An elegant and exclusive bottle, the result of a meeting between artist Lauren Collin and Benjamin Fourmon, President of Joseph Perrier Champagne, for the latest limited edition cuvée in magnum format only of the Maison distributed in Italy by Banfi since 2004.

With TOUT DE BLANC, the Joseph Perrier Maison is enriching itself with an extraordinary new cuvée.

Tout de Blanc is presented in a very refined bottle, designed by artist Lauren Collin (laurencollin.com) and the fruit of more than three years' work and collaboration between her and the young President of the Joseph Perrier Maison, Benjamin Fourmon, who just this year succeeded his father Jean-Claude at the helm of the Maison. An important generational transition for Joseph Perrier, a family business in its fifth generation.

Joseph Perrier presents Tout de Blanc

Presented exclusively in Magnum format, with a limited edition of only one thousand five hundred bottles, it is produced from a very select harvest of 100% Chardonnay grapes, the cuvée base being from the 2014 vintage. Elegance and pleasantness, enriched by great complexity and energy, emanate from this Extra Brut (with a dosage of 3.5 g/l,).

"Fresh, very fine and delicate, on the nose come white fruits, but also nectarines and the exotic notes of pineapple. With a little oxygenation it gains a very floral structure, with hints of iris and spicy notes, delicate but powerful and full-bodied at the same time. In the mouth it is incredibly intense, long and with fresh contrasts, peach, citrus, grapefruit. Definitely a meal wine, very elegant' - Nathalie Laplaige, Chef de Cave.

 Joseph Perrier, the oldest Champagne Maison in Chalons sur Marne - now renamed Chalon en Champagne - was founded in 1825 by the young Joseph Perrier. The heirs who succeeded Joseph Perrier over the years have succeeded each other from father to son for five generations now, thus reaffirming the true character of a family business. From 1825, we arrive at 1980, the year in which Jean-Claude Fourmon took the reins of the family business, reviving the successes of a "Marque House" that is now recognised worldwide for its traditional high quality. In 2019, the tradition of passing from father to son continues with the passing of the Maison into the hands of Benjamin Fourmon, Jean-Claude's son.

The Maison, which has been honoured several times on an international level, has boasted the most coveted of honours from the very beginning, becoming, in fact, the official supplier to the Royal House of England; hence the Cuvée Royale that still distinguishes its most representative products. To further celebrate this choice, a royal cloak appears on all the classic cuvées and symbolises the privilege given to this house by Queen Victoria and King Edward IV of England.

It is with pleasure that we share with you all the 2019 TOP TEN RESORT HOTELS IN ITALY FOR THE TRAVEL LEISURE in which Castello Banfi - Il Borgo ranks #6.

Each year for their World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to rate travel experiences around the world - to share their opinions on the best hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines and more.

The hotels were rated according to their facilities, location, service, food and overall value.

Properties were classified as cities or resorts according to their locations and amenities.

Read the article here

The Banfi Foundation, through Sanguis Jovis-Alta Scuola del Sangiovese, and the Scuola Enologica di San Michele all'Adige have decided to remember the extraordinary figure of Rudy Buratti, Banfi's Oenologist Director who died prematurely in January 2018, by dedicating a degree award in Viticulture and Oenology to him.

Rudy Buratti, who graduated from the Scuola Enologica di San Michele all'Adige in 1981, arrived in Montalcino in 1983, becoming one of the main protagonists of Banfi's extraordinary entrepreneurial history. The award, in perfect line with the mission of Sanguis Jovis, of which Buratti had been a great promoter, intends to remember his human and professional figure, taking him as an example to young people in the sector.

The call for entries was an incredible success, with over thirty entries received. The winner of this first edition was Dr. Stefano Delledonne with an innovative study on wine conservation in modern distribution: How does wine evolve when stored on a supermarket shelf? Evaluation of chemical, physical and sensory parameters.

The project involved evaluating the sensory (olfactory), physical (colour) and chemical (riboflavin) characteristics of bottles of white wine, produced from different varieties, exposed to light resulting in the defect known as 'light taste'. In addition to receiving a scholarship, Dr. Delledonne will be given the opportunity to attend the next Summer School (15-19 July 2019) free of charge.

The official presentation of the 2019 edition of the Rudy Buratti Graduation Prize in Viticulture and Oenology will take place on 15 July at 6.30 pm at the Teatro degli Astrusi in Montalcino (Siena).

