Vines and wines

26 March 2015

Women love Brunello

A survey carried out by MontalcinoNews during Benvenuto Brunello confirms women’s preference for great wines to be cellared, the Prime Donne are happy

Brunello 2010 Prime Donne Cinellicolombini

For 60% of women Brunello is associated with the idea of a celebration, it is in other words a touch of class for friends and relatives birthdays (50%) but also for couple dinners (50%) it has become a love generator. Women associate Brunello with eternal youth and prefer it because it can be enjoyed years later for very important occasions. According to women’s pragmatic spirit, Brunello

MontalcinoNews

is a durable good , effectively a brilliant investment, that grows in value and quality in time << More complex and intriguing, is to try and understand why women, in 20% of cases, admire Brunello because it’s a “complicated wine”>> an evaluation which MontalcinoNews explains <<referring to the sophisticated tasting, to the pleasure in complexity and the affinity between Brunello and the imaginary handsome and impossible charmer, who has already seen and tasted everything. >>

24 March 2015

in Vines and wines

by Donatella

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Vinitaly 2015: report of a super wine fair

Vinitaly wins the competition with Prowein with a full house for this edition with Italian buyers and foreign operators

Vinitaly 2015 Brunello stand

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

You have to queue for 45 minutes to get in, the entrances are clogged up, the traffic jams are much worse than in previous years. This great success does create a few inconveniencies but the wineries that are here to exhibit are full of enthusiasm, and I would be surprised if the Vinitaly 2015 does not beat all records in attendance.

This seems to be the year for Puglia that has a great number of new stands, all beautiful and very large. <<In the last 21 months it has gone from being the last region in Italy for use of European funds to the first>> says the Assessore all’Agricoltura Fabrizio Nardoni.

Pietro di Lazzaro TG3 Toscana Donatella Cinelli Colombini

And these results are well visible. Autochthonous grape varieties Negroamaro, Primitivo, Nero di Troia and the tourism tow the wineries that from Vinitaly seem to expect important results. The Movimento turismo del vino is very active under the direction of Sebastiano de Corato and Vittoria Cisonno .

20 March 2015

in Farm experiences, Vines and wines

by Donatella

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Donatella Cinelli Colombini is online

Open our new web site, you will be left speechless! It has been made by Readytec -1° Software Partner for TeamSystem in Italy

Donatella Cinelli Colombini Team

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

9 themes, more than 100 images of Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino and Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda. A journey through history but also in our day to day living, and even into the future taking wine lovers and those who adore holidays in the countryside, to share our daily experiences, so that that they practically feel as if they were here.

Readytec

It has been a titanic job: 5 technicians working at the same time to create the graphics, itineraries and mechanism which are strictly computer related such as the “inbound marketing for the SEM”, so a mixture of handicraft, talent and engineering. There was so much information that in the end Readytec was talking about us as if we were a “group” so as if we were a large company instead of two small and old wineries that have miraculously remained intact through the centuries.

18 March 2015

in Farm experiences, Vines and wines

by Donatella

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Easter at a winery: drink, and bathe, in Brunello

Easter in the Tuscan countryside, Brunello, Montalcino, vino-therapy, Fattoria del Colle; pic nic Easter Monday

At Fattoria del Colle a super Easter programme with tastings of great wines, traditional dinners, cookery lessons, and vino-therapy and Easter Monday picnics in the vineyards.

An opportunity to rediscover the traditional Easter dishes of the Tuscan countryside and to learn how to make the Ossi di morto di Montalcino biscuits, how to recognize the Sangiovese and Foglia Tonda, aromas, and to photograph the Crete Senesi panorama, regenerating with grape-seed oil and bathing in wine, relaxing in the countryside. And to have a special Easter Monday with a picnic in the vineyards.

Easter Monday pic nic with great wines and great dogs

And in the surrounding areas …. .Fattoria del Colle is in the middle of the Tuscan countryside which is most photographed and admired, there are also the important cities of art: Pienza created by Pope Pio II, San Quirico d’Orcia with Bagno Vignoni, sole medieval spa still preserved, Montalcino, Buonconvento, Montepulciano, Cortona, Asciano with the splendid Monte Oliveto Maggiore Abbey …

2 nights stay in a double room with breakfast included 110 € per person

For families: 2 nights stay in apartment 110 € per person for adults, 50€ for each child under 12. Breakfast included

15 March 2015

in Vines and wines

by Donatella

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Vienna the imperial capital that loves music and Brunello

The Parliament is as large as three football pitches, ice rinks full of children, horse and carts, waltzes …and red wines to be matched with meat, like Brunello

Brunello in Vienna with Carlo Gardini

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Vienna is a place that surprises, the enormous buildings, the attention for every detail. This is the capital of Francesco Giuseppe and Strauss. The building where the ex Ministry of war was has a double-headed eagle that weighs 40 tons in front of it, but in the city centre there is a school that teaches horses how to trot elegantly, and in the taxis, in the lifts and even in the restrooms you listen to Chopin, cake shops resemble jewellers. In other words power and elegance together. His was an imperial capital where nearly all men wore uniforms but also all danced perfectly a waltz and a mazurka. Today it is a well organized, clean, city, proud of its past and optimistic regarding its future. Wow!

