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Drago e le 8 Colombe IGT Toscana 2013

The story of Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Supertuscan dedicated to a man in the all women winery

Drago e le 8 Colombe IGT Toscana 2013

The wine “Il Drago e le 8 Colombe” has a strange name because it has a curious beginning. It is produced in Donatella Cinelli Colombini‘s wineries, where the staff are all women, represented by the 8 doves on the label: Donatella, her daughter Violante who together with Debora takes care of wine sales, Alessia who is in charge of the incoming, Barbara the cellar master with her helpers Antonella and Margherita, and last but not least Valérie Lavigne the wine maker. A formidable team flanked by the men and women grape growers but also by Donatella’s husband Carlo Gardini, who has created a range of sweet wines for this winery. He is the dragon in the label to emphasize a male presence in an all female winery, which is feminine not feminist. Il Drago e le 8 Colombe is a “Supertuscan” a Tuscan wine not covered by a DOC regime. To begin with this type of wine included those of modern style and high quality. It was created in the 1970’s as a reaction to the rules of the appellations that limited the possibility of experimenting. Practically a rebellion against tradition, and this was sustained by the press and by America consumers. Later the Supertuscan became IGT Toscana appellation, and in some cases (such as Sassicaia) they become DOC. Il Drago e le 8 Colombe is an IGT Supertuscan produced at Fattoria del Colle.

Medals in competitions, too many and some for counterfeit wines

English wine competition reward up to 70% of wines with medals while the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles carries out tests to catch those who falsify bottles

The Italian jurt at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Brunello, Casato Prime Donne

A very interesting article by Wine News underlines the excessive number of medals of the English wine contests. According to OIV there should be less than 33% whereas the various contests by  “Decanter” awarded medals to 70% of the participants   and <<“The Drinks Business”, regardless of a jury made up practically of only Masters of Wine, actually awarded in one go medals to 90% of the Champagnes>> state ironically Wine News. A situation that could be connected to the price to be paid for every one of the 16.000 bottles in the first of the competitions mentioned and that was put into evidence by “La Revue du Vin de France”.

Medals from the International wine competitions -International-wine-challenge

The  “Vinalies Internationales” seem to be much more rigorous, they give medals to 29,8% of the 3.500 competitors and the  Concours mondial de Bruxelles gives recognition to  28,2% out of  8.000.

Although the advantages go quite rightly to the sole winners of these competitions every medal, if well used, with commercial actions and with vip clients, can give an increase in wine price between  10-15% and an increase in winery reputation.

Passito 2014 a sweet masterpiece

In Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s all female staffed wineries, the only man around is Carlo, lover of sweet wines and of this Passito

Carlo with the TRaminer grapes for passito

Producing passito is an annual ritual that captivates Donatella Cinelli Colombini and most of all her husband Carlo Gardini. A maniacal attention that is possible only because very few bottles are made and because Carlo Gardini and the cellar master Barbara Magnani  have unlimited passion for sweet wines. Their efforts have been rewarded with 93/100 for the 2013 production by Wine Advocate.

2014 was in fact the “organic” year, for those, like us at Fattoria del Colle, grow vines without the use of chemical products brought grapes home healthy and ripe. The At the beginning of September the pink clusters of Traminer grapes from the Sanchimento vineyard, surrounding the Chapel at Fattoria del Colle , were picked by hand, and chosen one by one. The cluster were then put into baskets to dry naturally.

WINE SPECTATOR WINE ADVOCATE

This is the most laborious phase in the production because the cellar master Barbara Magnani  must move the grapes continuously according to the weather, if it rains for example. In 2014 the summer was rainy and cool, but at the beginning of September the sun came out and there were only three showers during the whole month. The good weather lasted all of October  while the baskets with the Traminer grapes continued being moved around to find every single ray of sunshine.

A great Rosé from a fantastic harvest

Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents her Rosa di Tetto 2015 which was born from a 5 stars harvest

Donatella Cinelli Colombini Rosa di Tetto 2015

The 2015 harvest has without doubt been a fantastic one. 5 stars and with the ambition to be remembered among one of the best of the century.

The rainfalls that preceded the harvest in 2015 had two effects, the first negative and the second positive. The blooming was disturbed by the bad weather and this reduced the production of grapes, so the vintage resulted in being scarce. On the other hand the water trapped in the soil helped the vines resist the very hot month of July, in so creating the conditions for a gradual ripening of the grapes. The cool august completed the job and the difference in day and night temperatures favoured the synthesis of the aromas. The result is an excellent rosé.

