fattoria del colle Tag

TOPINI FROM MONTALCINO

MEAT-STUFFED ZUCCHINI FLOWERS TRADITIONAL IN THE FARMHOUSES OF MONTALCINO, KNOWN AS TOPINI BECAUSE THEY ARE ROUND AND HAVE A TAIL

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

Until fifty years ago Montalcino was a poor town where families ate little meat and lots of vegetables because everyone had a vegetable garden. For this reason, the little beef was often boiled, which was mixed with sausages and rigatino to then be stuffed with onions, artichokes, courgettes, potatoes … depending on the season of the year. Housewives had in fact managed to invent delicious dishes that fed even the largest and poorest families. Today stuffed zucchini flowers or topini, as they are called in the Montalcino lexicon, are a delicious rarity. In fact, although they are delicious to eat and can be prepared in advance and then served after heating them in the oven they require a long preparation time. This circumstance discourages young people with very little time available.

26 June 2025

Super offer with Rosa di Tetto 2024 and Brunello 2020!

Do you want to receive this offer made of 100% Sangiovese wines at €154.90 directly at home?

Dear friends, we have prepared for you an unmissable opportunity for true Sangiovese lovers! Two masterpieces from amazing vintages. The Rosa di Tetto IGT Toscana 2024, in preview, and the Brunello DOCG 2020.

🎁 together with the bottles you will find: two blue shopper bags, two sheets of tissue paper (to give a touch of elegance to a gift you will give to your friends) and the package sealer

What’s special about this offer?

This is a special opportunity to receive 2 different expressions of Sangiovese from the Donatella Cinelli Colombini farms. For the first time, part of the grapes used for the Rosa di Tetto 2024 come from the Casato Prime Donne vineyards in Montalcino. Donatella’s vineyards are grown organically and with great commitment.

🍇 Offer of the Month – For Members of Donatella’s Club

3 bottles 0.75L Rosa di Tetto IGT Toscana 2024

3 bottles 0.75L Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2020

two blue shopper bags, two sheets of tissue paper and two package sealers, all with the logo of the Donatella Cinelli Colombini wineries

🎯 Special price: €154.90 (instead of €184.20)

🚚 €10 discount on shipping

💡 Want to double?

12 bottles for €289.00 (instead of €368.40) with the same advantage on shipping.

19 June 2025

RIVOLTI OR CRESPELLE DELLE CRETE SENESI

THESE ARE THE ANCESTORS OF FRENCH CREPES AND ARE AMONG THE OLDEST AND MOST VERSATILE POOR RECIPES FROM SOUTHERN TUSCANY

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

When I was young, the gastronome of Sienese cuisine was Giovanni Righi Parenti (1923-2006). Pharmacist, poet, painter and historian of local gastronomy. He was an example of that interdisciplinary and nonconformist culture that flourished by taking root in its territory. A pleasant conversationalist, an open and creative mind, a generous soul … Giovanni Righi Parenti was for decades a point of reference for cuisine enthusiasts, placing himself in the ranks of those pioneers who combined cultivation with culture: Soldati, Veronelli, Buonassisi ..

We owe him the rediscovery of a very poor dish from Southern Tuscany, the rivolti. According to him, they originated from the Crete Senesi and from there they emigrated to Florence where they began to fill them richly. They arrived in France with the chefs of Caterina de Medici when she married King Henry II in 1547. In Paris they took the name by which we know them today: crepes.

12 June 2025

ROSA DI TETTO 2024 IGT TOSCANA ROSATO BIOLOGICO-ORGANIC

ROSA DI TETTO 2024 MARKS A RETURN TO THE OLDEST TUSCAN TRADITION OF ROSE’ WINE, THAT OF THE COLOURFUL WINES THAT FARMERS MADE IN SECRET

Rosé wines intense enough to accompany the entire meal and soft enough to be drunk cold.

Fattoria del Colle has been producing rosé wines for over forty years but in 2024, for the first time, part of the grapes for this wine come from the Montalcino vineyards of Casato Prime Donne. A circumstance that gives greater structure to the Rosa di Tetto.

ROSA DI TETTO IGT TOSCANA

The choice to produce a more structured rosé stems from the international success of this type and the demand for rosés with greater personality and aging capacity. A change that coincided with a return to the origins, inspired by the “acquati” produced by Tuscan farmers since time immemorial. Those of a century ago were fragrant but poor-quality rosés obtained by stealing a part of the must at the beginning of fermentation or by refermenting the marc. They were therefore poor wines.

30 May 2025

UPGRADE OF A CORNER OF FATTORIA DEL COLLE

DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI GIVES IN TO GLOBAL WARMING AND PUTS AIR CONDITIONING IN THE ROOMS AND APARTMENTS THAT RESEMBLE THE HOUSES OF TUSCAN GRANDPARENTS

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

The backs of Tuscan farms were traditionally used for artisanal activities: the blacksmith, the oil mill, the laundry… Fattoria del Colle is no exception and on the ground floor, behind the sixteenth-century villa, it had the olive grove, the workshop and the wagon shed and the wash houses. It seems like a more modest part compared to the facades but it is not.

28 May 2025

CENERENTOLA ORCIA DOC 2021 BIO

THIRD GREAT VINTAGE IN SUCCESSION, 2021 IS CHARACTERIZED BY A SHORTAGE OF GRAPES CAUSED BY A SPRING FROST AND A SLOW RIPENING

2019, 2020 and 2021 are three very different vintages but of great quality. They show how global warming favours the vineyards of southern Tuscany despite the excessive heat and cold, drought and monsoon storms that characterize the new climate.

In fact, 2021 had started badly with a spring frost that, fortunately, only grazed the Fattoria del Colle but caused a drastic drop in temperatures preventing the birth of new shoots. There were therefore about 20 days of distance between the first leaves born at the beginning of April and those at the end of the month. The frost and the three summer months without rain produced a drastic decline in the bunches and the size of the grapes that, at harvest, resembled Pinot Noir more than Sangiovese. A cool September that became cold at night, offered the ideal conditions for a slow and regular ripening of the grapes. The result is a wine that combines power, freshness and longevity.

22 May 2025

NEW WINE SHOP AT FATTORIA DEL COLLE

LORELLA SALVI CREATES THE NEW SHOP IN THE CELLAR AT FATTORIA DEL COLLE WITH A VERY TUSCAN DESIGN ENTIRELY “MADE IN TUSCANY”

The partnership between Donatella Cinelli Colombini with the OMIF company from Siena and the interior designer Lorella Salvi is now approaching twenty years. It began in the Toscana Lovers store in Siena and continued in Bagno Vignoni and Cortona with the furnishing of the other two shops of the best Tuscan craftsmanship for the home. Commercial activities coordinated by Cecilia Sacchi who also orchestrated the renovation of the cellar stores.

LORELLA SALVI THE INTERIOR DESIGNER OF DONATELLA’S STORES

Two years ago, Lorella designed the shop at Casato Prime Donne winery in Montalcino in natural wood with an austere style suitable for Brunello and also inspired by the libraries of aristocratic residences. This year she designed the commercial area of the Fattoria del Colle winery in Trequanda using a cream colour that recalls the pantries of Tuscan castles and villas. The commercial area is in the innermost part of a very large room located in the basement of the sixteenth-century villa.

16 May 2025

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.

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.

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.

20 February 2025