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.

Many other initiatives are to be organized by the Tuscan delegation of the Associazione Donne del Vino, (Women in Wine) one of the largest and most active regional associations, with 120 members including producers, restaurateurs, wine shop owners, sommeliers, journalists but also many new wine professions such as lawyers, graphic designers, real estate agents, architects, and wine hospitality workers.…

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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.

BEST WINE BLOGS IN THE WORLD

In the world ranking of the best wine blogs, however, the powerful American magazine is in first place.…

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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

INGREDIENTS FOR TUSCAN STEWED CAULIFLOWER

A cauliflower, a glass of extra virgin olive oil, a handful of flour, half a kilo of rather spicy tomato sauce, salt

PREPARATION

Wash the cauliflower, cut it into large pieces and blanch them in boiling water. Drain it and let it cool. Flour it and put it into a pan in which the oil is frying.

When it is browned on all sides, remove it from the frying pan and place it in the pan with the hot tomato sauce. Let

it flavour for about ten minutes and then serve it piping hot.…

L'articolo TUSCAN STEWED CAULIFLOWER sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini, #winedestination, #brunellodimontalcino

The word “pulezze” in the Val di Chiana dialect indicates “turnip tops”, i.e. the tender turnip leaves. In the “Chianina” language it is also used in some ways of saying, for example they indicate a person with little energy with “has he eaten pulezze?”.

The word salciccia is also a popular term in the Sienese vernacular while the correct Italian one is salsiccia from the

Latin “salsicia”.

Generally, the turnip leaves are better after they have “felt the cold” i.e. after the freezing nights of January.

The combination of turnips with pork is perfect because the strong flavour of the leaves balances the fat of the sausages and enhances their flavour. Like any peasant recipe, the quality of the ingredients is fundamental and above all the sausage must be very tasty as is usual in Tuscany.

It is well known that the bread from my region is “bland”, that is, without salt and this balances the flavour intensity of the dish. However, those who use salted bread must reduce the salt in cooking.

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE

8 sausages, half a kilo of turnip leaves, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

PREPARATION

Wash and boil the “pulezze”, (the turnip leaves). Drain them and squeeze them.…

L'articolo SALCICCE CON LE PULEZZE-SAUSAGES FOTH TURNIP LEAVES sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

Winters so warm that you can have lunch outside, very hot and then very cold spring days… a truly crazy climate that also brings changes to menus and wines. The consumption of white wine increases and the serving temperature of red wine decreases.

If once it was said to bring bottles of red to the table at “room temperature”, now the specification of 16-18°C is written everywhere. Refrigerated cabinets for red wines are in every good restaurant and there are many more red wines to drink cool.

WHICH RED WINES ARE THE MOST SUITABLE TO BE CONSUMED COOL?

It is an effect of the new climate and the new attention to well-being deriving from food: more vegetables, less meat, more lightness, less cooking. Uncorking a cool red wine becomes trendy but which wines are suitable for reaching the table at 8-12° centigrade?

Obviously, you need to choose wines where the elements of softness (alcohol, glycerine and sugars) are prevalent compared to the hardness that derives from tannins and acids.

Following the advice of Rudy Travagli published in Gambero Rosso Today you need to focus on Schiava, Pinot Noir, Rossese, Freisa, Frappato, Lacrima di Morro and Negroamaro. There is the producer Maso Antico who presented at Vinitaly an Ice Primitivo to be served at 10°C with a thermochromic label which turns from red to blue when the wine is at the right temperature to be brought to the table.…

L'articolo RED WINE SERVED COOL: WHERE WHEN & WHY sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

Monica Larner editor of Wine Advocate – Robert Parker amazes us once again with the report of 110 wines including Supertuscans and wines from small Tuscan denominations. In her presentation article she specifies that she has included the “usual suspects” i.e. Tignanello, Solaia, Saffredi, Galatrona and Redigaffi and <<some fun discoveries made on the Tuscan wine route relating to smaller or little-known names>>.

MONICA LARNER AND THE BORDEAUX STYLE SUPERTUSCANS

In her explanation of the “super Tuscan” category there is another surprise. Monica Larner clarifies that the highest quality type of Tuscan IGT is linked to a specific period in the modern history of Italian wine, dating back to a period between 10 and 30 years ago << which was heavily influenced by Bordeaux. This catch-all category has always frustrated me because it goes against everything achieved to underline territorial identity, authenticity and varietal typicity in wine>>

This is music to my ears. The continuation of Larner’s article is even closer to my philosophy << People now want freshness, zest and energy. They overwhelmingly embrace a prettier and more elegant side of Tuscany>>.

In the background are the changes that Monica Larner has noticed in the wineries: less oak, more stainless steel, concrete, amphorae and other alternative vessels.…

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by Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

Wine Align is a rating agency like Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s. These evaluate the banks while Wine Align judges the wines.

Obviously the experts are highly competent and completely independent: David Lawrason, John Szabo MS, Michael Godel, Sara d’Amato, Megha Jandhyala, S.J.D. and Janet Dorozynski, DipWSET, PhD who are the new entries in the group joined by Jason Solanki. Next to the profile of each taster there are the numbers of wines passed or failed which, roughly speaking, are a third of the total. So sending your bottles to Wine Align is a risk because criticism is very frequent but, when the opinion is positive, it has a tonic effect on the Canadian market and specifically in Ontario where Wine Align is based.