Orcia, the most tourist attracting wine region in Italy

In the wonderful land of DOC Orcia wine, the most beautiful wine in the world, 65% of the wineries have a restaurant or a country inn

Orcia Doc, Fattoria del Colle

The territory where the Orcia wine is born, south of Siena, is between the Brunello di Montalcino and Nobile di Montepulciano wine regions, and is considered the most beautiful wine district in the world. Part of it is a Unesco world heritage site and it contains 13 municipalities, all rich in art and history, as well as thermal spa centres such as Bagno Vignoni, Bagni San Filippo, San Casciano dei Bagni and Chianciano Terme.

So the Orcia DOC wines come from a paradise like landscape that attracts tourists from all over the world. For this reason the Consorzio del vino Orcia has wanted to verify how many of its wineries are open to tourism. The result is extraordinary  65% of the wineries has a country inn or restaurant  <<In other words Orcia is the most touristic wine region in Italy>> said Donatella Cinelli Colombini president of the Consorzio.

Orcia Cenerentola with Roasted duck breast

The 13 municipalities of the wine region receive every year more than 1 million tourists and about the same excursionists, those who visit daily.  Also many foreign tourists own a second home in this area. Tourism is a strong source of finance in this area. This economy is intertwined with wine because the wine and food offer is perceived as an important component of the cultural exponent. In other words wine tasting, like a tour to an abbey, enriches the visitors with emotions and knowledge and is enjoyed with the same amount of interest.

Winery hotel, where the cellar is

In Stockholm the first hotel with barrels in the reception, it is called Winery Hotel and proposes weekends with wine just like a real winery

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Brunello, Casato Prime Donne

Wine tourism success can be measured also with the increase of wineries everywhere, such as the Winery Hotel. Last year saw the revelation of the  “urban winery” with grapes arriving in crates in the middle of London and wine lovers paying to take part in the choosing of the grapes. Then the vineyard on a skyscraper in New York and a few months ago we saw the images of the domestic winery with wine making apparatus in the lounge. So competition is always stronger for the real wineries.

The last novelty is the Winery Hotel in Stockholm <<Sweden’s first combined urban winery and boutique hotel. This is in fact in Sweden, a nation where the climate has been up until now too cold to cultivate vines and so there are no wineries. But maybe it is because of this that the proposal of a winery hotel, where you can see the production process of wine and then taste it, can result in being incredibly attractive. In fact the invitation is << follow the freshly-picked grapes’ journey from barrel to bottle>> …  and finishes with the sentence: increase your wine knowledge.

Vinitaly IOsonoDONATELLA come and take a selfie in my place

Donatella Cinelli Colombini is hunting for a lookalike to photograph and propose on Instagram with the #iosonodonatella hashtag

Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Vinitaly stand (Hall 6 stand D4) becomes a photographic studio with a silhouette that playfully resembles her. The invitation is for friends, wine lover and buyers, to come and take a selfie or a photo in her place << #iosonodonatella and so are you!>> and to immediately post the image on Instagram, this is what the Signora del Brunello proposes.

Valerio Marini Donatella at Vinitaly 2016

In this occasion we open the Vinitaly doors also to those who stay at home, as anyone can join us in this game with the Donatella name and the prestigious Brunello 2010 IOsonoDONATELLA <<the best wine I ever made>>.

#iosonodonatella come and take a selfie instead of me

For the first time it is actually at Vinitaly <<we have made only 600 bottles and it sold out in 15 days that is why there was no time to organize tastings and presentations>> explains Cinelli Colombini proud of this rare and precious wine: on the bottle stands here crest in gold leaf, inside a shiny ring hat recalls her student studies on medieval jewellery. So at Vinitaly there will be a unique opportunity to taste Brunello IOsonoDONATELLA and even to take her place, at least for a moment.

US women must choose: sex or alcohol

The US authorities wish to make women choose between sex or alcohol and the Italian researchers discover that future fathers should also not drink

Sex or alcohol: right drinks/birth control parings according to Katie Jean

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello Casato Prime Donne

The indication by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the consumption of alcoholic beverages by women in fertile age. According to them half of pregnancies are casual and get recognized only after a few weeks. If the future mum drinks alcohol in the phase she is exposing the child to a risk of malformations. This is the reason for the advice, for fertile women, who do not use contraception, to never consume alcohol. As if to say sex or alcohol. This request has created a pandemonium as it forces women to choose between consumption of alcohol even moderate, and sex. Among the fiercest reactions is that by Katie Jean on Instagram who has published a sketch with the drinks apt for every type of contraception, so those using the pill should drink red wine as they are traditionalists, gin drinkers should use the contraceptive patch, while those who ask their partner to wear a condom is apt for drinking beer because they prefer things that are simple and varied.

sex and alcohol – dangers for the baby

Even though this ironic image travelled the world over, the advice from the CDCP alarmed practically everyone but especially 4 million American women who might remain pregnant. In reality drinking alcohol during the first few days of a pregnancy is not so risky, while those who consume alcohol during the whole pregnancy might have a baby with Foetal alcohol syndrome or FAS, so with a small head a low IQ and heart problems.