Forum: News and lifestyle

SANCHIMENTO IGT TOSCANA WHITE 2024 BIO-ORGANIC

2024 ABUNDANT AND QUALITATIVE HARVEST IN WHICH THE TRAMINER GRAPES FOR SANCHIMENTO WERE VINIFIED IN STEEL, IN TERRACOTTA AMPHORA AND IN CLAYVER CERAMIC

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

SANCHIMENTO 2024 A SUPERTUSCAN FROM ORGANIC AND TOURISTIC VINEYARDS

Sanchimento is obtained from organic grapes from the small vineyard around the chapel of the Fattoria del Colle dedicated to San Clemente or Chimento as the saint himself was called in medieval times. The wine therefore takes its name from the small sixteenth-century church. Both the chapel and the adjacent vineyard are open to tourists, in fact the vineyard of Traminer grapes used for the Sanchimento wine is the starting point for a trail in the vineyards that leads visitors to discover all the grape varieties grown at the Fattoria del Colle through the use of signs and QR codes.

THE PARTICULAR VINIFICATION FOR SANCHIMENTO

The cellar workers led by the oenologist Barbara Magnani have developed a very particular process for the Sanchimento IGT Toscana white. An unprecedented method that manages to enhance the characteristics of the grape variety, increase the complexity of the wine and its distinctive characteristics.

7 May 2025

VINOUS GIVES 90, 94, 91, AND 90 TO CHIANTI, ORCIA AND VINSANTO

ERIC GUIDO TASTES 4 OF DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI’S WINES, GIVES VERY HIGH SCORES AND WRITES DESCRIPTIONS SO EVOCATIVE THAT THEY AROUSE AROMAS AND FLAVOURS

Eric Guido is a young wine critic of enormous talent. For Vinous he tastes Italian wines, those from the Pacific coast, Paso Robles and Slovenia. He loves wine but also cuisine – especially Italian – and works in creative writing, copywriting, photography, digital editing. All at the highest levels

In January 2025 he tasted 4 wines from Fattoria del Colle and then published the opinions on Antonio Galloni Vinous’ portal. Two critics who don’t favour anyone and have built their reputation on integrity.

6 May 2025

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: TASTING AND STORAGE

WHICH ARE THE FLAVOURS AND TYPES OF THE BEST EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL AND HOW TO TASTE IT. THE OLIVE GROVES AND OIL AT FATTORIA DEL COLLE IN TREQUANDA IN TUSCANY

olio extravergine di olia Fattoria del Colle Trequanda

by Alessia Bianchi, Fattoria del Colle, Casato Prime Donne

Visual analysis of extra virgin olive oil is considered of little relevance, which is why professional tasting glasses are deliberately coloured to mask visual characteristics that could influence the taster’s judgment. The shades of oil can range from yellow to intense green, but are linked to the variety of olive or the degree of ripeness. On the other hand the olfactory analysis is of considerable importance for the final judgement. The aroma perceived by inhaling, after having warmed the glass between the palms of the hands to bring it to the optimal temperature of 28°C, immediately reveals whether the aromas are pleasant or whether there are unpleasant sensations linked to defects.

A quality extra virgin olive oil must have a fresh and vegetal aroma, which can recall hints of artichoke, almond or tomato. The intense aroma is a distinctive characteristic of high quality oils and represents one of the main differences between a common extra virgin olive oil and an excellent product.

1 May 2025

ANCHOVIES WITH PARSLEY AND AGLIONE PESTO

AN APPETIZER FULL OF FLAVOUR AND MEMORIES THAT REPRESENTS THE MOST REAL AND FAMILIAR TUSCAN COUNTRYSIDE ONLY WITH AGLIONE INSTEAD OF GARLIC

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini, #winedestination, Fattoria del Colle, Casato Prime Donne

Anchovies with parsley and Aglione from Valdichiana – Toscana, Trequanda, Fattoria del Colle

The simplicity of certain preparations brings with it the flavour of old Tuscan farms, of the ancient wisdom of gestures. Perhaps it is precisely the authenticity of what has not changed over the centuries that gives us back the experience of the past. For this reason, I invite you to prepare anchovies with parsley pesto as Nunziatina did, that is, Annunziata Ferretti, matriarch of her family and head housewife in the kitchen of my Colombini grandparents’ house in Montalcino.

