Castello Banfi il Borgo in the July issue of the magazine

July 2010, Christopher Petkanas - For years, tourists have demanded nothing more from Tuscany than its brightness and landscapes, its Renaissance heritage, its food and wine. If the hotels had few comforts, if the person who prepared the pasta in the kitchen was the same person who made your bed, you still had an ambience full of enchantment and animated by goodwill. A trip to this region was in itself an extraordinary reward.

La Tuscany has become one of those rare, iconic, inexhaustible destinations to which people return. Thirty years have passed since Tuscany and Provence became real rivals. But while the south of France can sometimes be guilty of forgetting what brought people there, Tuscany has never sold its soul for popularity. Icon yes, diva no.

Today, a new generation of hotels has arrived in the region, which can still be described as young. This includes the 'borgo' phenomenon, i.e. the transformation of old country cottages into 'all-in-one' properties, which include restaurants, shops and vineyards. Another type is the 'villa', with rich histories and important architecture.

All offer sublime comfort and aspire to an excellent level of service. They are so sophisticated that they would not be out of place in the elegant setting of the Amalfi coast. Tuscany grows by going back in time.

Banfi Castle, The Village

Castello Banfi - Poggio alle Mura is one of the largest estates in Tuscany and, since its opening, its new hotel, Il Borgo, is probably also the most elegant.

Just as Federico Forquet has won the most important awards for style, the Mariani family has done the same with wine. Among them the two most important Brunellos, the Poggio all'Oro Riserva and the cru Poggio alle Mura. Forquet began his career as an assistant to Balenciaga, launching his own home line in Rome in 1962, when he was nicknamed 'the Italian Dior'.

At this time, every Italian princess wished to have the precious Buccellati objects designed by Forquet. After ten years he left the fashion world, moving into garden design and, following his Neapolitan origins, decorating houses with Visconti splendour, for clients such as Marella Agnelli and Oscar de la Renta, known for their inflexibility.

After these achievements, Forquet only accepts jobs that he finds compelling enough to take him away from his home in Cetona, an hour's drive from Banfi. Sometimes it is the interiors of splendid hotels: the Caruso, in Ravello, Villa San Michele in Fiesole. And now Il Borgo.

The property

The 14-room property at the top of the hill is a hamlet built in the 1700s to house farm workers and servants in service to the castle, located just above. The population grew to around 300 in the decade leading up to the First World War and remained stable until 1950, when the land reform introduced by the Italian government dismantled the entire old sharecropping system.

The hotel reception occupies the shop and post office, which closed shortly before the Mariani acquired Poggio alle Mura (historical name of Castello Banfi) in 1984. By that year, the number of inhabitants had dropped to less than 20.

Today, the old school is room number 37. Nothing transpires of the use that was made of these spaces, but the mere knowledge of it adds to its uniqueness. The hotel's hilltop location loses itself in extravagant views giving a sense of privileged isolation. Inside there is a very comfortable reading room, a museum with the world's largest private collection of ancient Roman glass (plus works by Dali, Cocteau and Picasso), and a spectacular courtyard where jazz concerts are held in summer. [...] One of the five buildings surrounding the castle walls houses La Taverna [...].

Next door is a large, beautiful wine shop that also sells ceramic coats of arms and other wine accessories, Banfi olive oil, colourful ceramics made by local artisans, handmade soaps, and real wine service jewellery [...].

A condiment that is not, rightly, called Balsamic Vinegar, since we are not in Emilia Romagna, but Salsa Etrusca, made in a dedicated room, following the traditional Solera method used to make authentic balsamic. [...] Banfi is one of the few estates in this area that encourages cellar visits, for which reservations are required.

It is five minutes by car or a 20-minute walk through vineyards. According to Forquet, many people wouldn't give a lira for rattan furniture and checked fabrics. So what's the secret? Well, the big secret is the way he manages to 'casually' combine modest and rich elements, such as Austrian hot air balloons and orchids in silver vases so clean you can mirror yourself in them. Fanciful walls painted with latticework wrapped in wine, a faux-bois masterpiece sculpted with bunches of grapes is another ingredient of Forquet's best work. [...].

