THE DAY OF THE BIBENDA AND AIS AWARDS
ON 19 NOVEMBER AIS - GUIDA VITAE AWARDS IN FLORENCE AND BIBENDA IN ROME. HERE IS THE SPECTACULAR PALMARÈS OF DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI'S WINES...
ON 19 NOVEMBER AIS - GUIDA VITAE AWARDS IN FLORENCE AND BIBENDA IN ROME. HERE IS THE SPECTACULAR PALMARÈS OF DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI'S WINES...
THE EDITOR OF WINE ADVOCATE – ROBERT PARKER PRESENTS US 110 IGT WINES AND MINOR TUSCAN DENOMINATIONS INCLUDING OUR CENERENTOLA AND IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE
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>>.
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>>
It’s a game but up to a certain point: the vine, the vineyard, the grape, the rooted vine are feminine nouns in Italian but the word vino (wine) is male like most of the appellations
by Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Today 55% of regular Italian wine consumers are women. The fairer sex is the majority among those who book visits to wineries …. but wine has a masculine connotation because, for 8,000 years it has been produced and drunk by men.
Daniele Cernilli- Doctor Wine with the cultured irony that distinguishes him starts from this point for a semi-serious but very intriguing reasoning << Grammar sometimes plays bad jokes. We are used to thinking of wine as something masculine, “the” Barolo, “the” Brunello, “the” Taurasi, but there are vines and wines declined in the feminine and who knows this might also coincide with their characteristics … >>
The “gender” examination of the appellations, for me, starts from the decidedly female Doc Orcia because << the most beautiful wine in the world >> is born on hills with sinuous profiles. These are the sexiest and most similar views to a woman’s body that Tuscany and perhaps Italy possesses.
The Doc Orcia wine region was born on February 14th 2000, Valentine’s Day, and Cenerentola is the right wine to celebrate it by saying: I love you; do you want to be my princess?
by Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Doc Orcia, the denomination born under the sign of love, on February 14th, 21 years ago. An act of love towards a territory chosen by Unesco as a world heritage site for its rural landscapes formed by mankind during the centuries. It is Still surviving today maintained intact like a masterpiece in harmony between nature, history and men.
An image of beauty that Orcia – the most beautiful wine in the world – transforms into a liquid postcard to be enjoyed. A territory made up of high hills between the production areas of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino. In the past this region was hit often by spring frosts. Only with the recent worldwide climatic changes the Orcia grape growers have had continuity in grape production and have summed up the courage to compete with the two stronger wine regions close by, two older, more famous and stronger sisters.
A story similar to that of Cinderella and that is the reason her name was given to the Orcia Doc wine produced at Fattoria del Colle by Donatella Cinelli Colombini. The finale is the same too: the Cenerentola wine has now surpassed the magical line of the 90/100 ratings by great international by critics (for the vintage 2016, it received 93 from Wine Spectator, 91 from Wine Advocate/Robert Parker, and 93 from James Suckling) and now has a small crown on the label like a true princess. The production is still limited, only 10.000 bottles per year, but the number of fans is rapidly increasing all over the world, and among them there are some real princes.
The story of this wine tells of those who start off at a disadvantage but in the end succeed. It is the story of a real challenge because Cenerentola has the harmonious vigour of the best Supertuscans but is made with only autochthonous Tuscan grapes – Sangiovese and Foglia Tonda – the latter of which had been abandoned and has found new prospective of survival thanks to this wine.
A love story with a happy ending that transforms the Doc Orcia Cenerentola into an authentic symbol of romance. A wine that says to the loved one <<will you become my princess>> and transforms every man in love into a Prince Charming.
Polenta or “pulenda”, as we say in Montalcino, to keep warm in the winter a dish that brings joy and can accompany Cenerentola because both stay by the fireplace
by Donatella Cinelli Colombini
I adore hunting for mushrooms and in the woods around Fattoria del Colle it is easy to find them. It is very difficult for me to come home empty handed and there is no need for physical exertion either. Few porcini but many pinaroli, lecciaioli, bigine, cappelle del prete, paonazzi, ordinali, but no ovuli. I also enjoy cleaning them, when I have time. I do not eat many but I am very proud to offer them to friends especially with Pappardelle or polenta.
Polenta or “pulenda” as we say in Montalcino, is the food for when it is cold and when the North wind blows or when it snows. To cut it with a bit of thread is already a feast, if then you add a glass of Cenerentola Doc Orcia, the fairytale with the lit fireplace with the copper pot … hoping that the Prince Charming will arrive.
For 4 people
Easy, takes about an hour
500 g of corn flour – large grain, 15 g of extra virgin olive oil, a spoonful of coarse salt and 2 lt of water.
For the dressing: two garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil, 500 g of mixed mushrooms (fresh or frozen), 500 g of pureed tomato, salt, grated Parmigiano.
Put the water in a pot, add the salt and bring to the boil. Add the oil and then the corn flour keep whipping until it comes to the boil again. Lower the flame and continue cooking while stirring for 50 minutes. You need patience and strength, and the job finishes in turning up the flame for a couple of minutes so that the polenta comes away from the rim of the pot. Pour it onto a wooden board and cut with a cotton thread then serve and eat still hot.
A wine story that resembles a fairy tale: Doc Orcia Cenerentola wears a gown of light, goes to the ball and becomes a princess.
Once upon a time there was a nice young girl called Cenerentola (Cinderella). The prince invites her sisters to the party, but she stays at home until a fairy visits her bringing her a wonderful gown….Once upon a time there was a wine appellation called DOC Orcia. She had two sisters, older and more famous than her, Brunello and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano that are on the left and the right. She too would like to go to balls, where her sisters’ bottles go, and so the fairy, represented by Donatella Cinelli Colombini, dresses our DOC Orcia Cenerentola with a gown made of light and sends her to the party. This really does seem like a fairy tale with a happy ending. The Magnum bottles are dressed with a spectacular lamp in Tuscan style.
The young and feisty Doc Orcia was born on February 14th 2000. In the area of Trequanda (SI) where the Fattoria del Colle was built in 1592 by the ancestors of Donatella Cinelli Colombini, the present owner.
Donatella believes in this appellation, so much so that she is the president of this Consortium. She also believes in autochthonous varieties with the features of their old identity that give a unique stamp to wines from a specific territory. This is why she recovered the old Sienese variety Foglia Tonda with its distinctive features, abandoned for almost a century, and experimented on the best ways of cultivating it, containing its natural tendency to produce too many clusters. A long study, with a few setbacks and many trials with the help of Professor Cesare Intrieri of the University of Bologna and with the fervent support of Valérie Lavigne at of the University of Bordeaux.