FROM CLASSIC PESTO TO PESTO WITH AGLIONE

There are four recommendations: the extra virgin olive oil must be the one pressed a few months ago using organic olives picked early by hand. Just like the one made in Fattoria del Colle.

16 April 2025

Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2023 BIO-Organic

THE SCARCEST HARVEST IN MEMORY, IT HAD A SLOW AND GRADUAL RIPENING WHICH PUT INTO THE GLASS A ROSSO DI MONTALCINO WITH VERY CLASSIC CHARACTERISTICS

Casato Prime Donne Montalcino vendemmia 2023 Violante CinelliColombini mostra il lettore ottico

Casato Prime Donne Montalcino 2023 harvest Violante CinelliColombini shows the optical reader

For Donatella Cinelli Colombini, the 2023 harvest was <<the most difficult harvest of my life, with my husband Carlo in hospital in Malta and my daughter Violante who directed the harvest alone flying back and forth from Valletta>>.

Added to this were the rainfalls in spring and summer, the attacks of downy mildew and 3 small hailstorms.

In the end, few grapes arrived in the cellar, half the amount of the previous year, but of excellent quality. The Sangiovese grapes showed perfect analytical values. A new selector with optical reader completed the grape selection work by choosing only the best, berry by berry, with the utmost attention.

THE 2023 VINTAGE

After a very dry 2022, a very rainy 2023 arrived. It rained in winter and especially in spring with a June like a universal deluge. Even in summer, very hot days alternated with thunderstorms. The grapes changed colour at the end of August and then the ripening had a slow and regular character. An old-fashioned climate that gives rise to very classic wines.

CASATO PRIME DONNE IN MONTALCINO

Casato Prime Donne is all organically grown. It is located on the northern side of Montalcino on the slopes of the Montosoli hill. The vineyards surround the old farmhouse that gives its name to the property and belonged to Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s ancestors at least since the end of the sixteenth century.

10 April 2025

TOP offer with the Supertuscan Il Drago e le 8 Colombe

Do you want to receive this vertical of Il Drago e le 8 Colombe directly at your home for €159.00?

Dear friends, we have prepared an unmissable opportunity for you! Three vintages of Il Drago e le 8 Colombe, all 5 stars: 2012, 2015, and 2020.

This is a special opportunity to compare three harvests of the Super Tuscan il Drago e le 8 Colombe produced at Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda. This wine brings you the aromas of ripe red fruits and the powerful and harmonious flavour typical of a high hill territory where the air is clean and the ripening of the grapes is slow.

OFFER OF THE MONTH: THREE VINTAGES WITH FIVE STARS

The classification of Italian wine vintages ranges from the maximum excellence of five stars, awarded exclusively to the best vintages, to a minimum of one star for the worst vintages. By consulting the vintages you can choose which ones to buy for a wine to cellar or to drink immediately.

🎁 together with the bottles you will find a small gift: a personalized wine saver pump from the Donatella Cinelli Colombini winery. Ideal for decorating your cellar or your kitchen but also as a gift..

3 April 2025

NEW OIL IN ANTIQUE TERRACOTTA JARS IN THE ORCIAIA

A RETURN TO THE ORIGINS: THE RESTORATION OF THE OLD TRADITION OF USING THE ORCI FOR PRESERVING EXTRA VIRGIN OIL AT THE FATTORIA DEL COLLE DI TREQUANDA

For centuries, extra virgin olive oil has been stored in terracotta jars, an old method that today risks being lost due to the difficulty of adapting the jars to health standards and preserving the oil from oxidation. Donatella Cinelli Colombini has decided to bring this tradition back to life with an ambitious and complex restoration, giving new life to the olive oil culture of Trequanda.

INSPIRATION: VILLA LE CORTI AND L’ORCIAIA IN IMPRUNETA

Three years ago, a visit to Duccio Corsini’s Villa Le Corti lit the spark of this adventure. In that historic estate, the oil is still stored for a few weeks in enormous terracotta jars from Impruneta, a traditional Tuscan material. Prince Corsini revealed to Donatella that his oil sells quickly and at very high prices, making her see an extraordinary opportunity.