Sanguis Jovis-High School of Sangiovese

Sanguis Jovis-High School of Sangiovesewhich on 15 July is preparing to kick off the third edition of the Summer School on the theme I Terroir del Sangiovese In Toscana: Conoscenza, Storytelling, Mercato (Sangiovese Terroirs In Tuscany: Knowledge, Storytelling, Market), just three years after its inception, continues on its path: to strengthen, defend and disseminate the value produced by the Sangiovese grape varieties of Montalcino and Tuscany.

From 2 to 14 July, Montalcino returns as a protagonist of great jazz music

The 2019 edition of Jazz & Wine in Montalcino in the sign of great Italian and international stars

Now in its 22nd edition, the festival, born from the collaboration between the Banfi winery, the Rubei family of the Alexanderplatz in Rome and the Municipality of Montalcino, brings artists of the calibre of Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Roberto Gatto, Stefano di Battista and Flavio Boltro to the Tuscan village. 

Italian and international stars meet in Montalcino (Siena): from 2 to 14 July, Jazz & Wine returns with an unmissable programme, the festival that unites great jazz and quality wine, well-known and attended by the world's most important artists and now firmly established as one of Europe's biggest festivals.

Born from the collaboration between the well-known Banfi winery, the Rubei family of the Alexanderplatz of Rome and the Municipality of Montalcino, for the 22nd consecutive year the event brings world-famous artists to the city that is the symbol of Brunello.

Jazz & Wine in Montalcino 2019: the programme

It starts on Tuesday 2 Julywithin the historic walls of Castello Banfi, with "Waiting for Jazz & Wine" and the unmistakable sounds of SEBASTIEN CHAUMONT5et. The French saxophonist and singer with his quintet will take the audience back to when jazz and blues made people dance. A journey of emotions from the swing and pre-bop atmospheres of the 1940s to the sound of the early rhythm 'n' blues and jive of the 1950s.

Tuesday 9 Julyalso at Castello Banfi, the festival enters its climax week with an all-star band led by the accomplished Mexican composer, drummer and singer ISRAEL VARELA.

With The Labyrinth Project. Varela - formerly alongside Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny - will perform together with German virtuoso pianist FLORIAN WEBER and legendary Brazilian bassist (four-time Grammy Award Winner) ALFREDO PAIXAO. Special guest the great American saxophonist BEN WENDEL.

Not to be missed on Wednesday 10 July with the JAZZ & WINE ORCHESTRA directed by Mario Corvini which, as every year, opens the concerts in the Montalcino Fortress. This year's guest for the evening is Rosario Giuliani, award-winning Italian saxophonist and historic 'friend' of Jazz & Wine.

The resident orchestra, present at the Montalcino festival since 2015, this year proposes a repertoire dedicated to Thelonious Monk, model and reference for generations of musicians for his eclectic, original and always out-of-the-box approach.

Thursday 11 July the Philadelphia out-of-classman takes the stage KURT ROSENWINKEL. The guitarist has dominated the New York jazz scene for over a decade, creating a new thing in jazz that stems from contaminations with rock, hip hop and contemporary music. Gifted with a strongly romantic compositional vein and an absolutely personal timbre of rare beauty, in this trio he is supported by the talent and class of drummer Greg Hutchinson and bassist Dario Deidda from Salerno, who has always been by Kurt's side in recent years, even in his performances in the United States.

Highlight of this edition, Friday 12 July comes DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER with J'ai deux amours. Absolute star of the world music scene, undisputed lady of jazz, Dee Dee Bridgewater, with this project, pays tribute to the career and life of Josephine Baker and also celebrates famous chansonniers of the time such as Edith Piaf and Charles Trenet. For the occasion, Dee Dee Bridgewater appears with a superlative quartet consisting of Ira Coleman (bass), Louis Winsberg (guitar), Marc Berthoumieux (accordion) and Minino Garay (percussion).

Saturday 13 July the festival celebrates italian jazz with the drummer ROBERTO CAT and his New Quartet. Ambassador of Italian jazz in the world, proclaimed this year's best Italian drummer by the monthly magazine Jazzit, with this new project, extraordinarily mature and expressive, Gatto returns to the purely acoustic dimension, thanks to the help of three stage companions who best represent the Italian jazz scene: Alessandro Lanzoni on piano, Matteo Bortone on double bass and Alessandro Presti on trumpet.

