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What are you talking about Soldera?

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.

27 March 2013

in Farm experiences, Vines and wines

The Prime Donne project and femininity among the barrels

BrunelloPrimeDonne2008

The most important project at Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s wineries is dedicated to women and is finalized at increasing their dignity and their role in the wine world.

The Prime Donne project is made up of four parts: the Casato Prime Donne winery, the first in Italy with an all female staff, created so as to demonstrate that great wines don’t need big muscles but intelligence, tenacity and passion, things of which women have more than enough of.

25 March 2013

in Forum: News and lifestyle, Vines and wines

Oh it’s so cold! Pope Francesco and the Brunello lovers

The mission “Brunello in Canada” coincides with the election of Pope Francesco and finishes in the cold in Calgary

Brunello producers in Calgary, Canada

Do you remember the Calgary Olympic Games in 1988 with Alberto Tomba’s two gold medals? Well, it seems incredible but in Calgary there are no mountains.

The city is full of skyscrapers connected one to the other with suspended gallery area between buildings (in certain places its like being in a science fiction film) is considered the richest in the rich Canada because here there is petrol. In 10 years its population has doubled and there are more than 1 million people, with an amazing amount of young people.

Finally a free market for wine, without the monopoly as is in the other Canadian states. What a pushover!

22 March 2013

in Farm experiences

Sweet Easter bread from Montalcino

It is called schiacciata, which means flat, but it is anything but flat. In Montalcino and in Siena it is a typical cake for Easter to make at home.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Ingredients for a Tuscan cake for Easter time

Easter time ingredients for "schiacciata di Pasqua"

Be careful though, in the eastern part of the Siena province the schiacciata di Pasqua is savory, enriched with cheese and prosciutto. It is used to interrupt the fasting period on the Sunday morning before going to high Mass.

I remember that for my first Easter Sunday at Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda I had prepared a wonderful menu for that day in the restaurant I had just opened. Half way through the lunch the Maitre Walter Marconi, from Montalcino like me, ran to tell me that the schiacciate, instead of being sweet, as we were used to were savoury, so we could not use them as a dessert. We remedies somehow but it was a real shock, because I was sure I knew the territory well but instead I learnt that the Val d’Orcia and the Valdichiana are two separate worlds, both fascinating, rich in stories, but to know one does not mean you know the other.

20 March 2013

Tuscany wins in export by renewing the wine fairs

700 million Euro in 2012 with + 6,8% during the first 9 months for exports of Tuscan wines, a success built ton missions abroad and a new way of organizing fairs

Read for you by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Florence - Buy Wine 2013

Very positive comments for the Tuscan wine exports where the DOCG and DOC wines have opened the way with +9,6% built especially through the expeditions to the USA. The stars and stripes wine lovers are among the major Tuscan wine estimators, these Tuscan wines in the States have proven a well deserved + 14% , this is market where in fact the most investments for events and tastings have been done by the Consorzi and by the Regione Toscana.

The amministrazione regionale – Toscanapromozione – has organized the first true wine fair of the new millennium: Buy Wine at the Fortezza da basso in Florence where the producers met operators through an innovative method of making offer and demand meet. 10.000 exhibitors and 30.000 operators took part at the event.

18 March 2013

Vancouver you are so beautiful, but so humid

Canada, Vancouver start off in a limousine and then a free day on Sunday with market stalls, ferry boat and American-Indian dances. Monday extra long Brunello

Seen for you by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

MOA Vancouver Native American dances

Once again in Canada and this time with the other Brunello producers. We are in Vancouver and we are all dressed for winter, but here it is hot, hotter than Montalcino at least.
Upon arrival the Brunello producers find a limousine with lounge and ceiling with lighting similar to a Christmas tree waiting for them. We were all overawed but happy.
Sunday was a free day with a visit to the market stalls, a ferry boat trip across the bay and then the Museum of Anthropology with the American Indian music festival. Wonderful!
The city is quite rainy but beautiful, what is especially fantastic is the lifestyle, with many young people and many different races. Asians, European immigrants…if there is a really multiethnic place then that is Vancouver. It also seems a happy city, with no tensions and a great love of life.

15 March 2013

in Farm experiences

Easter eggs decorated by Jana

Different nations have different cultures and at Easter the tradition of painting eggs is particularly common in Eastern Europe. Here is how to do it

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Decoranting eggs, how to do it

At Fattoria del Colle we have a young girl from Chomutov, an industrial city with 50.000 inhabitants not far form Prague doing some work-experience. Her name is Jana Kurucova and she’s a beautiful multilingual girl who is learning the ins and outs of the front office sector in tourism.
Jana learnt from her mother who in turn saw her grandmother paint Easter eggs. This is a very old tradition and originated from the countryside that still today is carried on in all homes. The decorated eggs are then attached to the blooming laburnum branches, as the eggs originate the joyful symbol of Resurrection and the rebirth of nature connected to springtime.

