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Italian wines and the world's most powerful people

Donald Trump is a teetotaller but he does make wine and on election night toasted with Amarone. Italian wines on presidential tables

Italian-wine.and-the -world's- powerful-people-Briatore-Trump-Amarone

Italian-wine.and-the -world’s- poerful-people-Briatore-Trump-Amarone

Di Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Orcia Doc, Cenerentola

Let’s begin with a recent example: on the morning of November 9th, when Donald Trump’s victory as President of the US is sure, his friend Flavio Briatore rapidly sends to the Trump Tower three magnums of Amarone with personalized labels with a note saying «Dear Donald, we did it >>. This is quite strange as Trump proclaims to be a teetotaller even though he owns since 2011 a winery in Charlottesville, in Virginia run by his son Eric Donald. In truth buying it at an auction Trump said to the previous owner Patricia Kluge,

Italian-wines-and-the-world’s-powerful-people- Aneri

<<You have a great nose for wine, I do not>>. This agreement was born more from an investment point of view rather than from a love of wine <<This place has a mortgage for 28 million dollars and I bought it for 6,2 million. It is a Trump-deal>> he said, but as usual he has put his name on the labels. Another of his mania is that of branding everything: water, tea, chocolate……..everything labelled Donald Trump.

26 January 2017

in Farm experiences, Vines and wines

Wine tours at Casato Prime Donne winery

Two wine tours to discover Brunello: Itinerant tastings among the barrels dedicated to wine and music or wine and history

Wine-Tours-Montalcino-Casato-Prime-Donne

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino is a treasure chest full of passion for wine and the territory and it proposes, for wine lovers who come to visit, two wine tours than can charm even the most expert Brunello estimators. The itinerant wine and music tasting with 4 wines to taste in different locations through the winery for which the sommelier musician Igor Vazzaz has chosen matching pieces of music. So, in the near darkness of the large barrel cellar, the Brunello is tasted together with the Sonata for solo cello opus 8, Adagio con gran espressione (1915) by Zoltàn Kodàly.

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<<His majesty Brunello sumptuous and austere, grave and regal. The articulated taste shim needs music and acoustic frequency are able to favour the rare profound characteristics that a wine like this presents those who taste it>> wrote Vazzaz.

ITINERANT HISTORY AND WINE TOUR

The novelty, launched on September 18th 2016, is the wine and history tasting apt for the lovers of wine and the Montalcino territory. In this case too the tasting is itinerant along a tour through the winery and regards 3 wines: Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino and Brunello Riserva.

25 January 2017

in Forum: News and lifestyle, Not only wine..., Vines and wines

Women and wine 10 false clichés

Julien Miguel the most social wine maker in the world shows us 10 common clichés regarding women and wine that must be exposed, 1^st point they buy the most wine

images1 By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Orcia Doc, Fattoria del Colle

Social Vignerons the blog by Julien is one of the most influent the world over and his followers are worthy of the quality of his articles: 254.825 on Twitter, 14.445 son Facebook, 40.058 on Instagram, 7.334 on LinkedIn … practically all of those who love reading about wine online.

Lady-Sommelier-Karen-Casagrande

The posts that are published by this French winemaker, who turned to the web while in New Zealand, to then return to Europe last year, are always very interesting. The article << Women and Wine? Let’s shrug off dusty clichés!>> is to be framed. Read it and then continue scouring his blog because Social Vignerons will fascinate you.

So let us see which are these myths to be exposed regarding wines and women that Julien Miguel re-proposes from the graph by Feminalise the wine competition that takes place in Beaune in Burgundy –this year it will be on April 6th – and regards 4.000 labels from all over the world blind tasted by a jury of 750 female experts from 18 nations

Men buy more wine than women– INCORRECT Women are the 1st buyers of wine in the world. In the US: Women make 83% of wine purchase UK: 80% France: 70% Switzerland: 60% Australia: 57%
Women only drink white and sweet wines-INCORRECT They drink mostly Red. On the American continent and Europe, women drink: Red 57%, White 30%, Rosé 13%

Men drink all the wine, women wash the glasses -INCORRECT: Women drink more wine than men More than 51% of wine drinkers are women everywhere in the world. 85% of them think that wine is a moment of pleasure and sharing
Women-and-wine
Women don’t know how to buy wine. WRONG: They buy wine mostly for its ability to pair perfectly with food. Women’s choice is driven by variety, region or country, label and suitability with food. While men’s wine selection is more status-driven, drawn to particular brands with price factor. Overall, nearly 1/5 women that are highly involved, meaning knowledgeable about wine, have an interest in the category and/or consider themselves collectors
Wines made by women are for women FALSE: There is no specific wine for women

20 January 2017

in Forum: News and lifestyle, Vines and wines

Wine & Siena brings Brunello into the centre of the Gothic city

19 January 2017

in Farm experiences, Not only wine...

