Wine News and Education from Banfi Vintners
Want to make something authentic for your Italian mom? Even if she’s not Italian, she’ll appreciate this delicious risotto with short ribs.
Be sure to use a wine that you like to drink — NEVER “cooking wine.” The chef opts for Bellagio Chianti in this recipe, which is a good choice based on its flavor profile and affordability.
On the Today Show last week, Jill Martin channeled her inner Lisa Whelchel to go back in time and find those old items from the 1980s that are new again — such as America’s favorite Italian red wine!
What wine tastes like red cherry hard candies, super-ripe raspberries, and strawberry, is very clean, claims effervescent loveliness, and pairs well with chocolate decadence?
Watch Peter and Allie of “My Wine Words” to find out.
From The Daily Meal comes a quick primer on Montalcino, Italy, and the great wine that is made there — Brunello di Montalcino.
Banfi co-CEO Cristina Mariani-May explains how to choose the perfect bottle of wine for a special occasion, with tips on food matching.
Banfi co-CEO Cristina Mariani-May gave the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration on November 16, 2012. In this DDLS conversation, Cristina talks about the role of a CEO in a family business, Castello Banfi’s research to find the finest clones of the Sangiovese Grosso grape, and the family’s belief that “all ships lift with the rising tide.”
Allie Merrick and Peter Eizel of My Wine Words ponder the eternal burning question of Tuscany: is Chianti Classico “fat” or “phat”?
The Castello Banfi Vineyard Estate in Montalcino, Tuscany’s premier vineyard estate, wrapped up its harvest on October 13, nearly 60 days after it began picking its white varietals.
The harvest of Chardonnay, followed by Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc, started on August 22. Because of high temperatures, picking took place on an early schedule, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., before the hottest hours of the day. While the quality of the fruit brought to the winery was good, there was a 25% reduction in quantity over 2011 due mainly to a long drought and high summertime temperatures.
Harvest of red varietals began in the third week of September with the early ripening Syrah and Merlot, followed by Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. A return to more seasonally normal weather conditions allowed for a return to normal picking times, and the reds also showed good quality though yields were down by about 20%.
“Despite the hot summer, less extreme weather conditions in late August through September were vital for the ripening of polyphenols in the grapes, yielding structure and color,”said Enrico Viglierchio, General Manager of Castello Banfi. “The wide temperature variations between night and day, along with helpful light rainfall, helped re-establish stability in the grapes, creating ideal conditions for the most important phase of ripening for Sangiovese.”
Family proprietor Cristina Mariani-May pointed out that Castello Banfi’s groundbreaking Sangiovese clonal studies and the 29 different soils types found on the property protect Banfi from the pitfalls of annual variation.
“In a great vintage, it’s easy to make good wine across the board,” she said. “But it is in challenging conditions that our unique advantages allow us to continue making consistently excellent wines. We have the ability to select the best fruit from the best plots and to manage each vineyard individually, row by row and vine by vine. Through years of research and trial, we learned to have the patience, foresight, and courage to wait until that ideal moment when nature tells us to bring in the crop.”
Watch Bolla Viticultural Manager Giannantonio Marconi describe the 2012 grape harvest in Veneto.
See photos and comments from Michel Bonnet during his visit to Montalcino
Wine Enthusiast’s Contributing Editor for South America, Michael Schachner, visits Bodega Trivento to talk with the winemakers.
Ciro of Horizon Beverage discusses one of our favorite “everyday” wines – Centine!
(MONTALCINO, September 20, 2012) Castello Banfi of Montalcino, Tuscany’s premier vineyard estate, reports that their white grape harvest in Tuscany is complete, and the quality is fine.
“It was an extremely arid growing season, with very little rainfall,” said family proprietor Cristina Mariani-May. “As a result we saw early ripening and low volume compared to previous years – about 25% less than 2011 — but the quality is very good.”
Montalcino in particular experienced an uncharacteristically warm spring, seeing an average March temperature that was double the norm, followed by a similarly hot April.
“The summer came early,” said Enrico Viglierchio, General Manager for Castello Banfi, “and it’s still with us now as we begin picking the reds.”
A heat wave baked Montalcino in August, creating desert-like conditions through much of the region. In some areas, irrigazione di soccorso (emergency irrigation) was necessary to keep the early-ripening vines healthy.
“Our team rose to the challenge presented by Mother Nature,” said Ms. Mariani-May, “and they did an outstanding job of working the land so that the grapes developed fully and naturally.”
The vineyards were recently doused with much-needed rain and the thermometer is finally showing more seasonal temperatures. Both are welcome and good signs for the next phase of the harvest – the red wine grapes.
“The climate is now good and we had a little bit of rain that, combined with the more regular temperature, will help the vineyards proceed with polyphenolic maturation,” said Viglierchio.
The harvest is proceeding now with Syrah, followed by Sangiovese in a week to ten days.
Yes, it’s September, and the kids are back in school, but technically it IS still summer!
With warm weather continuing through most of the US, summer-themed dishes remain on tables. Watch Cristina Mariani-May discuss several summery plates and the wines that pair with them.
ThumbsUpWine give two thumbs up to a great value red wine blend from Tuscany – delicious and only about ten bucks. Guess who makes it?
Cristina Mariani-May explains what Italian wines pair with summer dishes, such as linguine with pesto, grilled shrimp, and grilled baby lamb chops.
Want to get an idea on the why everyone is talking about the 2007 Brunello vintage? Read International Wine Review’s comprehensive report (subscription required); you can also see the quick synopsis / intro on the i-winereview blog.
Charles Scicolone offers a smattering of summer white wines for sipping, all from Italy, all under twenty bucks.
While on the subject of summer white wines from Italy, Tom Hyland discusses the reinvention of Frascati, Andrew Chalk talks the same subject, and the Dallas Wine Chick relays a conversation with Fontana Candia winemaker Mauro Merz.
Speaking of winemakers, check out the Q&A with Andrea Cecchi in The Wine Guy’s recent installment of his Winemaker Interview series.
How about a quick and easy, light summer dish? Go to TuscanVines for a Shrimp and Pasta Primavera recipe.
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