THE SEARCH FOR JARS AND THE CREATION OF THE NEW ORCIAIA

At the Fattoria del Colle, Donatella started counting the ancient jars, mostly used as decorative elements, finding 24 of them. But where to make the orciaia room? The solution came unexpectedly: a television report on bank robbers and the saws with which they cut reinforced concrete gave the right idea. With the help of her technician, Fabio Ligioni, Donatella found a company capable of using the same tool to open a door in two old reinforced concrete wine vats placed side by side, made by her great-grandfather and unused for years. Thus two new spaces were created, covered and sanitized, ready to accommodate the jars and guarantee optimal conditions for the conservation of the oil.

27 March 2025

EASTER 2025 IN TUSCANY IN TUSCANY IN FULL SPRING

REGENERATE YOURSELF WITH A BREATHTAKING LANDSCAPE, GREAT WINES, CAREFULLY PREPARED DISHES, ENGAGING EXPERIENCES AND AN ENVIRONMENT FULL OF HISTORY, TRADITIONS AND JOY

Granduca Room – Fattoria del Colle

Fattoria del Colle is a very small hamlet built at the end of the sixteenth century on a hill overlooking the Val d’Orcia and the Crete Senesi. It is waiting for Easter for lovers of Brunello, traditional Tuscan cuisine, old local traditions, views and nature.

A UNIQUE PLACE WITH A LONG HISTORY AND ENCHANTING VIEWS

A setting of ORGANIC vineyards and olive groves, beyond which there is a landscape of wonderful harmony dotted with cities of art and abbeys. Places of great spirituality such as Monte Oliveto Maggiore just 11 km away.

For the Easter weekend, Fattoria del Colle offers an intense program of three visits with experiences and tastings,

Easter 2025 – historical winery of Fattoria del Colle

gourmand lunches, brief cooking lessons, two toasts and of course itineraries in the woods, relaxing stops to enjoy the wonderful landscape in the silence of nature.

For great wine lovers there is an extraordinary tasting of three 5-star vintages of Brunello 2013, 2015 and 2019 in the section Prime Donne and Riserva versions.

The tastings continue at the table with creative and highly traditional recipes combined with Brunello, Chianti Superiore Supertuscan and Doc Orcia wines. The Fattoria del Colle restaurant is a romantic, refined but informal place to make everyone feel welcomed and pampered.

18 March 2025

VIOLANTE TELLA US ABOUT WINE TOURISM AND ALCOHOL TESTING

VIOLANTE GARDINI CINELLI COLOMBINI PRESIDENT OF THE WINE TOURISM MOVEMENT ANSWERS GIOVANNI PELLICCI, DIRECTOR OF “I GRANDI VINI” , ON WINE TOURISM AND ALCOHOL TESTING

Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini Presidente del Movimento turismo del vino

Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini President of Movimento turismo del vino

The recent changes to the Highway Code, wanted by Minister Matteo Salvini, have shaken the world of Italian wine. Restaurants, wine bars and tasting places, such as tourist wineries, are studying solutions to counteract the probable future decline in consumption and therefore in turnover.

THE LACK OF TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE COMPLICATES THE JOURNEY OF THOSE WHO WANT TO TASTE

In the countryside, where great wines are born, there is a lack of taxis or public transport services capable of taking tourists to and from wineries without driving. For this reason, the director of the magazine “I Grandi Vini” asked Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini, newly elected president of the Movimento Turismo del Vino, how she recommends tackling the problem for the 700 member wineries.

Here I report some parts of the interview, suggesting you read it in its entirety in “I Grandi Vini” directed by GIOVANNI PELLICCI

14 March 2025

AT ECCELLENZA DI TOSCANA WOMEN AND WINE ARE CELEBRATED

ON MARCH 8, EIGHT WOMEN IN WINE PRESENTED 8 TUSCAN DOCG WINE REGIONS WITH AIS TOSCANA TO CELEBRATE THEIR INTERNATIONAL DAY

Eccellenza di Toscana 2025 e Donne del Vino di Toscana

Eccellenza di Toscana 2025 and Donne del Vino di Toscana

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination #fattoriadelcolle #casatoprimedonne

The Stazione Leopolda on the occasion of Eccellenza di Toscana (8 and 9 March) was the setting for an all-female tasting and then at the Columbus Urban Hotel for the presentation of Barbara Amoroso‘s book which was also attended by Governor Eugenio Giani.

DOCG WINES OF TUSCANY WITH AIS TOSCANA

The first event is the tasting entitled “DOCG wines of Tuscany with women” which took place within the 23rd edition of “Eccellenza di Toscana”. This is a major event organized by the Italian Sommelier Association of Tuscany in the scenic Stazione Leopolda in Florence on March 8 and 9.