The 22nd edition closes on Sunday 14 July with two other jazz icons: FLAVIO BOLTRO BBB TRIO ft STEFANO DI BATTISTA. The reunion of the two ambassadors of Italian jazz in the world, born this winter at the Alexanderplatz in Rome, offers a concert that ranges from acoustic to the use of electronic effects. The repertoire includes songs that draw on pop with atmospheres different from classic jazz, into which Stefano's sound, warm and pungent as ever, fits perfectly. Also on stage is Mauro Battisti on bass and Mattia Barbieri on drums.

All Jazz & Wine in Montalcino performances will start at 9.45 pm.

Information, reservations and tickets

Proloco Montalcino, 0577 849331 / 348 8855416 - info@prolocomontalcino.com

Information

Banfi 0577 840111 - marketing@banfi.it (also bookings for Banfi Castle concerts)

Information and booking

Eventbrite

Artistic Direction

Paolo Rubei

Less than a year after Cristina Mariani-May was nominated as 'Woman of the Year 2018' by 'The Drinks Business', Germany also honours Banfi, declaring the Mariani family "Wine Family of the Year"at the Meininger Award 'Excellence in Wine & Spirit' in Düsseldorf.

The award ceremony took place yesterday, on the eve of Prowein, one of the most important trade fairs in the wine sector, in the presence of numerous guests from all over the world, and prominent personalities from the international world of oenology. Here Cristina Mariani-May, representative of the third family generation and, since 2018, CEO of Banfi Vintners, accepted the prestigious award from the hands of Christoph and Andrea Meininger, owners of the Meininger Verlag publishing house and creators of the initiative.

The choice of the jury, which was mainly made up of journalists from the group's wine magazines, namely 'Weinwirtschaft', 'Meininger's Wine Business International', 'Sommelier', 'Weinwelt' and 'Getränke Zeitung', for 2019 went to the Mariani family on the following grounds: 'Banfi is one of the world's most renowned wine houses and the Mariani family has made a valuable contribution to Italian wine. Sustainable management, tradition and modernity have enabled Banfi to play a leading role in the international wine market'.

Cristina Mariani-May, thanking Christoph and Andrea Meininger in person and the entire Meininger Verlag publishing house, said: "I am thrilled and honoured to be here today to receive this very prestigious award. My thanks, in addition to those of my father John who unfortunately could not be present at the last moment, go to the Meininger family and the entire jury. I would also like to thank the entire Banfi team who, over these 40 years, have walked alongside my family. My thanks also go to the Sorrentino family and Brand Compendium, our partner in Germany for over 10 years'. 

From today until 7 March, climate change, proposals for working together to reduce environmental impact and real solutions for the wine sector will be discussed in Porto

Cristina Mariani-May, owner and CEO of Banfi, in recognition of her leadership in the sector, has been invited to bring her testimony as a winemaker to the wine-related climate change summit in Porto from today until 7 March.

'The main focus for the future,' says Cristina Mariani-May, 'is sustainability. One of my main goals is to leave my children the area in which Banfi operates in a better state than how we found it'. She continues 'At Banfi, we started working sustainably when there was not so much talk about sustainability yet. Ensuring a balanced ecosystem, maintaining and nurturing biodiversity on our estate, always looking for new ways to keep our land healthy and our wines wholesome, as well as minimising our impact on the planet, have become our modus operandi'.

The wine world is strongly linked to the environment and the territory in which it works, and talking about the challenges it faces every day due to climate change, confronting winery owners, scientists, business leaders, oenologists, importers, encourages the entire sector to work together, to find short and medium term solutions, to reduce the impact on the environment. In addition to Cristina Mariani-May, there are numerous high-profile speakers who will give their testimony, including former US Vice-President Al Gore, and who together will produce the Porto Protocol.

In 2000, Banfi began a path on certifications that in 2006 led it to conclude a journey and obtain, as the first wine company in the world, certification for ethics and social responsibility (ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and SA 8000). Since 2015 Banfi has also been drawing up the Sustainability Report in which it reports for each year on the sustainable practices applied to each sector of its business.

On 25 February in Rome, at the Voodoo Bar, the limited edition of La Pettegola 2018 was presented in a reinterpretation by illustrator Ale Giorgini.

On 25 February, the second edition of the Limited Edition of La Pettegola 2018 was presented at the Voodoo Bar in the evocative setting of a park of over 2000 square metres, right in the centre of Rome between the Colosseum and the Rione Monti.

