BACKGROUND
Settled in south Italy the Greek exported their art of wine growing to Italy and impressed by the mild climate perfect to grow and produce wine they started to call Italy Oenotria. The Romans improved the technique used by the Greek and the demand for wine increased rapidly, the wine was consumed at every meal and because the alcohol content was stronger, they had to mixed with water. The Romans discovered that if the wines were kept in closed containers improved with age, becoming the first to store it in wooden barrels. Italy grows and use more then 400 types of grapes to produce its wines, and the most wanted wines are Barolo, Barbaresco, Amarone, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and all the Super-Tuscan.
Giacomo CONTERNO - RISERVA
Barolo Riserva Monfortino
Giovanni Conterno established the winery at the beginning of 1900 near Monforte d’Alba Piemonte, and until 1920 the wine was sold in demijohns or barrels. Giacomo Conterno, Giovanni’s son, decided to differentiate the method of producing Barolo by ageing the wine after bottling. Barolo Riserva Monfortino is made from Nebbiolo grapes, that have been left to macerate in their skins for five weeks before ageing for seven years in wooden barrels, producing around 580 cases per vintage.
Antinori
Tenuta Tignanello 'Solaia'
Tenuta Tignanello estate is in the heart of Chianti Classico. The sunniest part of the Tignanello’s hillside is home to the Solaia vineyard, with soils that originated from marine marlstone from the Pliocene period, rich in limestone and schist. Solaia boasts the finest Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese grapes from its namesake vineyard. The estate’s two signature wines, Solaia and Tignanello, are produced from these vineyards and have been defined by the international press as “among the most influential Super-Tuscan in the history of Italian viticulture”.
Biondi-Santi
Brunello di Montalcino
The most iconic Brunello di Montalcino wine for Brunello lovers is the Biondi-Santi. It all started in 1867 with Clemente Santi producing Moscadello wine. Biondi-Santi Riserva 1891 is considered to be its best ever vintage. Franco Biondi Santi strongly defended the traditional way of making Brunello, refusing to go with new barrels or oak, because Sangiovese is naturally rich in tannins and doesn’t need the strong tanning imparted by new oak. The winery produces three wines: Brunello Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, and Rosso di Montalcino. Having been discontinued in 2010, in 2021 Biondi-Santi reintroduced the Topping-Up System of refilling the wine bottle with the same vintage to the required level and replacing the cork.