In the Easter weekend at Fattoria del Colle we have programmed a workshop on painted Easter eggs with Jana as teacher. All the guests will take home a splendid painted egg.

Here for you is the procedure to make at home some wonderful eggs to embellish your Easter table.

13 March 2013

in Uncategorized

Where does Italian wine go?

Abroad, but if it stays in Italy it’s in the supermarkets or sold directly in the wineries. The new consumers are in America and in Asia, they are millennials and female.

Violante, Donatella's daughter with a chef in Alberta, Canada

Read for you by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

So most of the Italian bottles are destined abroad. The firs data regarding 2012 indicate an increase in export of 6,3%, a value which becomes 7,5% if we consider only the red appellation wines. All major Italian wine markets are on the increase, in decreasing order, USA, Germany, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Denmark, Holland, Sweden. The best performance in Japan (+32%) and Sweden ( + 23%) but the dimension of the USA market is what is most impressive: 640.168.534€ imported in one year.

These figures are the direct consequence of a change in “weight” of the consuming nations. In other words regardless that Europe remains the first market in the world for wine; actually its importance decreases gradually while USA and Asia are growing. In the period from 91-95 and 2011we see that the first nation for consumption, France, looses 20%, Italy and Spain loose 34% while the US show a +53%, China + 233% and Russia + 80%.

11 March 2013

Prime Donne tasting Brunello 2012 and 2010

8 March 2013

in Farm experiences

Baccalà alla fratina, friar’s cod, a recipe from Trequanda in Tuscany

Cod is really apt for the lent period, even though once it was considered a poor man’s fish, while today it is a delicacy for the rich; this is a traditional Tuscan recipe

Baccalà alla fratina di Trequanda

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

In the Tuscan countryside baccalà was, together with anchovies, the only available fish and king of the days of lent

A CRAFTY TRICK

The housewives had learnt to cook it with great sauces, even though in the dish one got only a small piece of cod, although with bread dipped in this very tasty sauce one was able to ease the hunger.

Nobody remembers the reason for this recipe’s strange name even though monks touring the countryside asking for charity were a frequent vision in farmhouses and around the villages, so we can think that maybe there were some dishes created especially to honour them. At Fattoria del Colle there is even an apartment called “monache” (nuns) which used to be used to welcome these religious people on their way, it is in a position that allowed the guests to go outside without having to pass through the kitchens and the pantry. It was not unusual in fact there to be monks who were imposters, who tried to get into pantries and cupboards to thieve food, and so it was necessary to take precautions.

6 March 2013

in Farm experiences, Vines and wines

Pleased to meet you, my name is Donatella Cinelli Colombini, grape-grower

Enthusiastic, imaginative, tough, idealist, strong willed, glutton …. I created Cantine aperte, Wineday, I am the defender of women in wineries and of the superstar Brunello

Donatella Cinelli Colombini and Sangiovese grapes

Donatella Cinelli Colombini holding Sangiovese

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini grape-grower in Montalcino

I hate doing sport, I prefer to read or watch a classical ballet on the web. I would like to eat chocolate, salmon, Parmigiano and spaghetti but they are things that are not good for me….I don’t give up though, I enjoy good food too much
When I was councillor in Siena I was called “tank” because I faced projects with great Energy, maybe too much. One of my defects is in fact the lack of half measures, if I believe in an idea I fight for it.
I am embarrassingly lucky and even the most incredible projects have a happy ending.

4 March 2013

in Uncategorized

Bubbles galore the world over, but in Italy 7 million less

Double figure increases for bubbly wines sold up until 2016 worldwide, with Great Britain overtaking Germany and the US

How to uncork a bottle of Champagne

Read for you by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

So all over the world it is a favourable moment for bubbly wines that since 2007 ‘til today have shown an increase of 13,5% (source – WineNews).
Thing are going less well in Italy where 465 million bottles of sparkling wines are produced of which 25 with traditional method and 440 with Italian method with direct sales in the wineries for 1,2 billion Euro.

1 March 2013

New millionaire wine making neighbours in Tuscany

The Tuscan wine making regions, especially Montalcino, attract people with immense fortunes who want to see their name on dream bottles

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

The castle of Colle Massari winery

Next door to Casato Prime Donne a property has been bought by Alejandro Pedro Bulgheroni Argentinean billionaire from the petrol sector with investments al lover the world and vineyards in Argentina, Uruguay and California. We expect him to transform the present rural buildings, in front of us, into a villa with heliport.

The new owner of Argiano, still in the Brunello area, is a Brazilian indicated by Forbes as one of the 300 richest men in the world. He has fallen in love with the splendid 16th century villa built according to a project by Baldassarre Peruzzi – a sort of Tuscan Chateau – and with the noble history of this location where, among others, Foscolo, Carducci, D’Annunzio and Zolà have stayed.

27 February 2013