"International Wine Award 2010": AIS/Bibenda awards Castello Banfi the Special Jury Prize

Il prestigioso riconoscimento è stato conferito alla cantina-simbolo del Brunello di Montalcino durante un esclusivo evento dedicato al mondo del vino,  ideato e condotto da Franco M. Ricci 

La Castello Banfi, cantina-simbolo del territorio di Montalcino, maggior artefice del successo del Brunello nel mondo, si aggiudica il Premio Speciale della Giuria 2010.

Premio Internazionale del Vino 2010

Con una motivazione davvero molto sentita Franco M. Ricci, Presidente dell’AIS, ha presentato l’ambito riconoscimento al numeroso pubblico presente in sala: “Pionieri e protagonisti dell’ambizioso progetto italiano mirato al mercato internazionale del vino di qualità, hanno contribuito in maniera determinante al successo del nostro paese, fino a renderlo il primo assoluto nel mercato americano. In Italia le loro sperimentazioni e ricerche, in vigna e in cantina, hanno fatto scuola alla nuova enologia nascente. Un’azienda nata con un sano rapporto con l’ambiente, e sviluppata attraverso importanti investimenti nella cultura, che hanno prodotto un fondamentale arricchimento del territorio”.

Il premio è stato consegnato il 5 giugno a Roma durante il Premio Internazionale del Vino 2010, lo straordinario evento creato da Franco M. Ricci.  A ritirare il prestigioso riconoscimento, John Mariani, fondatore nel 1978 della rinomata azienda montalcinese insieme al fratello Harry, ed Enrico Viglierchio, Direttore Generale di Banfi Italia. L’evento sarà trasmesso su Rai Uno, il 17 luglio alle ore 23.00.

“Nessun singolo avrebbe potuto raggiungere simili risultati” ha dichiarato John Mariani durante la cerimonia di premiazione, “ Questo è il lavoro di una grande squadra, un team che ha lavorato per Montalcino, per l’Italia, per gli amanti del vino di qualità in tutto il mondo. Il nostro è un incessante percorso per il raggiungimento dell’eccellenza”.

Banfi flies high!

The prestigious wines of Castello Banfi will be served in the Business Class of three national airlines.

From 1 October 2010 and until the end of December, the Belnero, Banfi's latest label and expression of the company's strong and indissoluble bond with the terroir of Montalcino and its main grape variety, Sangiovese, will be offered to passengers in Aer Lingus Business Class.

"Belnero is the latest wine born at Castello Banfi in the last decade," says Cristina Mariani-Mayowner of Castello Banfi. "We are very happy that it has been so well received and that travellers from all over the world can enjoy it".

Banfi flies high!

Also this year, British Airways' International first class frequent flyers will have the chance to enjoy a glass (or two!) of Castello Banfi's signature Brunello di Montalcino.

The wine selection of British Airways was made by Jancis Robinson, MW, one of the most well-known personalities in the international wine world.

Finally, Korea Air has selected for its Business Class the prestigious Fontanelle, a 100% Chardonnay that expresses itself with great substance and intense aromas, thanks to the microclimate of our northernmost Montalcino vineyards and the ageing in French barriques.

The Vinitaly 2010 Special Award to Castello Banfi di Montalcino, the cellar-symbol of Brunello

The Tuscan company, which represents one of the leading Made in Italy wine ambassadors in the world, wins the prestigious VeronaFiere award for the producer from each country that obtained the highest score based on the sum of the evaluations of the best three wines awarded the Grand Mention diploma.

The Vinitaly 2010 Special Award to Castello Banfi

Castello Banfi, the winery-symbol of the Montalcino area that has made Brunello known throughout the world, was awarded the Vinitaly Italia 2010 Prize. The prize is awarded to the producer from each country that received the highest score in the evaluation of the three best wines awarded the Grand Mention diploma at the Vinitaly Wine Competition.

