Tag: Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino: the wine that made Italy unique – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

It’s the turn of the Brunello di Montalcino. There is no country in the world with so much richness and variety of productsnatural as the territory gives them or worked by expert hands in simple ways, which are ancient and at the same time the most contemporary. Continues voyage to discover our goodness, from the best known to the lesser known ones far from the production area. With Brunello di Montalcino, holder of prestigious records, our culture of food and wine remains unbeaten on the world podium of taste.

Brunello di Montalcino

From the 1865, the year in which Brunello di Montalcino debuted with the first vintage produced by Clemente Santithis Tuscan red continues to collect successes: it was the first Italian fine wine exported to the United States in 1930the first served at a reception between heads of state (the President of the Republic Giuseppe Saragat and Queen Elizabeth II) and the only one included among the twelve labels of the century according to the magazine Wine Spectator. Since 1966 it has been protected with the DOC and since 1980 with the DOCG (the first in Italy, together with the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the Barolo). The territory also played its part: in 1941 the first public wine shop for the sale of local wines was inaugurated in Montalcino, in 1948 a cellar opened its doors to visitors for the first time, giving rise to the development of wine tourism. Today, the Protection consortium brings together 219 producers and the hectares intended for the production of Brunello are 2100 (with a value of almost one million euros per hectare), spread across an area rich in biodiversity, with 50% of the land occupied by woods and 10% allocated to olive groves, without counting the pasture and arable areas; with almost 50% of the vineyards grown organically, Montalcino boasts a percentage three times higher than the national average. Who are the main admirers of Brunello? Stands out Italy, followed by the United States, Canada, Germany and Switzerland.

Brunello di Montalcino Identity Card

VINES – Sangiovese, in Montalcino called brunello.

CHARACTERISTICS – Has a lively garnet red colour and an elegant and complex aroma which recalls, in young wines, the small berries and the plum, the spices and the balsamic aroma. The taste is harmonious, persistent, structured, appropriately acidic and tannic. It is a wine that ages very well, even for decades.

SERVICE – Uncork it at 18°C and choose large glasses to favor oxygenation; in the case of very old bottles, let it decant in the carafe for a couple of hours before serving it.

COMBINATIONS – With dishes based on red meat and game (it is excellent with wild boar), also seasoned with tomato, mushrooms or truffles. It goes well with mature cheeses, such as tome and Tuscan pecorino.

Taverns in Chianti or Montalcino? This is the (beautiful) dilemma – Italian Cuisine

Harvest time in two of the most evocative areas in Italy. The opportunity to (re) discover Tuscan cuisine and great wines in the taverns: here are the best in a high-level derby

The harvest is a (very valid) excuse to wander in the Chianti area and around Montalcino, the two best known poles of Tuscan wine. The reds loved all over the world. Their territories are among the most beautiful in Tuscany, rich in villages – very well kept – and suggestive roads to follow. To sleep there are refined relais, but also farmhouses with an excellent quality-price ratio: if the lack of foreigners certainly does not please those who work in tourism, we must admit (selfishly) that never before is there a place in hotels and clubs as in this season. Both in Chianti and around Montalcino, there is no shortage of high-level restaurants, starred and within the relays already mentioned. But this time we have focused on taverns in search of emotions and typical dishes.

Tasty choices

It is a very high level derby, it being understood that the wine differences – between the various Chiantis and Montalcinos, starting with Brunello – are greater than those of the table. Bread and oil are equally important. The cured meats (we choose the Finocchiona and salami in general for Chianti, those from Cinta Senese for the opponent and Prosciutto Toscano in any case) and cheeses (Pecorino forever) are as attractive as ever. Then have fun with Ribollita and Pappa al pomodoro, Pici with various sauces and ravioli. Or focus on the saint Beef steak, as it is called correctly the Fiorentina or on the game, which this season makes you enjoy. A homemade dessert, two cantucci and you will be happy. Also because, in light of our fair selection, between the two territories it is mandatory to play the derby at home and away …

La Gramola – Tavarnelle Val di Pesa (FI)

Traditional Chianti tavern. The menu changes almost every day and largely aims to enhance the raw materials of the area such as garlic and meats. Well stocked cellar.

Step by step – Castellina in Chianti (FI)

In the heart of the Gallo Nero, a new tavern within the Riserva di Fizzano relais. From the (good) cuisine of Maurizio Bardotti, modern Tuscan and Italian dishes in general come out.

Eating Eating – Greve in Chianti (FI)

One of the best trattorias in the area, overlooking the large square of the village. Salvatore Toscano has created a real network of small producers for his delicious menu. Meat in the front row.

Le Panzanelle – Radda in Chianti (FI)

Pasta, meats, cheeses; but also excellent vegetables: this is a cult place for Chiantishire visitors, also for the very competitive prices and hospitality. It is drunk very well.