In this case I propose the 5 tasting results published on my Brunello di Montalcino 2018. All the critics gave similar scores, three of them 94/100 and two 93/100. The descriptions, however, are different and denote a certain difficulty in framing an “old style” harvest played more on elegance than on power. A vintage which, in my opinion, will be very long-lived but which many find extremely satisfying even now.

94/100 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 THE OPINION OF MEGHA JANDHYALA, S.J.D.

Megda grew up in India and has a background in academic studies in law.…

L'articolo Brunello 2018 according to canadian tasters sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

Every season has something special. Something that makes it more attractive and fascinating than the others and makes it be chosen for a  regenerating trip. In spring there are very long days suitable for art tourism while the countryside is covered with a green velvet of buds. In summer it is the desire to escape from the suffocating atmosphere of the cities that pushes travellers where they can enjoy the sun, nature and dinners under the stars, distant from traffic. In autumn there are the most beautiful views and the possibility of enjoying them slowly, on walking or cycling itineraries, at the right temperature. In autumn there are the most refined joys of the palate such as white truffles, extra virgin olive oil just arrived from the mill and the preview of the Brunello which will come out of the cellar on January 1st…

At Fattoria del Colle we offer you truffle weekends to savour these little pleasures.

THE FOLIAGE OF THE SANGIOVESE VINEYARDS THAT BECOME GOLDEN YELLOW

Autumn is the period of foliage, the one most loved by photographers. The foliage, which is the moment of the change of colour of the leaves, is an authentic tourist attraction. The most famous foliage tours in the world are in Japan, New England, the English Lake District, Vermont and near Seoul.…

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by Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

The Casato farm already belonged to my ancestors in 1592. Over the centuries they used it for hunting and for honeymoons. Today the property seems close to the town of Montalcino in a northerly direction, towards Siena, but at that time it appeared remote and in the middle of the woods suitable for solitary intimacy. More recently the Casato belonged to my grandmother Giuliana Tamanti Colombini, then to my mother Francesca and in the future, it will go to my daughter Violante. All women for a winery which is the first in Italy with an entirely female staff and has been renamed “Casato Prime Donne”.

CASATO PRIME DONNE IN MONTALCINO

In 1998, when my mother gave it to me, Casato was almost a ruin. In 25 years, it has changed into an estate capable of exporting to 44 countries around the world with around 17 hectares (out of a total area of ​​40) of organic Sangiovese vineyards cultivated with obsessive care. I am a traditionalist, a nature lover but also a non-conformist and rather rebellious. For this reason, in my first years alone, I looked for new and different solutions, then I returned to being the paladin of everything ancient and manual with roots proudly in the earth.…

L'articolo DONATELLA TALKS ABOUT HER TWO WINERIES sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

To rest, get a tan but also to discover masterpieces of art, play sports in the midst of breathtaking views, see where Brunello and extra virgin olive oil are born

Until fifty years ago they called it a “holiday” and it was a period of leisure and rest that lasted over a month.

Today we’re talking about short breaks of 3 days or a week because our lifestyle forces us to hurry even while on vacation. But the need to regenerate is even stronger than before. To get out of everyday life, from the wear and tear of stress, here is a real Tuscan farm, Fattoria del Colle,  which has remained intact for over 4 centuries and is surrounded by a wonderful landscape and BIO – Organic cultures for oil, wine and crops.

FATTORIA DEL COLLE A MIRACULOUSLY INTACT SMALL HAMLET WHERE TO SPEND YOUR HOLIDAYS

Apartments and rooms with bathroom that look just like the houses of Tuscan grandparents and combine the comfort of modern sofas with the intimacy of authentic antique furniture. There are 3 swimming pools, restaurant and banquet hall, natural wellness area with sauna, Turkish bath, wine bath, couple’s massage room. And then 3 parks equipped with night lighting, 4 trekking routes, a photography safari, above all a weekly program with at least one experience every day: pinci lesson (fresh Sienese pasta), tasting of extra virgin olive oil of different cultivars, archery in the woods, guided tours with tastings in the Brunello and Chianti-Doc Orcia cellars.…

L'articolo FARM HOLIDAYS IN TUSCANY sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

THE  FATTORIA DEL COLLE RESTAURANT PRESENTS ITS SUMMER MENU WITH LOTS OF TUSCANY AND A LITTLE IMAGINATION. THE NEW DISH BY CHEF DORIANA MARCHI

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

Doriana Marchi, chef of the Fattoria del Colle restaurant is like a Tuscan DOCG for being born and raised in the area and has also been an AIS Sommelier since 2013. She shares my passion for local gastronomic traditions but adds great creativity and an aesthetic sense to these which makes her dishes colourful.

Her 2023 novelty is the “Ricotta and spinach ravioli on a new potato cream with Val d’Orcia saffron and Topinambur (sunchoke) concassè from our vegetable garden”

RAVIOLO WITH SAFFRON POTATO CREAM AND SUNCHOKES

It has a “post-modern” look also thanks to the colour of the saffron and , enhances a superfood such as sunchoke which has an important expansion in the Fattoria del Colle vegetable garden. In fact, Helianthus tuberosus arrived in Europe from North America in the 1600s and is often called the “Canada artichoke” in reference to its origin and flavour. Today it is widespread in France, Belgium and Tuscany.

Its health virtues concern the gastrointestinal system, the richness of mineral salts, the ability to contrast  cholesterol and diabetes. For this reason it is considered a super food particularly useful for well-being and suitable for children, the elderly, sportsmen and

even convalescents.…

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