For the second year running, Banfi's Vermentino is proposed in a limited edition (only twenty thousand bottles), in a version completely reinterpreted by illustrator Ale Giorgini.

The artist, born in 1976, started drawing as a child and has never stopped. Today he is an illustrator: he has collaborated with Armani, Jeep, Puma, Warner Bros, Kinder Ferrero, Opinel, Disney, Foot Locker, Sony, Emirates, MTV and has published his illustrations in The Hollywood Reporter, The Boston Globe, Chicago Magazine, Wired UK, L'Espresso, Il Sole 24 Ore, Il Corriere della Sera. He has participated in exhibitions and events all over the world although, when he can, he likes to spend his days in Vicenza, the city where he was born. He has been selected by the Society of Illustrators in New York and nominated for the Boscarato Prize at TCBF. He is the artistic director of Illustri Festival, teaches at the IED in Turin and at the International School of Comics (Padua). He founded Magnifico, an agency for illustrators.

The illustration completely envelops the La Pettegola bottle with a pink monochrome and a complex interweaving of geometries and lines. The artwork portrays the perfect setting for an all-female aperitif. A Vermentino loved by women, La Pettegola always makes an evening in the Tuscan hills more carefree with every sip. The hubbub of conversation and the clink of toasts seem to take life beyond the two-dimensionality of the illustration and become real. The viewer is thus pleasantly caught up in the festive atmosphere and looks forward to enjoying a glass of Pettegola in turn.

This is how Giorgini presents his work 'They have arrived. In their elegant summer dresses, they parade one by one in an endless parade. Their favourite accessory is a chalice of Pettegola, which they casually show off. Pink is the dress code of the evening, also respected by the uniform of the helpful waiters and the setting of the outdoor tables. The chatter of chatter is a symphony that acts as a soundtrack to the happy occasion. Everywhere it resounds: A glass of Gossip, please! And as the glasses empty to the relentless rhythm of toasts, the sky fills with stars. A little bird witnesses the scene, before flying away, taking with it the memory of this night in the Tuscan countryside'.

Aesthetics has brought Banfi closer to design in a partnership that grows stronger every year, thanks to collaborations with internationally renowned artists and designers, exhibitions and vernissages.

 

The Banfi winery and the Vivo restaurants in Florence and Milan join forces for a solidarity project involving the Fondazione Operazione Vivere and the Fondazione Tommasino Bacciotti

Together for solidarity, this is the reason behind VIVO & BANFI PER IL SOCIALE, the initiative that brings together the Vivo restaurants in Florence and Milan and the Banfi winery.

What does the project consist of? During the entire month of December, the Vivo restaurant in Milan and the Vivo restaurant in Florence will offer their customers one of Banfi's iconic wines, Vermentino La Pettegola, in the Limited Edition format (a special bottle designed by the illustrator Alessandro Baronciani). For the purchase of each bottle, six euros will be donated in favour of the Fondazione Operazione Vivere in Milan and in favour of the Fondazione Tommasino Bacciotti in Florence.

The Fondazione Operazione Vivere, which places its activities at the disposal of the Complex Structure of General Oncological and Minimally Invasive Surgery of the ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda of Milan, was born out of the desire to improve the way in which important pathologies, such as oncological ones, are treated, by supporting technological development and scientific research, thus offering less invasive and less traumatic treatments.

The activities of the Tommasino Bacciotti Foundation are aimed at the study, treatment, assistance and information on childhood tumours, especially brain tumours. Among its many activities, we can mention the Tommasino Housing Project, through which the Foundation provides flats, free of charge, to the families of children hospitalised at the Meyer Hospital in Florence; psychological and/or economic support to parents; and the funding of scholarships for paediatric oncology doctors and laboratory technicians.

The presentation events of VIVO & BANFI SOCIALE are scheduled respectively on 26 November in Florence, where the two Presidents of Banfi, Enrico Viglierchio and Remo Grassi, will be present, and on 28 November in Milan, where Dr. Enrico Viglierchio, Dr. Carmelo Magistro and Dr. Pietro Carnevali will attend. 

It was 1978 when John and Harry Mariani bought the first land in Montalcino and planted the first Sangiovese vines. Since then, forty years have passed of extraordinary passion, of continuous and exciting challenges, of unrepeatable successes. An important journey for Banfi, which, in just four decades, has made a wonderful history, building a brand that is known throughout the world and inextricably linked to the development of Montalcino and its territory.