Carlino d'Oro – Gaiole in Chianti (FI)

In the restaurant-inn of the Fabbri family, surrounded by vineyards, the dishes of the day go hand in hand with those present all year round on the menu. Unmissable ribollita.

The Pope's Stop – Barberino Val d’Elsa (FI)

The sign refers to the funny story of 1815, linked to the stop of Pius VII. It is a real country inn: rustic setting, only local products, abundant dishes.

La Saletta – Certaldo (FI)

Safe harbor, well managed by the patron, with the entire repertoire of local tradition. Homemade pasta and desserts from the family artisan laboratory. The wine list deserves praise.

Taverna del Grappolo Blu – Montalcino (SI)

Informal setting and rustic tone, very enjoyable: from crostini and typical cold cuts to tagliolini with truffle cream and mushrooms, from pici with garlic to beef cheek with Brunello

Osteria di Porta al Cassero – Montalcino (SI)

Where there were the old stables, this place stands with a regular bar counter and stylish furnishings. A mixed appetizer with bruschetta is mandatory, not bad in house wine.

Taverna – Poggio alle Mura (SI)

The bistro – elegant like everything else in the village – of Castello Banfi: a menu full of Tuscan or Tuscan specialties and three tasting menus. Cellar at the height of the context.

Il Giglio – Montalcino (SI)

This restaurant – in a small family-run hotel – has over 120 years of history. Tuscan cuisine dishes (lightened), encyclopedic wine list and at fair prices.

From Roberto – Montisi di Montalcino (SI)

An authentic innkeeper, who gives his name to the sign, who juggles between the dining room and the kitchen. Great products – such as cheeses and vegetables – and simple cooking. A different experience.

Taverna dei Barbi – Podernovi di Montalcino (SI)

Medieval furniture, tapestries, curtains and low lights: a place of great class and fine cuisine, from appetizers to desserts. In season, game and game dishes are always recommended.

Boccon Divino – Montalcino (SI)

Spatial view from the terrace of a family-run restaurant that convinces on both sides: that of tradition, with a peposo and a steak of value, and that of moderately creative.

The wine of the week: Brunello di Montalcino 2013 Biondi Santi – Italian Cuisine

One of the most famous Tuscan reds in the world was born from the vineyards of Tenuta Greppo. A great classic that is always worth uncorking, if only to celebrate the arrival of autumn

In Italy there is no winery that is so intimately linked to a wine and a production area like Biondi Santi. If today there is Brunello di Montalcino, the merit is all of Clemente Santi who, in the mid-nineteenth century, tried to vinify the Sangiovese grape in purity, with the idea of giving life to a full-bodied red, which could age for many years. The intuition was revolutionary for those times, so much so that in 1869 his "red wine chosen (brunello)" obtained a medal at the international fair of Montepulciano. A few years later, in the 1888, his nephew Ferruccio Biondi Santi produced the first vintage of a wine that featured on the label "Brunello di Montalcino", the forefather of a glorious story that has other milestones in 1966, when Tancredi, son of Ferruccio, wrote the specification for the production of Brunello, and in 1999, when the American magazine "Wine Spectator" included the Brunello Biondi Santi 1955 among the 12 best wines in the world of the 20th century.

In 2016 the Biondi Santi family found in the French Epi Group, a partner to pursue the set growth targets: huge investments have been allocated for restructuring and expansion both in the vineyard and in the cellar, but the air we breathe at Tenuta Greppo is always that of the family business. Visiting her with the young Tancredi, the seventh generation of the Biondi Santi, was an emotion, especially when she showed us the two surviving bottles of the 1888 vintage. "But will the wine still be good?" It is inevitable to ask. And Tancredi tells “When I was 18, my grandfather uncorked a bottle from the 1891 vintage to celebrate 60 years of marriage; the wine was 118 years old and was perfect. For me it was a thrill to taste a bottle made by people from my family that I could only get to know through photographs ".

Brunello di Montalcino 2013, the vintage currently on the market, has iridescent aromas ranging from ripe fruit to chamomile infusion, from floral to sweet spices, with citrus, menthol and tobacco notes on the finish. On tasting it reveals all the fabric of the great wine, classic, aristocratic, graceful. 2013 is an excellent year that gives satisfaction from now, but the advice is to keep it in the cellar for a long time and uncork it for an important event; as Tancredi's experience suggests, after years of aging in the bottle, the Brunellos di Biondi Santi offer emotion in their liquid state.

Why now: the temperatures are lowering, we toast the arrival of autumn with a great classic.

As did: it is produced with vines that are between 10 and 25 years old; refines for 36 months in cask and for at least 24 months in bottle.

To combine with: the great second courses of meat of the Italian tradition: braised meats, roasts, pigeon, deer, but also structured first courses, such as tagliatelle with game ragù.

Serve it at: 18 ° C

Price: 130 euros.

biondisanti.com

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