Birthday parties, and not only those, in an agriturismo in Tuscany

How and why your birthday parties in an historic estate, such as Fattoria del Colle, in Southern Chianti, become memorable

birthday-party.Fattoria-del-Colle

There are birthdays for children full of games and cakes; there are important ones such as those for 18 years, 21 years or even the “round figure one” to celebrate 30 or 50, which becomes parties with many guests. There are hen nights, degree parties and even parties for divorces. Casual parties with a DJ and many surprises or even elegant parties in dinner jacket with refined buffet, chandeliers and live music …. Each with its own character and small rituals. Each birthday boy or girl with a different dream for their special party but each looking for something new that can surprise friends and remain memorable.

birthday-party-Fattoria-del-Colle

Fattoria del Colle can create these memorable moments, at a convenient price or even in a fairytale way.

First of all the location: the places where it is possible stay have an advantage of excluding the drink and drive problem, and timing as well. After the dance those who like living the night can continue the party next to the open bar, with music slight less loud. The dimension of the location is important too …and not only so that all guests sleep close by (Fattoria del Colle has 100 beds in rooms, apartments and villas). The larger areas allow, through the magic bound to their history, for parties that can surprise and fascinate. Modern structures are in fact all very similar, and also unfortunately more predictable.

17 January 2017

Emerging wine regions around the world

Okanagan, Tasmania, Corsica, England, Georgia, Michigan these are the emerging regions and the new frontiers for great wines

Emerging-wine-regions-Okanagan

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Orcia, Fattoria del Colle

In the wine world there are the great classics: Burgundy, Barolo, Brunello, Champagne …. and the novelties such as Oregon or Etna. Among the emerging regions some do get welcomed into the Olympus such as Bolgheri, Napa Valley and others go out of fashion. The authoritative US magazine “Wine Enthusiast” publishes an article by its editors that talks of the 6 emerging wine regions around the world.
Some are confirmations and others are surprises.

Okanagan, in Canada, is a confirmation, and in the last few years has climbed the world rating lists for wine tourism. It is a beautiful area in British Columbia, at 150 km from the border with the US.

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During the past 25 years the wineries have gone from 17 to 270 and the grow Syrah, Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gris and Blanc on soil very different in altitude and composition. Recently I have tasted a Riesling, clearly inspired, openly admitted by the producer, to the Rhine version of this wine. Clean, technically perfect, but still lacking the complex and intriguing minerality that is found in vineyards that are hundreds of years old.

12 January 2017

in Vines and wines

Brunello 2012 Prime Donne, satisfying and enduring

The 2012 vintage has been rated 5 stars in the Montalcino territory and it is the first great Brunello Prime Donne in the new millennium style.

The high summer temperatures and the drought that lasted fifteen months gave us Mediterranean and satisfying wines. The Brunello 2012 Prime Donne is extraordinary now and will also be long lasting.

Brunello-Prime-Donne-2012

That year the winter was cold and dry and even the abundant snowfalls did not irrigate the soil. The summer 2012 began with 12 months of previous dry weather and was dry an very hot even during the night. In those extreme conditions the vines demonstrated a surprising adaptability producing few clusters, small in size and most off, during the colouring of the grapes abandoned part of the fruit that remained green and were removed by the pickers during the green harvest. Nature moves in mysterious ways that mankind must watch with respect, that is why it can give exceptional results even in difficult conditions. The vineyards at Casato Prime Donne situated o the North side of the Montalcino slope, the cooler side, in 2012 well resisted the hydro stress also thanks to the clayey component of the soil and to the continues hoeing that kept the soil soft. The 2012 harvest is consequently a memorable one with all the clusters healthy and perfectly ripe.

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The Brunello 2012 Prime Donne is chosen by a panel of 4 female expert tasters from all of the Donatella Cinelli Colombini production, and it distinguishes itself because of its heavier structure and its traditional style. The tasters meet once or twice a year and are the English Master Wine Rosemary George, the German wine shop owner Astrid Schwarz, one of the best Italian sommeliers Daniela Scrobogna and the Italo-American Pr Marina Thompson. In some years the tasters have decide not to produce a Brunello Prime Donne, but when they do, as in 2012, they always create small masterpieces that obtain excellent ratings from the most important international press.