In Austria where there are 52.000 places to eat, a quarter of them are cafes where clients spend hours sitting and socializing. The Vienna cafes are the nicest in the world.

28 February 2015

in Farm experiences, Vines and wines

by Donatella

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Sausages and turnip greens

Here is a traditional winter recipe from the Tuscan countryside. Sausages with “pulezze” or rather the tender turnip leaves,greens, these are delicious and easy to prepare

sausages and turnip greens

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Regarding turnips my family has a nice anecdote. One of my ancestors from Montalcino had a particularly religious wife who enjoyed turnips, while the husband was not at all religious and didn’t love these vegetables at all. During the winter when the killing of the pig meant that often sausages and ribs were served, the turnips were the habitual side dish, and my ancestor was always irate, so he invented a smart way to stop his wife serving the turnips. He invented a rhyme which he sang loudly every time the poor woman tried to come out of the kitchen with the “pulezze”

<< disse Cristo ai discepoli suoi, non mangiate rapi che è cibo da buoi e San Pietro aggiunse a gran voce – accidenti ai rapi e a chi li coce>> << Christ said to his disciples, don’t eat turnips, they are for the ox, and San Pietro replied in a rather loud voice, damn turnips and those who cook them>>

In truth the matching of pork with turnips is a delicacy and below you find a typical recipe from Trequanda

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE

8 fresh sausages, 500 g of tender turnipgreens (pulezze), garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

26 February 2015

in Forum: News and lifestyle, Not only wine..., Vines and wines

by Donatella

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1.82 billion $ boom in the USA for direct wine sales

The American colossus shows an increase in +15,5 % in private wine sales just in 2014 and grows 4 times more quickly than the traditional commercial sales channels.

Napa Valley

Seen for you by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

61% of shipments goes to 5 states where 37% of all Americans live: California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois. But others also do very well: thanks to the law that has facilitated shipping to private citizen, wine lovers form Montana have increate their wine orders by 245 % in one year. The real novelty is Massachusetts, 7th wine market in the USA, that from this year accept shipping from producing wineries .

The Oregon wineries are those who have done exceptionally well with a + 53% in sales to privates in just one year with Pinot Noir coming up trumps. Oregon does seem to be the new star of the USA wine panorama, but there are also those who’ve been out there much longer such as Napa Valley, main wine making region of the US, which considers sales to private clients determent , and where it represents 48,5% of the business.

This all seems impossible considering the bad crisis we have in Italy. But the source is more than sure, its Wine Searcher, the largest online marketing platform for wine.

23 February 2015

in Forum: News and lifestyle, Not only wine..., Vines and wines

by Donatella

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Brunello to be cellared: the rules for enjoying it

Prefer Brunello riserva and the great 5 star vintages. Always decant the wine and never serve it cold. Match it with Tuscan roasted meats

Brunello cellared bottles Donatella Cinelli Colombini

One recommendation is a must: those who do not have a cool (16°C constant with 80% humidity) and dark area where to keep the bottle laying down in the dark, is best that they avoid storing because it is very probable that they will be disappointed. Any wine and so Brunello too, ages very quickly in our warm and well lit homes.

The other piece of advice regards the bottles to cellar for important occasion. Al Brunello lasts a long time, but the variety thought up for very long cellaring is the Riserva. So if you wish to keep a bottle from your child’s year of birth, to then open at their wedding, use a bottle of Brunello Riserva.

Brunello Camicia Rossa

The more careful wineries, like ours produce riserva only in the excellent years among these, awarded 5 stars are: 1945, 1955, 1961, 1964, 1970,1975, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010.

Casato Prime Donne belonging to Donatella Cinelli Colombini, is quite young although it has a long family history, has a library with bottles from 1993 onwards

MATCHING WITH FOOD

Better to stay with Tuscan dishes: stracotto, roasts, rare Fiorentina steak or roast beef. As you know matching food and wine is based on two criteria assonance and contrast. They count on the tastes that each emphasise each other, or two tastes that compete each other. In our case a favour the first alternative so I would serve with a Brunello Riserva dishes with scarce fatty sauces and with a full taste.

21 February 2015

in Not only wine..., Vines and wines

by Donatella

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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!

