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Peposo, in a recipe the story of the heart of Tuscany

7 January 2013

Autochthonous yeasts from hornets in our Brunello

Native yeasts are trendy and more frequently they are used to protect the typicality of a wine, just as Donatella Cinelli Colombini has done

But is it as marketing ploy or is it really an identifying element?

Tinaia-del-vento

We believe that they really are an identifying element. At Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino we use native yeast chosen in 2008. It is not a contradiction. It is a practice which is scientifically flawless (carried out for us by the Oliver Ogar laboratories): it is in fact possible to isolate strains present in a spontaneous fermentation to then reproduce them in the laboratory and use them for production. We have tried three of them and one of them has given extraordinary results. In the logic of increasing the Exchange between Vineyard and insects we built the vinification area called Tinaia del Vento – where we vinify the Brunello in truncated-cone shaped vats, open on top. The results have been excellent.

4 January 2013

Outline of US wine consumers and wine lovers

The Boomers buy 44% of wine but it’s the younger Millennials who buy the most expensive bottles. Contemplation on how to dialogue with the US consumer

Millennials_Us generation

It’s the generation born after the Second World War, in full economic expansion (1945-1964) who guides the wine consumption in USA. A 30% portion of wine shopping goes to the Generation X who gradually will substitute the previous target a sit gets older. The Millennials, in other words the consumers born in the 80’s , who are now between twenty and thirty year of age buy a little less than 13% of wine just like the over sixty’s.

This sub-division come from Rob McMillan, founder of the Silicon Valley Bank’s Premium Wine division and has been well commented by WineNews. To this one must add the detail of the type of wines consumed. When Rob McMillan declares that the Millennials are not yet a resource for the wine industry he refers in fact more to the commodity segment than to the premium wines or ultra premium wines like Brunello or Barolo.

3 January 2013

Christmas cake: the biscuits called cavallucci of Siena

These are Christmas cakes with an aniseed aroma and when they are just made they are deliciously soft and when they get hard loved by grandmas and hated by kids

Cavallucci_Christmas cake of Siena

All Sienese remember the cavallucci cakes being kept for months in glass jars until they became hard as rocks and where usually offered by grandmas for the afternoon snack. A nightmare which in the end kept this delicious cake from Christmas tables. The secret was to make few of them and eat them straight away. They are extraordinarily delicious, especially if matched with ricotta or whipped cream but please don’t keep them for months in glass jars!
Here below you find the recipe belonging to Patrizia Cenni patisseur at Fattoria del Colle, who every morning serves guests wonderful home baked cakes according to local tradition.

Read the recipe below!

2 January 2013

Rating of the most powerful women in wine in the world

No Italians among the top 10 chosen by the magazine “The Drinks Business”. On the podium Gina Gallo, Jancis Robinson and Annette Alvarez Peters

Gina Gallo with her husband Boisset

Gina Gallo, the heir and technical director of the Gallo winery, is the most powerful woman in wine in the world. If the influence that comes from the billion bottles produced per year, then there is the husband, great French wine Jean-Charles Boisset. Together they make up one of the most formidable wine couples ever seen.
In second position of “The Drinks Business” list is Jancis Robinson the English Master of Wine. Tireless and with unquestioned authoritativeness Jancis has a column in the “Financial Times” and an intense activity on the web. Only on twitter she has 160.000 followers. Next step down on the podium we find Annette Alvarez Peters head buyer for Costco the major French quality wine importer in USA and fifth American retailer with a billion in purchases per year.
Following are Philippine de Rothschild from Chateaux Mouton, Lalou Bize-Leroy the great dame from Bourgogne, Danièle Ricard President of Pernod Ricard, the second company in the world for beverages.

31 December 2012

Chianti and Tuscan wines’ redemption where exportation flies high

Chianti wine: 3.600 grape-growers, 15.000 hectares of vineyards, more than 100 million bottles and after years of being forgotten, finally the rebirth

Fattoria_del_Colle_vineyards panorama_november 2012

In 24 months the export figure have gone from 40 to 70%, while the requests have picked up so much that the Consorzio del Chianti has considered anticipating the release of the new vintage in January rather than in March a sit was previously. The rebirth of the main Tuscan denomination has certainly benefitted from the positive atmosphere created by the events abroad organized by the Consorzio with Giovanni Busi as president. A true novelty for the Chianti wine, which is now organizing a road show of enormous proportions: China Japan and then the USA, Russia, Switzerland … Important steps along a path that still seems lengthy; in supermarkets in China sales start at 1,70€ per bottle while the cost on tap goes from 70 to 90 € per hectolitre. In the end, even if the bottles produced are more than 100 million, the total business is of only around 300 million Euro.

Read the article below!

