Not only wine…

Sanchimento, the white wine from the lady of reds

Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents her Sanchimento 2015 , her white wine from Traminer grapes that this year is better than ever

Sanchiemnto IGT Toscana 2015

San Chimento and San Clemente were the same person: Pope Clemente 1st who died in Sebastopoli, maybe a martyr, at the end of the 1st century. In medieval documents the two names are often swapped and in the Sienese territory, crib of the Italian language, where still today there is a local vernacular surviving that is quite a conjunction between Latin and Italian, the names Chimento and Clemente continue to live together. So the chapel at Fattoria del Colle built by the owners ancestors, in 1592 is dedicated to San Clemente is surrounded by a farmhouse Sanchimento pronounced and written all in one word. Sanchimento is also the name of a wine obtained with Traminer grapes that are grown near the chapel in the Sanchimento property.

The 2015 harvest was particularly favourable for the vineyards thanks to a very rainy

Sanchimento 2015 with Traminer grapes

winter and spring that caused a natural reduction in clusters and a reserve of water in the soil. In August the great differences between day and night temperatures favoured the synthesis or perfumes and the production of wines particularly rich in aroma.

Type: dry white.

Production area: Tuscany, Trequanda, Fattoria del Colle.

Vintage characteristics: mild and rainy winter, spring with frequent rainfalls that  interfered with the blooming and caused a natural decrease in production. The vine vegetative cycle began very quickly and was roughly held back by a very hot July that brought the cycle back to normal. The colouring of the grapes began at the end of July and lasted two weeks. The moderate temperatures in August consented a slow and regular ripening of the grapes.

How about playing winemaker?

Would you like to prepare the blend of your very own wine? Donatella Cinelli Colombini is waiting for you in her wineries so that you can experience just this

Let’s play winemaker

The project is an absolute novelty and is called “let’s play winemakers”. Instead of being a game for kids though this is an activity for adults, wine lovers, who wish to experience making a great wine according to their own taste.

Two locations: Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino and  Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda in Southern Tuscany Minimum 4 pax (at 18 euro per person and maximum 12 pax at 16,00 euro per person

Fattoria del Colle Let’s play winemaker tasting

The programme lasts about two hours and is great fun. The first step is a guided tour of the vineyards and the winery. At   Casato Prime Donne, where the Brunello is made and aged, the barrels are alternated with paintings which talk about the history of Montalcino. At Fattoria del Colle where the Orcia, Chianti Superiore and supertuscan are produced, the winery is underground, beneath the 16th century villa and there is also a hermitage where we store the antique bottles of Brunello, and in the loft the Vin Santo is stored. These are two boutique wineries one different to the other but both equally interesting. During the tour our guests will take some pure Sangiovese out of an oak barrel.

You don't have a corkscrew? Use a French wine and a shoe

Here is a mystery regarding French bottles being uncorked and Montalcino bottles remaining still well sealed

Rosso di Montalcino attempted uncorking with shoe

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Remove the capsule, get a leather man’s shoe, with a nice hard heel, put the bottle into the shoe so that the bottom of the bottle stands where your heel goes and then hot the bottle on the wall holding it securely in the shoes. Three bangs and it’s done, voila! The cork comes out about a centimeter e and a half and that way it is easy to pull it out with your fingers. Amazing!

On YouTube you can find so many videos with French bottles being opened with shoes- there are even some young Russians doing it – and here I discovered that there are actually two uncorking systems: there are also those who open the bottle by hitting the heel of the shoe on the bottom of the upturned bottle after having removed the capsule. It seems really easy in fact the only worry seems to be not to hit too hard as the cork might shoot out and allow the wine out .

I wonder if it will work with bottles of Brunello, which, to ensure long life to the wine are corked with very thick and long corks. Watching a video on YouTube I realize however that the bottle used for the shoe-uncorking is a Château Haut-Brion. So feeling reassured, if it works with a Premier Cru Classé (First Growth), it will obviously work with the wines from Casato Prime Donne!

Rosso di Montalcino 2012, a fantastic 5 star vintage

The 2012 harvest, one with the scarcest amount of grapes man can remember offers a Mediterranean version of Rosso di Montalcino because of the summer heat

Rosso di Montalcino 2012 D.Cinelli Colombini

In 2012 from June to August, it was hot day and night. An unusually dry climate for Montalcino that however was well resisted y the vines helped by the decrease in grapes and the continues hoeing of the land. Once again the vines have proven to be “intelligent plants” reducing by themselves their vitality. Less grapes, small clusters, loose The heat in August, when the temperatures were very high, during both the day and night, accelerated the ripening. This also  brought forward the harvest date. Small clusters with small loose grapes perfect for producing great wines but also apt to the extreme situation of hydro stress.

The storms at the beginning of September quenched the vines’ thirst  and brought the temperatures down in so creating the conditions for a gradual and perfect ripening of the grapes. The harvest too took place in optimal conditions with cool but serene days that sent the grapes into the cellar at 20-25°C.

After the spectacular success in sales of the Rosso di Montalcino 2011, especially abroad, it is very very probable that this  2012 will obtain the same results

WineDogs and wineries that are dog firendly, a new trend

Books web sites, Facebook pages, even contests, the winery dogs are very popular and now so important that there is a ranking of the most friendly wineries

Rodney wine dog

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

This story is so incredible that you will not believe me. In  Australia there is a photographer that works full time on  “Wine dogs” and publishes books after books with images of dogs from wineries. He is called Craig McGill and his star is a 9 year old curly coated retriever called Rodney  that lives on Hugh Hamilton Wines. The same author created the website winedog where the presentation begins with “The original wine dog book”  which is a sort of winedog encyclopedia regarding dogs all over the world. There even a “Winedog of the moth” which in January was  Dutchess a labrador from the Dutcher Crossing Winery in California.

Violante Gardini dries Felix Fattoria del Colle

Practically all wineries in UA have a dog and books about them are on sale next to the bottles. Winedogs also have a Facebook page with more than 3000 likes. In Napa valley there is a list of dog friendly wineries and many many reviews in blogs regarding four legged friends. << Good wine, good dogs, great art and good company, what more could you ask for? >>  asks  dogzenergy while talking about a wine tasting where there is an area equipped for dogs to play.

And finally the contests: there is an award for the 5 tasting halls that are most dog friendly, and the Frank Family Vineyards got first prize.