Pleased to meet you, my name is Donatella Cinelli Colombini, grape-grower
Enthusiastic, imaginative, tough, idealist, strong willed, glutton …. I created Cantine aperte, Wineday, I am the defender of women in wineries and of the superstar Brunello
Donatella Cinelli Colombini holding Sangiovese
By Donatella Cinelli Colombini grape-grower in Montalcino
I hate doing sport, I prefer to read or watch a classical ballet on the web. I would like to eat chocolate, salmon, Parmigiano and spaghetti but they are things that are not good for me….I don’t give up though, I enjoy good food too much
When I was councillor in Siena I was called “tank” because I faced projects with great Energy, maybe too much. One of my defects is in fact the lack of half measures, if I believe in an idea I fight for it.
I am embarrassingly lucky and even the most incredible projects have a happy ending.
I belong to a historic Brunello family but, since 1998 I left the family estate to create my own, made up of Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino and Fattoria del Colle in southern Chianti. To transform them into excellent Italian enterprises in wine and tourism really was “mission impossible” but we made it.
“Global warming” is also working for me! With the climate we had 20 years ago
Female wineries for Donatella Cinelli Colombini
I would never have been able to produce the wines that I make today. To have 5-6 wines per year with ratings of more than 90/100 in “Wine Spectator”, seems a dream, but in fact it is reality. Now my two wineries produce 150.000 bottles per year and export to 31nations.
I was born in Siena in 1953, where I also took my degree in history of medieval art. 14th century art is my passion; my only exception is for my husband Carlo Gardini. When we were young I used to take him all over visiting churches and museums and he kindly would spend every day of our holidays looking for medieval basse-taille objects. I remember once a priest was so taken with Carlo’s willingness that he was given full indulgence. Not to me, only to him.
Is that enough for you? This is just a taste of my character but I think it gives you an idea. I will postpone to another occasion the story of my biggest success: Cantine aperte, Wineday, and how I invented the wines tourism segment the previously didn’t even have a name.
Ciao, a presto