian wine consumers are women. But the recent novelty is the leading role that ladies are also assuming in the premium and super premium segment, a circumstance that also derives from the growth in the female percentage among the visitors to the cellars.
Benvenuto Brunello becomes Brunello Day with events in Montalcino, London, Toronto, New York and Los Angeles and AgrieTour in Arezzo rewards Donatella
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An intense autumn for Tuscan wines with Benvenuto Brunello which extends from 11 to 21 November and has its key day on the 17th when the preview of the new 2018 vintage will take place simultaneously in five cities around the world, namely London, Toronto, New York , Los Angeles and Montalcino. Don’t be surprised if I say that Montalcino is a city. It has had this title since the mid-fifteenth century (1462) and was confirmed just a few months ago with a decree by the President of the Republic.
The Benvenuto Brunello calendar marks the tasting of the new 2018 vintage by dividing the days for operators, press, wine lovers and even for the producers of Montalcino who will be able to taste the wines by their colleagues and in so drawing food for thought. The gala dinner was prepared by chef Valeria Piccini from the two Michelin-star “Da Caino” restaurant in Montemerano who studied the menu based on local products and especially white truffles.
Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s first BIO Brunello. Eight years of waiting: the first three in conversion and then the harvest and the long journey of the wine in the cellar, up to the bottle
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A great Brunello born in an “old-style” harvest.
The BIO rules do not allow the use of systemic chemicals and in 2018, a very rainy year, the winemakers of Casato Prime Donne had to work hard and very promptly to defend the vines from powdery mildew and downy mildew, but they succeeded.
An “old-fashioned” vintage with a cold and rainy summer, very slow ripening and harvest on the normal dates of late September.
Very rainy winter and spring (16 rainy days in January, 16 in February, 20 in March, 11 in April and 18 in May). Summer alternated with peaks of heat and thunderstorms. In September, the sunny days and cold nights allowed a slow and gradual ripening of the grapes with a progressive decrease in the size of the berries and an excellent synthesis of aromas.
Violante and Enrico are the proud parents of a 3.4 kg boy born in Florence on November 5th, who has been named Lorenzo
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by Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Violante has had a perfect pregnancy to the point of going to fairs and traveling until the sixth month. There was only a slight delay in the growth of the baby’s abdominal circumference which normalized during their holidays in Gozo-Malta thanks to the sun and the affection of friends.
During Vinitaly I still did not know about the pregnancy and I did not understand Enrico’s concern for Violante‘s severe cold. Only later did I realize that working the whole fair and even dismantling the stand for Violante was a bit risky.
After all, Violante travelled a lot during her pregnancy. At the very beginning she went with her husband to Dubai to recover on the honeymoon that hadn’t happened after the wedding due to Covid. But nothing stops the intrepid Vio! Just after returning from a trip abroad, the future parents showed Carlo and me an ultrasound scan announcing the baby’s arrival.
Brunello 2017 and Spumante Rosé 2018 Metodo Classico, two high quality “family wines”, in a limited edition to add prestige to Christmas gifts and lunches
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These are “family wines” that is, bottles obtained from grapes, hand-picked, vinified and aged in the cellar by the same producer. Rare wines, which wine lovers can only find in wine bars and restaurants but which have an international success.
Brunello with its velvety royalty transforms a lunch into a memorable event and should be accompanied by important meat dishes or aged cheeses.
Spumante Brut Rosé is a masterpiece wine produced with artisan care in only 1433 bottles and is suitable for appetizers, light soups, fish and other delicate dishes. It is the wine for toasts and brings fresh elegance to happy moments.
For the upcoming holidays we are proposing:
3 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2017
3 bottles of Spumante Brut Rosé Metodo Classico 2018
2 single shopperswith logo to use as gifts
Trequanda celebrates the new oil and Fattoria del Colle brings to the table the first olive pressing in 2022. Tuscany grows in quantity and quality compared to 2021
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The festa dell’Olio Novo is back in Trequanda this year together with applause for the newly elected Senator Silvio Franceschelli, Mayor of Montalcino, who told us “the inhabitants of small towns have the right to have the same opportunities as those who live in the city”. A political program that we agree with. The third reason for celebration a visit from my friend and great oil expert Antonietta Mazzeo. She dined with us together with the surprise guest Massimo Rossi, AIS delegate from Arezzo and 40 exuberant aspiring American writers.
Fattoria del Colle and the medieval village of Trequanda are at the centre of one of the best Italian production districts for extra virgin olive oil.