30 December 2012

Italian recipe: gnocchi di semolino with white truffle

26 December 2012

Christmas cake: recipe for panforte Margherita of Siena

The Sienese traditional Christmas cake is panforte in the sexy version called “panpepato” and in the version created for the Queen Margherita and I’ll give you the recipe

Panforte-Margherita-by-Fattoria-Del-Colle

Many many years ago in Siena they used to say that the panforte “panpepato” << united families >> because of its aphrodisiacal virtues that made the critical moments in marriages something of the past. True or untrue this characteristic of the panforte also caused some high level problems. It seems in fact that when Queen Margherita di Savoia came to visit the Palio city, her visit was anticipated by an inspection by her chamberlain who also had the job of choosing the dishes for the “royal palate”. When he came to learn about the aphrodisiac virtues of the panpepato he immediately excluded it from the menu and the Sienese population, most contrite when they heard that their most famous and delicious cake was being disdained, decided to make a version more “chaste” version” that was christened panforte Margherita in honour of the queen.

At Fattoria del Colle the panforte is prepared by the pateisseur and served straight away during the Christmas holidays and most of all during the New Years Eve dinner.

Read the recipe below!

24 December 2012

Ricciarelli: the recipe for the typical Christmas cakes from Siena

The home made freshly baked ricciarello is the nicest cake in the world. It has a taste of Tuscany, of Christmas, of local traditions and affection

Nothing at all to do with the commercial ones!

Advice for gluttons from Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Ricciarelli and Vin Santo_Fattoria del Colle

THE LEGEND

Traditional, easy and fragrant, it helps you rediscover the pleasure of almond paste. The ricciarello is the Sienese Christmas cake and since 2010 it is a product protected with the IGP certification. A traditional delicacy from as far back as man can remember. It seems that the oldest recipe is a document in a convent in Buonconvento 20 km from Fattoria del Colle. Its name has a legendary source and come s from the Crociato Ricciardetto della Gherardesca who it seems brought the recipe from theMiddle East.

However the word ricciarello appears only in the 19th century so centuries and centuries after the crusades. Most surely the use of almond paste came about in the houses of the rich Sienese bankers from the southern part of the Mediterranean, prior to the 15th century, because from that era one was served “marzapani alla costuma senese” or “morzelletti” probably prepared in convents.

The most appropriate wine for this very Sienese delicacy is the Vin Santo, the most traditional dessert wine in Tuscany. Want some proof? As soon as it will be possible again come to Fattoria del Colle and you will find both!

Read the recipe below!

21 December 2012

A villa in Tuscany for your holidays in the countryside

To experience Cinderella’s dream, Fattoria del Colle – country inn in Tuscany – presents its villa

Fattoria del Colle - San Clemente - living room

Cenerentola (Cinderella) is the name of an old stone farmhouse on a hill surrounded by vineyards and looking over the spectacular panoramas of the Crete Senesi and of the Val d’ Orcia. The lodging is on the first floor and is divided into two apartments united by a small lodge: San Clemente and Sanchimento can be used divided or together if require by a large group. In total there are five bedrooms, four bathrooms, two sitting rooms with cooking area and a large fireplace.

19 December 2012

in Uncategorized

Italy overtakes France in the wine production

Less vineyards, wine and consumption the world over: Federico Castellucci Managing Director of OIV presents the 2012 news

Violante with the Opus One magnum

Let’s begin from the vineyard: the reduction of surface regards most of all Europe and will continue to do so also in the future although the economic incentive, distributed during the past 3 years for those who abandon vineyards definitively are finished. A decrease in part compensated by the increase in vineyards in the southern hemisphere and in the USA.

The contraction of the world vineyards has had a back-fall on wine production, which has although decreased also because of the effect of climatic changes, and mostly in Europe.
The 2012 word production of wine should settle between 243 and 252 million hectolitres.
Italy goes down to 40 million Hl (-3%), worse still (-19%) is the French decrease, this bring the production of the other side of the Alps under the Italian volume.

14 December 2012

Italian extra virgin olive oil from Trequanda is a super-oil

The Trequanda area, where Fattoria del Colle is found, has always been renowned for its exceptional extra-virgin olive oil and the 2012 produce is very good

Olives 2012 Fattoria Del Colle

Seen for you by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

The quality of the oil depends 50% from the soil and microclimate of the olive grove, a mix of permanent elements such as ex position to the sun and some variable elements such as amount of rainfall and temperatures. Connected to the production area is also the presence of the malevolent oleic fly, who lays its eggs inside the olives in so ruining the quality, or obligating the farmers to use pesticides. Trequanda does not have this problem; its olives are sound by nature because the fly does not arrive as far as this region 404 metres above sea level 25% of the quality of the oil come s from the “cultivar” (variety of the olive trees) and from the cultivation, in other words choices made by the farmers. It is very important when and how the olives are picked, and that they be transported to the mill the same day that they are picked without being squashed.

12 December 2012

Brunello wins the China Award together with Juventus and Pasotti

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.

10 December 2012

in Uncategorized