In recent years, the love for Tuscany has brought Banfi closer to new territories, among the region's most vocated, such as Bolgheri, Maremma, Chianti and Chianti Classico. Much older, however, is the link with Piedmont, which dates back to the same years as Banfi's foundation in Montalcino.

And after 40 years, Cristina Mariani-May, the third family generation, coordinates the company's activities with the same love, passion and dedication to produce quality wines.

The story of these 40 years of Banfi can be told through the four pillars that have accompanied it along its journey: pioneering spirit, research, innovation and sustainability.

Tracing the path first, exploring new frontiers, looking to the future while remaining firmly anchored to traditions and origins, this is the spirit that has always guided the choices of Banfi, which, from the very beginning, has believed in the enormous wine-growing potential of the Montalcino area and its symbolic vine, Sangiovese, promoting innovative scientific studies on soils and Sangiovese, hitherto with a hitherto unknown potential. Equally pioneering innovations in the winery, as well as the development of a modern concept of hospitality. Pioneering, finally, also in the training and dissemination of wine culture, an inseparable and distinctive point of the Banfi model, which has reached its zenith in the projects of the Banfi Foundation, in particular withSanguis Jovis - Alta Scuola del Sangiovese.

Knowledge, knowledge, study, search and experimentation, to get to know and reinterpret a unique territory and to distinguish and enhance the company's modus operandi. Many and varied, in fact, have been the studies carried out and collected in the publication La Ricerca dell'Eccellenza (The Search for Excellence): research for Banfi represents a transversal and constantly evolving concept, from the vineyard to the cellar.

The results of the research must, however, be translated into innovations concrete, modern and perfectly integrated with the environment in which the company operates. Innovations both in the vineyard and in the cellar, which aim to skilfully combine advanced technologies to support the production of elegant and balanced wines, respectful of their territory of origin.

Banfi is the custodian of a fantastic territory in which it has been operating for 40 years. The commitment, certified in the annual Sustainability Report is to preserve and hand over to future generations an area that is even healthier, intact and liveable than the present one. 

"As a company whose product comes from the earth, we know that our success goes hand in hand with respect for the environment," says Cristina Mariani-May, "Our sustainable operation must continue to evolve, taking into account the fact that every action must be socially fair, environmentally safe and economically viable. Operating sustainably must improve the relationship with the environment without, however, hindering the quality of production'.

The company is celebrating this important anniversary with a series of initiatives in Italy and around the world. The first official event was in Siena, followed by Rome, Strevi (home of Banfi's Piedmontese winery), Florence, Zurich, Berlin, Moscow, Milan, Naples, Shanghai, Hong Kong and finally New York.

The events are an emotional journey through the wines that have made Banfi's history, with a tasting at a tasting booth.

On Friday, 19 October, at the Teatro degli Astrusi in Montalcino, a conference will be held to present the project for the restoration and study of Brunella, the Pliocene baleen whale found at Poggio alle Mura in 2007 and dating back some four million years. The conference, entitled Discovering Brunella, the fossil whale of Poggio alle Mura, will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will be dedicated exclusively to pupils and teachers of the Montalcino Primary School. Dr. Michelangelo Bisconti, from the San Diego Natural History Museum, will illustrate the excavation and restoration work currently underway at the Castello Banfi site-laboratory, the multidisciplinary scientific study conducted in collaboration with various universities, and the programme of educational and training activities. These include the School Camp in Palaeobiological Excavation and Restoration, now in its third edition, which will be held from 12 to 17 November, and free guided tours of the laboratory open to schoolchildren and the public.

On the same day at 3.30 p.m., at Castello Banfi, Arch. Anna Di Bene, Soprintendente Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Siena, Grosseto and Arezzo, will officially open the initiative Open Yardwith the first two days of free guided tours scheduled for Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 October from 10:00 to 12:30 and from 14:30 to 17:00.

The restoration and study work is part of the Brunella Project, the result of collaboration between the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Siena, Grosseto and Arezzo, the Banfi company and the Istituto di Studi Archeo-Antropologici. The project is supported by an Art Bonus grant from the Banfi company to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, as well as the patronage and support of the Municipality of Montalcino and the recognition of prestigious Italian and international scientific institutions.