The Olio Novo festa is an opportunity to learn something about the healthiest fruit on earth. In the Tracoil Conference I listened to Professor Stefano Loppi and Doctor Martina Grattacaso explain how the area of origin leaves a trace in the oil that resembles a fingerprint. The parameters examined are three: the composition of the soil, the chemical analysis of the oil and the isotope ratios. The Valdichiana markers are calcium, nickel and strontium. As for fatty acids, the comparison between our extra virgin olive oil and Portuguese oil shows in the latter, the presence of many fatty acids in small quantities while the foreign sample highlights a smaller number of acids with higher concentrations. Overall, the study, which will soon be completed with the analysis of isotopes, shows how it is possible to trace the origin of the Valdichiana extra virgin olive oil, safeguarding it from those who pass off a foreign oil as Tuscan.
2018 crowns the talent of Tuscan winemakers. A vintage that is very reminiscent of those of our grandparents and has given us a modern, elegant and richly scented Brunello
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After a very dry 2017, the first half of 2018 was very rainy and replenished the soil’s water reserves. A positive element for nature but also a challenge for those who cultivate the vineyards. 16 rainy days in January, 16 in February, 20 in March, 11 in April and 18 in May. In June the Sangiovese vines for Brunello had few bunches and a lot of grass also because we grow organically and therefore without herbicides.
An English summer, with an umbrella always at hand and, at the end of August an Arctic disturbance that whitened the Alps and stiffened the skin of the grapes in our vineyards. September had sunny days and almost winter nights. An anomalous climatic situation that has greatly helped the vineyards. The grapes became smaller and as they matured they softened and an amazing synthesis of aromas took place.
The aromatic richness is the characterizing element of the 2018 vintage.
Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents Rosso di Montalcino 2021 born in an amazing vintage. Never before 4 super vintages one after another in Montalcino
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Montalcino’s series of extraordinary harvests does not seem to want to stop: 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Never before has the land of Brunello lined up such a dazzling sequence.
Each vintage with different characteristics to create the desire and curiosity to taste them all. Rosso di Montalcino offers this opportunity rather quickly and here is the 2021, vigorous and velvety after six months spent in cask.
The young appellation of Montalcino is experiencing a period of particular success. A growing market demand that has literally emptied the cellars, monographic tastings by Sommeliers and journalists, an event that highlights “RED Montalcino” and a number of articles never seen before. In short, it is a trendy wine that young wine lovers like for its drinkability and pleasant and understandable style.
The dream of producing great wines comes true. Donatella Cinelli Colombini tells of the difficult beginning and the slow creation of a brand with a strong identity
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20 hectares of old vineyard and 5 hectares of new planting on an excavation that unfortunately will have many problems and a short life.
There are no cellars and the wine is held part at the Fattoria dei Barbi and part of it in spaces rented from producer friends.
The production of wine begins with a “dowry” of the future Brunello 1993, 94, 95, 96 and 97
The “Donatella Cinelli Colombini” brand is created, along with the logo and labels of the first wines. The Prime Donne project is born with the winery managed by a female staff, the Brunello selected by a group of female tasters and the Casato Prime Donne award dedicated to the new female role in society and work.
In 2001 the winery of the Fattoria del Colle was inaugurated
In 2002 the Casato Prime Donne winery was inaugurated
Planting of the new vineyards begins: Cenerentola and Pieve at Fattoria del Colle, Ardita and Pero at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino
Experimentation of the native Foglia Tonda vine starting from 400 grafts from the vitarium of the Regione Toscana
The vines are cultivated in a conventional way, in the cellar there are barrels and barriques. The oenologists are initially Luigino Casagrande and then Fabrizio Ciufoli.
After the summer months spent with fresh and light wines, the time has come to move on to more full-bodied nectars. Brunello Riserva 2016 is the perfect wine for Thanksgiving holidays!
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This wine is suitable for long aging and celebrations of the coming years. The best food pairings are cheeses (aged Tuscan pecorino, spicy gorgonzola, Parmigiano Reggiano) and with dishes of international cuisine, always based on meat or with structured sauces.
Sensational territorial combinations can be Pici with Sausage and Mushroom sauce, Wild Boar Scottiglia with Polenta, Duck Breast in Brunello sauce. But why not also try the combination of the Riserva with a Goulash, or with the Thanksgiving Turkey with Gravy or with a Canadian Tourtière.
6 bottles of 0,75lt of Brunello di MontalcinoRiserva 2016
Plus
1 volume “Cantine a fumetti” bilingual publication by Scuola Internazionale di Comics.