Inextricably linked to the territory of Montalcino and always devoted to excellence, Castello Banfi represents a model for entrepreneurship linked to agriculture. The Montalcino company has managed to cultivate technological innovation, with a view to production and environmental protection, without ever forgetting the importance of tradition.

The 2010 Vinitaly Award will be collected on 1 April in Verona by Enrico Viglierchio, General Manager of the prestigious Tuscan company that had already won the prestigious award for eleven consecutive years in the past.

Banfi Castle: what to know

Described at the time as 'the greatest project ever undertaken in the production of quality wines', Castello Banfi was founded in 1978 by the Italian-American brothers John and Harry Mariani.

The property is located on the southern side of Montalcino, which has always been considered an ideal habitat for vineyards. Castello Banfi, which also owns the Vigne Regali estate in Piedmont, produces around 11 million bottles annually (9 million in Montalcino and 1,900,000 in Piedmont).

Exports reach 56%, with a prevalence in the United States, joined by Germany, Great Britain, Norway, Japan, New Zealand and Canada. In Montalcino there are 850 hectares under vine, and 26 different references are produced; the Vigne Regali estates count 46 hectares, with 14 references. Castello Banfi is present as a distributor in over 80 countries.

Castello Banfi also played an important role in theenotourism, the key to educating people about wine culture: the 14th-century Castle, the heart of the winery (visited by more than 60,000 wine tourists every year), houses the Glass and Bottle Museum and has upgraded its reception and hospitality activities (high-level catering, wine bars, events, tastings).

Castello Banfi official sponsor of 'Tuscan Rewind

The prestigious Montalcino company is the main sponsor of the first edition of Tuscan Rewindthe rally for historic cars that will cross the roads of Siena on 28, 29 and 30 May.

(Montalcino, 21 April 2010) - Montalcino's roads, made legendary in the 1980s by the World Rally Championship, will once again take centre stage on the last weekend of May (28/30 May), when the first edition of the Tuscan Rewind will get underway. Castello Banfi is the major sponsor. On 28 May, the opening day of the event and immediately after the shakedown and the technical and sporting checks of the cars and crews, Castello Banfi will be the venue for the exhibition of the cars of the top drivers, who will be at the complete disposal of fans with the new 'autograph session'.

Castello Banfi will also host, on Saturday 29 May, the dinner for all teams participating in Tuscan Rewind.

Castello Banfi

Described at the time as 'the biggest project ever in quality wine production', Castello Banfi is located on the southern side of the municipality of Montalcino, which has always been considered an ideal habitat for vine cultivation. Appreciated throughout the world for its wines and, in particular, for the prized Brunello di Montalcino, Castello Banfi has also played an important role in wine tourism with a complete and articulated offer in terms of hospitality. The more than 60,000 wine tourists who visit Castello Banfi every year, after the inevitable guided tour of the winery, can savour the dishes of the rich local cuisine at the characteristic Taverna Banfi or appreciate the excellence of Banfi wines, accompanied by typical Tuscan cheeses and cold cuts, in the spacious and welcoming Enoteca.

The mediaeval castle also houses the Glass and Bottle Museum, and the reception and hospitality activities have been enhanced with high-level catering, wine bars, events, tastings and the opening in 2007 of Castello Banfi-Il Borgo, with its 14 luxurious rooms. A much-loved binomial is undoubtedly that between Banfi and culture, which is developed through numerous events, among which the annual "Jazz & Wine" festival, a much-followed appointment in July in Montalcino (the next edition from 14 to 25 July 2010). This cultural context also includes the Wine and Glass Museum, which occupies some of the rooms of the Castle and where one can admire the largest private collection of glass from the period of Imperial Rome, as well as extremely rare objects from different eras up to the present day.

Banfi at the top of the American charts

Important reviews come from the most important overseas publications for Castello Banfi's great wines: the Belnero 2005, an expression of the precious fruit of Banfi's 30-year commitment to quality in its constant pursuit of excellence, continues to receive new, enthusiastic praise.

