SHELL ROYSTER

SHELL ROYSTER

SHELL ROYSTER, THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER AND JOURNALIST, VISITS FATTORIA DEL COLLE—AND I ONLY REALIZE IT AFTER SHE HAS LEFT—BUT SHE LOVES WHAT WE DO.

 

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winedestination, Fattoria del Colle Trequanda, Casato Prime Donne Montalcino

 

Shell Royster is an award-winning food journalist and photographer based in Atlanta. After studying at the International Center of Photography in New York, she began travelling the world, driven by passion and “the art and magic of transforming experiences into powerful images.” Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including “National Geographic Traveller”, “Afar”, “Kraft”, Oprah’s “Oh That’s Good” Food, and Qantas Airlines. She is, in short, a prominent figure—though I only realized this after her stay at Fattoria del Colle, when it was already too late to invite her to dinner. It was only when she sent me questions for an interview that I recognized her talent and began to look into her background. After all, asking questions is far more difficult than giving answers, and only someone with a true journalist’s instinct knows exactly what to ask.

SHELL ROYSTER’S INTERVIEW WITH DONATELLA

Here, then, is a brief excerpt from her long interview.

Shell Royster – Clemente Santi was the pioneer of Brunello. Could you tell us about some of his discoveries and the legacy he left for this wine?

Donatella – The Santi family consisted of scholars and pharmacists with ties to the University of Pisa and to France, where Louis Pasteur was making important discoveries regarding yeasts and bacteria. These discoveries enabled an understanding of fermentation and wine spoilage. Clemente Santi applied these findings to the production of a wine made from Sangiovese grapes grown in Montalcino. Subsequently, Ferruccio Biondi Santi established the “rules” for producing modern Brunello. From the very beginning, the family sought to involve other farmers in Montalcino in their project and to share this new winemaking expertise.

WINE PRODUCERS ANS CONSUMERS FACING CHALLENGES

Shell Royster – What challenges do we face due to climate change?

Donatella – The market demands fresh wines with low alcohol content, yet the climate is getting hotter, rainfall is scarce and overly intense, and vines often go thirsty for months. These are the challenges we face. We have learned to cultivate vines in a new way. We use fewer plants per hectare: we’ve gone from 5,500 down to 4,500. The trellises are smaller than in the past to limit the number of “active” leaves—young leaves—and reduce transpiration. We use kaolin powder (a type of clay) to lower the temperature of the leaves and grape clusters. We have learned to use the vine canopy to shade the clusters, and we no longer strip away leaves in September—or at least, we do so as little as possible.

 

Shell Royster – Who is your typical consumer, and how are you acquiring and retaining customers in such a saturated market?

Donatella – Our primary markets are the United States and Canada. Our typical consumer is a food and wine enthusiast between the ages of 35 and 55 who frequently dines out. We have a wine club that offers our most loyal customers early access to new vintages. Additionally, we post daily updates on social media about what is happening at our two wineries.