10 January 2017

Wine Spectator TOP 100, the best wines in 2016

Let us discover together the TOP 100 Wine Spectator 2016 wines, and in third position we find the winery owned by Robert Parker from Wine Advocate, that is correct, the eternal WS rival

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Chianti Superiore, Fattoria del Colle

Here are the top 10 of the most coveted list in the world, the one by Wine Spectator TOP 100 of the year

1) Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2013 Lewis

2) Chardonnay Dundee Hills Evenstad Reserve 2014 di Domaine Serene

3) Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge 2014 di Beaux Frères

4) Barsac 2013 di Château Climens

5) Barbaresco Asili Riserva 2011 dei Produttori del Barbaresco

6) Monte Bello 2012 di Ridge Vineyards

7) Machete 2014 di Orin Swift California

8) Tignanello 2013 di Antinori

9) Pessac-Léognan Blanc 2013 di Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte,

10) Old Vine Zinfandel Russian River Valley 2014 di Hartford Family California

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Let’s see close up the three wines on the podium.

First and king among the Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2013 Lewis is a bottle that cannot be forgotten: an elegant Burgonet bottle with a simple round yellow crest with inside a Block capital “L”. Wine Searcher indicates the price at 495 Dollars, only one store selling, with just one bottle available <<#1 Wine of The Year 2016 Wine Spectator! Not cheap but not many out there!>> There’s a rarity for you! This wine cannot be found! The surprises are not finished: just to prove that the certainty that certain people have regarding the fact the only big companies get reviews by the great American wine press, Lewis is a family with 3 members –Randy, Debby and Dennis-that do everything manually in their winery in Napa Valley bought in 1992.

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Only 108.000 bottles per year of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Randy was a car racer, he once raced in Formula 3 in Europe. His wife Debby is a genius in marketing and comes from the wine world. Dennis the son also loves sport, and before arriving in the Lewis winery worked in personnel for large companies.

The tour of the winery lasts an hour and includes w tasting of 4 wines, it costs 40 dollars. A small enterprise that concentrates on quality but is still incredibly artisanal.

6 January 2017

in Farm experiences, Not only wine...

Valentine's Day, celebrate early with a weekend in the countryside

Valentine’s Day: Weekend in a country inn in Tuscany while waiting, a lovers romantic stay dedicated to the “green& sexy” couples’ love

San-Valentino-massages – and – vinotherapy -at- Fattoria-del-Colle

For Valentine’s Day: aphrodisiac Sienese cookery lesson, solemn promise in front of the golden tree, wine bath and couples’ massage ..Candle-lit dinners, tours of wineries… a weekend where you can live more intensely your romance in the quiet and noble Tuscan countryside.

For information write to holiday@cinellicolombini.it or call +39 0577662108.

GREAT WINES AND GREAT LOVES

The most precious products of the earth: wine and oil, contain aphrodisiac benefits known for centuries and that have r recently been confirmed by scientists. The discovery regarding red wine published by “Journal of Sexual Medicine” demonstrates how a couple of glasses increase desire within the couple. Without exaggerating though, too much has exactly the opposite effect, a fit of drowsiness.

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What better place than Fattoria del Colle to verify the discoveries regarding the sexy virtues of wine? In the Montalcino wineries and at Fattoria del Colle wines highly rated by the International press are made. Plus there is a restaurant on the hamlet, where the old farmhouses and the 16^th century villa have been changed into

During the weekend we have foreseen tours of the wineries plus wine tasting.

COUPLES’ MASSAGE WITH OIL AND ESSENCES

Among the noble gifts of the earth is also the extra virgin olive oil that has aphrodisiac effects: an oil massage, especially done as a couple, prepares the skin for caresses and stimulates pleasure with its aroma, which, added to lavender or other natural essences acts as aromatherapy and helps seduction.

4 January 2017

Bolt CEO for Champagne Mumm

A revolutionary turning point: Mumm chooses as its testimonial an athlete, the fastest man ever: Usain Bolt. Surprising choice which might even be risky

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Brunello, Casato Prime Donne

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Don’t be hasty: CEO means « Chief entertainment officer » and not CEO Chief Executive Officer. This is a typical game in French style. At Mumm they want Bolt as a testimonial nota s a chief executive officer. This news arrived in November: the Jamaican Usain Bolt, the fastest man ever, has been chosen as symbol for the Mumm Champagne. The first video shows Bolt that carries out the sabrage on a bottle of Champagne using one of his Olympic gold medals. It’s difficult to know which it is; he has 9 of them, and has been on the top step of the medium for three consecutive editions, and each edition for two or three races.