In the American magazine Business Week, the well-known journalist Nick Passmore writes: 'Under the leadership of Cristina Mariani-May, Castello Banfi offers a great new wine, the Belnero 2005. Banfi is one of the best names in the Italian-American wine world, and I am happy to be the spokesperson for this great success'.

Banfi at the top of the American charts

James Sucklingpublishes in the prestigious magazine Wine Spectator a special report on the 1999 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino, in which ample space is dedicated to the entire family of Brunellos signed Castello Banfi: high praise for the Brunello di Montalcino DOCGCastello Banfi94 points for the Poggio alle Mura 2004, the Brunello DOCG obtained from Sangiovese clones selected on the estate and, finally, 94 points for the prestigious Poggio all'Oro 1999the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riservaa prestigious cru that is only vinified in vintages of absolute excellence.

The Poggio alle Mura 2003 was also awarded 3 stars of excellence by the 2009 Food & Wine Magazine guide, while the Rosso di Montalcino 2008 was honoured by Decanter as 'Kerin O'Keefe's Best Rosso di Montalcino'.

On the Piedmont front, great praise for the Royal Rose 2009, the Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG suggested by Dave McIntyre in the Washington Post of 10 February as the perfect match for any chocolate-based dessert.

Korea Wine Challenge 2010: silver medals for 'Poggio alle Mura 2005' and 'Chianti Classico Riserva 2006'!

Poggio all'Oro 2016 Equalitas Sustainable Product Certification.

March 2010, Korea - Banfi's latest excellent results at the Korea Wine Challenge 2010one of the most prestigious and influential international wine competitions.

Korea Wine Challenge 2010

Among the hundreds of wines tasted, more than 700 from 14 countries around the world, Castello Banfi wines achieved excellent results: the exclusive silver medal was awarded to 'Poggio alle Mura' 2005, the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG produced exclusively with Sangiovese from in-house clonal selection, a label that best represents Banfi's thirty years of research experience on this prestigious variety in Montalcino.

Also worth mentioning is the silver medal won by the Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva 2006, the most important label in the Banfi signature Chianti family, which stands out for its rich and complex aromatic baggage both on the nose and in the mouth and for the great power that makes it a wine with excellent ageing potential.

Banfi is official partner of Telethon

11-12 December 2009, Rome - Telethon renews for the 18th consecutive year its support for scientific research on genetic diseases through a fundraising activity involving customers, suppliers and partners most sensitive to social issues and ethical commitment.

One of the most important initiatives that BNL, Theleton's first partner, organises in the Rome area is the Telethon Marathon in the BNL Historical Headquarters in Via L. Bissolati , which sees events and shows of a high artistic and cultural level take place 'continuously' to attract audiences and encourage fundraising, including the 'Telethon Gala Dinner' attended by BNL's top customers and partners.

Banfi is official partner of Telethon

In this context Banfi participates as a 'solidarity partner', offering a wide range of prestigious wines for the Grand Gala Dinner to be held on the evening of Friday 11 December 2009 at the Agency's Salone di Via L.Bissolati, 2 in Rome.

Accompanying the dishes prepared for this exclusive event are top-quality wines such as the Hundreds White 2008, a fine blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, the Belnero 2005, the new Sangiovese-based wine that expresses the company's strong bond with the Montalcino territory and, finally, the ever-present Brunello di Montalcino 2004, the result of one of the best harvests in recent years.

The event will then continue with the grand tasting on Saturday 12 December, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., at the historic BNL hall in Via V.Veneto: on tap, in addition to Brunello di Montalcino 2004 and Belnero 2005, also the Hints Red 2007 and the Rosso di Montalcino 2007the first commercially available fruit of modern Horizon winemaking technology.

Overseas awards also for Vigne Regali

October 2009, USA - Overseas recognition is also coming for Vigne Regali, the Piedmont-based company from Banfi.

Overseas awards also for Vigne Regali

L'Ardì - Dolcetto d'Acqui 2006 Indeed, it won 89 points in 'Wine & Spirits Magazine', the prestigious American trade magazine that reviewed this Piedmontese label among the '100 Best Buys of the Year'.