<<To celebrate the feminine side of the sommelerie, the tasting was be led by Ilaria Lorini, Best Tuscan Sommelier AIS 2024, and Lucrezia Caverni Donna del Vino, sommelier and AIS taster>> specified the AIS regional President Cristiano Cini, presenting the initiative that lined up 8 of the 11 Tuscan DOCGs with labels signed by women. <<The 120 Tuscan Women in Wine represent, on this beautiful occasion, all the Italian wineries led by women, which are 28% of the total>> said the Tuscan Delegate Donatella Cinelli Colombini, proud of the amazing bottles of her members.

7 March 2025

AN EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR TRUE ENTHUSIASTS

Would you like to receive 4 bottles of Brunello Prime Donne 2020 and a magnum of Prime Donne 2020 directly at your home for €292.00?

Dear wine lovers, we have prepared an unmissable opportunity for you! Brunello Prime Donne 2020, an extraordinary wine resulting from a meticulous selection by four internationally renowned female experts, is available in a special proposal in two formats.

This is the first vintage in which Brunello Prime Donne is produced exclusively with grapes from the “Prime Donne” vineyard at Casato Prime Donne, with a limited production of only 5,000 bottles. A Brunello that embodies elegance, finesse and longevity, created to satisfy the palate of the most demanding female consumers, but capable of conquering everyone.

OFFER OF THE MONTH: TWO FORMATS FOR EVERY OCCASION

– The 0.75L bottle, perfect for an intimate dinner or a tasting among a few connoisseurs.

– The magnum (1.5L), ideal for special occasions and for those who love to see the wine evolve over time in a sublime way.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR MEMBERS OF DONATELLA’S CLUB

– 4 bottles (0.75L) of Brunello Prime Donne 2020 BIO

– 1 Magnum (1.5L) of Brunello Prime Donne 2020 BIO

– 1 personalized wooden lid from the Donatella Cinelli Colombini winery

28 February 2025

WINENEWS IS THE N. 1 WINE BLOG IN ITALY AND THE N. 23 IN THE WORLD

LIKE EVERY YEAR FEEDSPOT, THE WORLD’S LARGEST DATA BASE ON BLOGS, PUBLISHES THE RANKING OF THE BEST ON WINE AND WINENEWS IS ONCE AGAIN NO. 1 IN ITALY

Alessandro Regoli e Irene Chiari WineNews Vincitori del Premio Casato Prime Donne 2024

Alessandro Regoli and Irene Chiari WineNews

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, #winedestination, #brunellodimontalcino

In truth, there is something strange in the two wine blog rankings: Intravino is in 14th place in the world list but does not appear in the Italian one even though he is a compatriot. Odd!!!

BEST ITALIAN WINE BLOGS

FeedSpot is a huge archive where you can find blogs, videos, podcasts on any topic and choose the ones to follow based on their style and content. Once a year it brings together the best and Wine News is always in a leading position. The best Italian wine blogs are chosen from thousands of digital media outlets, based on relevance, authority, social media followers and freshness.

First, therefore, WineNews led by Irene Chiari and Alessandro Regoli from their headquarters in Montalcino. A global broadcaster speaking from a small town that has become famous for being the home of Brunello wine. WineNews is described by FeedSpot << The reference point for information on the world of wine: interviews, videos, reviews, insights and always the latest news. Winenews is a communication agency>>. Followed by Vinoway and WineBlogRoll by Francesco Saverio Russo. Only 6th position for the Italian version of Wine Spectator.

25 February 2025

TUSCAN STEWED CAULIFLOWER

DELICIOUS WINTER SIDE DISH FROM THE TUSCAN COUNTRYSIDE TRADITION WHICH CAN BECOME A ROYAL RECIPE WITH EVO OIL LIKE WHAT IS MADE AT FATTORIA DEL COLLE

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, #winedestination, #docorcia

Three-time cooked vegetables are typical of Tuscan cuisine. In summer, celery or cardoons are boiled, fried and cooked with tomato sauce. In winter the same preparation is made with cauliflower. From my experience there is more tomato in the Val d’Orcia version and much less in the Val di Chiana one but the recipes are still delicious. They are a side dish to pair with chicken Cacciatore or freshly made buffalo mozzarella.

Very easy to perform but a bit lengthy

20 February 2025