Bolt-testimonial-Mumm

The publicity is multimedia and wishes to push Mumm consumers towards a more intimate rapport with the brand using also internet and devises

This is the only way to show the campaign in France where publicity regarding alcoholic beverages is prohibited on TV and at the cinema. The objective is of course to intercept Bolt fans but also to confirm the connection between Mumm and wining moments in the life of the consumer, in an association with a practically unbeatable man. For Mumm this is a strategic message: for years we have been used to seeing its magnums on the Formula1 for racing cars podium, held by winning pilots.

26 December 2016

in Forum: News and lifestyle, Not only wine..., Vines and wines

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Wine Lady: the 3 ladies of Italian wine in the USA

Wine Lady: a title for Monica Larner, Karin O’Keefe, and Alison Napjus, tasters of Italian wines for Robert Parker-Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator

Wine-Lady-Monica-Larner

If the American wine market is not entirely dominated by women, but we are nearly there. Let me introduce you to 3 different Wine Lady, the women who taste Italian wines for the main USA wine magazines. They are great experts, young, intelligent, open and hard workers as they work without rest. Monica Larner, Kerin O’Keefe, Alison Napjus are the ones who give the ratings to the Italian wines for the most influential magazines on the American market Robert Parker-Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator. Their ratings open the doors to Canadian monopolies and get wines into the wine lists of the most exclusive restaurants; they also help wineries in starting rapports with new importers. In other words they help in launching towards success.

Let’s get to know these three wine women better

Kerin-O’Keefe-Wine-Lady

MONICA LARNER

Monica Larner is from California but lives in Rome. She comes from a family where wine and cinema cohabit and it was during filming of the TV series “World War II” that she arrived in Italy in 1983. Her life continued between the family winery in the Ballard Canyon in Santa Barbara (California) and journalism that she studied in the universities of Boston and New York. In her professional life there are some experiences with daily newspapers such as La Repubblica and The Herald Tribune, the AIS sommelier course, many books on Italy and an immense photo archive of about 50.000 images.

22 December 2016

in Vines and wines

Brunello 2012, five stars, a dream of a wine

Great vintage for Brunello and for Casato Prime Donne where the vineyards give their best when the weather is really hot

Brunello-di-Montalcino-2012-Casato-Prime-Donne

The Casato Prime Donne winery belonged to Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s ancestors already at the end of the 16^th century when they were paying taxes for the cultivation of the land. It was used as a hunting lodge and for honeymoons, and for 4 centuries it has never been sold but has been passed down from one generation to another.

Since 1998 it is the first Italian winery to be staffed only by women: the cellar staff, the sales staff and the reception staff all are girls. The Casato Prime Donne wines are exported into 34 nations around the world and receive excellent ratings from wine critics all over the world.

This Brunello comes from 16 hectares of vineyard – pruning, cleaning, tying green harvest and harvest – all done by a team of 8 expert grape growers. Casato Prime Donne is on the northern slope of Montalcino, the cooler area that has had the most benefits from the surrounding the winery where only Sangiovese is grown. The vines are reared, pruned tied harvested all manually by a team of 8 expert grape growers. Casato Prime Donne is on the northern slope of Montalcino the cooler area that has had most benefits thanks to the global warming and particularly in the hot dry vintages such as 2012, is where absolute excellence is created. In the Brunello territory the 2012 vintage is considered a top year with 5 stars.

Type: dry red.

Production area: Tuscany, Montalcino, Casato Prime Donne

21 December 2016

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

The "after Parker" in Australia, and among wine critics

There are those who celebrate wine after Parker with great joy, and then there are those who continue being influenced by the great Robert, but today all ratings are worth less than before

Monica-Larner-Robert-Parker

After Parker the “The Drinks Business” portal, always very attentive to what is happening in the wine and beer worlds , published an interview given to Master of Wine Chris Hancock (Robert Oatley Vineyards in New South Wales in Australia) . He is known as Mr Chardonnay because he spread this variety down under at the beginning of ht 1980’s. This article stimulates some thought.

The sentence that hit me was << We have just about lost all of the jammy, alcoholic, heavy, dead skin Shirazes that are Parker pleasing palate killers, which is an hallelujah moment. Instead, we’re moving towards lighter, brighter more interesting wines from quality producers>>

Robert Oatley Vineyards

So in Australia too there is a change in direction, and after affirming itself with big monumental wines characterized by exaggerated amounts of pulp, wood and alcohol, and in so giving the impression that these out to be chewed rather than drunk, they are now looking for an identity through a careful attention to the vines.

15 December 2016

in Vines and wines