17 February 2015

in Forum: News and lifestyle, Not only wine..., Vines and wines

by Donatella

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Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents herself part 2

In 1998 when I left my family’s estate (one of the oldest and most prestigious producing Brunello) to create my own, that bears my name, it really seemed a “mission impossible” By Donatella Cinelli Colombini [caption id="attachment_10091" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Donatella Cinelli Colombini Cavaliere della Repubblica"][/caption] Again like in my other troubled chellenges I had no money, in fact with debts much superior to the income and two wineries with buildings to be renovated, vineyards to be replanted, cellars to be built and more importantly no sales network.. Now we sell wine to 31 foreign nations. I have in the meantime understood that it...

17 February 2015

in Not only wine..., Vines and wines

by Donatella

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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

15 February 2015

in Not only wine..., Vines and wines

by Donatella

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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.

10 February 2015

in Farm experiences, Forum: News and lifestyle, Vines and wines

by Donatella

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Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents herself

How can I describe myself? I am imaginative, hard working and lucky. I am also short, a little plump, sensitive to the cold, and attracted by people, places and activities that I do not know

Donatella and Violante at Casato Prime Donne Montalcino

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

First of all I would like to tell you something that very few people know. I am dyslexic, (please check https://dopasolution.com/what-is-dyslexia for a brilliant article by Tina Richards for those with dyslexia who rely on web accessibility).I grew up in a period where no one knew what dyslexia was and when children who per slower in learning were considered retarded. Only when my daughter Violante also showed the same disability I understood the pros and cons in having a different concept of space, but we are also determined and we have an exceptional ability in organization, for this reason many architects are dyslexic .

I studied History of medieval art. You might say << whatever for as you are a wine producer?>> Incredibly it is very useful. At the end of the 1970’s there were no computers , not even in the large libraries, and to do research meant that you had to use every little part of your brain, after then I have never again worked so hard and had such exiting times.

History of art is my great love (after my husband obviously), for years I avoided going to museums, this because I could not stand no longer having the knack in understanding epochs, provenance and creators…just like a musician going deaf. Now I once again enjoy going to museums. I even took the Brunello producers to the Guggenheim in NY, and to the Art Institute in Chicago.

6 February 2015

in Not only wine..., Vines and wines

by Donatella

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Sangiovese weekend at Fattoria del Colle

Weekend in Tuscany for wine lovers to discover the king of Tuscan red wines including an exceptional vertical tasting of Brunello, from the barrel to a few cellared bottles

Sangiovese cluster 2012 Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Donatella Cinelli Colombini will personally welcome you, before the tour of her two wineries in Montalcino and in Chianti begins. The conclusion is a full immersion experience in Sangiovese having a bath in wine to regenerate your skin with the extraordinary virtues of the wines from Montalcino

For a minimum of 4 people €284.00 per person

Included in the programme:

2 nights’ stay in a double room with bathroom
2 buffet breakfast with homemade cakes and jams, fresh vegetables with olive oil dip, cold cuts and cheeses
2 traditional dinners (wines not included)
Tours, tastings, vinotherapy and meetings as indicated above
The price does not include transfers

2 February 2015

in Vines and wines

by Donatella

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Which barrels are best for Brunello?

A story that tell of tastings, errors and successes whilst looking for the perfect barrel for the Brunello made at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino

Montalcino Casato Prime Donne barrel ageing cellar

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Our grandparents used barrels that contained 10-15 hl sometimes even made of chestnut , then the larger barrels arrived, and later still the barriques, and now we have gone back to the small barrels.

I’m going to tell you about our search for the perfect barrel for the Sangiovese for Brunello and specifically for the first year of ageing in wood, when the wines evolution is quick and decisive for its long long life to come . In the second and mostly I the third year of ageing in fact we have always used the traditional large barrels 15 hl and then 40 hl, that softly accompany the Brunello towards the bottle.

We stated by looking for barriques. This was in 2001 and shortly barriques were a must for all producers who did not want to seem thrifty or old fashioned. We tried 7 brands, among which an Italian and an Austrian one. Now they are outside embellishing gardens

Vines and wines

Women love Brunello

Vinitaly 2015: report of a super wine fair

Donatella Cinelli Colombini is online

Easter at a winery: drink, and bathe, in Brunello

Vienna the imperial capital that loves music and Brunello

Sausages and turnip greens

1.82 billion $ boom in the USA for direct wine sales

Brunello to be cellared: the rules for enjoying it

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

Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents herself part 2

Rosso di Montalcino 2012, a fantastic 5 star vintage

WineDogs and wineries that are dog firendly, a new trend

Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents herself

Sangiovese weekend at Fattoria del Colle

Which barrels are best for Brunello?

FATTORIA DEL COLLE

CASATO PRIME DONNE