Castello Banfi in the September issue of Traveller, Condé Nast, Italian edition

Castello Banfi is featured in the September issue of the Italian edition of Travellerthe Condé Nast Group's famous travel magazine.

Castello Banfi in the September issue of Traveller, Condé Nast, Italian edition

Once again, the renowned Montalcino estate, world-famous for its wines and in particular for the Brunello di Montalcino, is mentioned as one of the most exclusive wineries, where you can fully savour the magical atmosphere of the grape harvest and enjoy the serenity of the Tuscan countryside, staying at the exclusive resort The Borgo di Castello Banfi.

Tuscan Erami by Lee Marshall

In Tuscany, the country hotel scene has changed very rapidly since 1960, when the Michelin guide for Italy did not indicate a single establishment in the Chianti area. Despite the boom in accommodation in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the choice was in any case limited to agritourism, understood as farm holidays, or old-fashioned country villas serving as hotels. Recent years, however, have seen the emergence of some luxury resorts and spas, as well as good mid-range solutions where guests receive personalised and friendly treatment.

BANFI CASTLE THE HAMLET

In the centre of the largest wine estate in Montalcino - founded by a leading US wine importer in the late 1970s - stands a beautiful medieval castle. Just outside its walls is a charming hamlet where the estate's workers used to live, now converted into a 14-room hotel. At first glance it might appear a little too perfect, but perfection can also be very pleasant, and in this Il Borgo succeeds with great elegance.

There are a couple of suites on each side in the renovated houses of the hamlet, facing both sides of a steep lane, as well as one (perfect for a honeymoon) created inside what used to be the hamlet's primary school.

Interior decorator Federico Forquet has opted for a colourful but warm version of the classic, original style typical of houses in the Tuscan countryside, using rich hues and floral textile motifs. The bathrooms (many with bathtub and large rain shower) are very spacious, and equipped with a courtesy line customised by Castello Banfi and produced with Sangiovese grapes from the estate's vineyards.

The outdoor swimming pool, although small, offers an extraordinary view from the lower Val d'Orcia to Monte Amiata.

On La Taverna Restauranttraditional and undeniably refined, it is also open in the evening - a less crowded time than lunchtime. The castle itself is part of the hotel, with a reading room reserved exclusively for guests, where one can enjoy an aperitif as well as relax after dinner, and with a typically Tuscan cloister where one can sit under a lovely pergola. And despite the limited number of rooms, the services on offer - including a small fitness room - are 5-star hotel standards.

Castello Banfi Il Borgo: 00 39 0577 877700

www.castellobanfiwineresort.it

Doubles from €340

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Taverna Banfi awarded with excellence by Wine Spectator

Montalcino, 3 August 2010 - The Taverna Banfi is once again honoured to receive the prestigious 'Wine Spectator Magazine's Restaurant Award of Excellence', an award given on the basis of the wine list, of which it "offers an excellent selection, coupled with excellent food and competitively priced."

Wine Spectator, regarded as one of the most influential international trade magazines, awards the prize of excellence each year to just under 3,000 restaurants worldwide.

Taverna Banfi awarded with excellence by Wine Spectator

The Taverna, located under the vaults of the old cellars of the medieval castle of Poggio alle Mura where the large wooden barrels used to age Brunello di Montalcino once rested, presents traditional Montalcino and Tuscan dishes, enhanced by the freshness and simplicity of local ingredients.

Its selection of hors d'oeuvres, first courses, meat, fish and desserts is prepared according to local tradition and is inspired by the seasonality of local products; three-, four- or five-course tasting menus are available, as well as an extensive à la carte menu.

Always open for lunch, the Taverna Banfi opens its doors to visitors who are also pleased to stay for dinner between April and November. On one side of the Taverna it is still possible to admire the castle dungeon, where bottled vintages from 1960 to 1970 are stored, while the other side offers a breathtaking view of the Tuscan landscape below.

At the nearby Enoteca it is also possible to taste excellent local cheeses and classic Tuscan ham paired with Banfi wines. There is also an important selection of art books, dedicated to the world of wine, cuisine, Tuscan history and architecture, as well as various ceramic, glass and jewellery objects produced by our local artisans.

Visitors are also invited to visit the Bottle and Glass Museum, named after Giovanni F. Mariani, which houses the largest private collection of Roman glass in the world, as well as to participate in the guided tours, available daily, of the Banfi cellars.

The Taverna Banfi offers its services both to visitors passing through and to guests of Castello Banfi - Il Borgo, the hotel structure adjacent to the castle offering 14 luxurious rooms and suites.

Weddings or special events can also be organised within the castle walls. Reservations are possible by contacting reservation@banfi.it or via the website www.banfi.it.

Castello Banfi and Jazz & Wine in Montalcino (13th edition)

From Robin Eubanks to Avion Travel, eight great concerts celebrating jazz and great wine.

Jazz & Wine in Montalcino, one of the longest-running events on the Italian music scene, was born in 1998 from the collaboration between Castello Banfi, the well-known Montalcino winery, the cultural association Jazz & Image of Rome and the Municipality of Montalcino. Also this 13th edition will propose, as usual, an extremely rich and heterogeneous programme that will range over different musical languages, with particular attention to the great female voices of Jazz.

On Wednesday 14 July, the opening concert will be held within the evocative walls of Castello Banfi and will feature a quartet of absolute international calibre: Robin Eubanks with Pippo Matino 4tet, a truly special encounter between the great American trombonist and one of Italy's most interesting electric bassists.

Castello Banfi and Jazz & Wine in Montalcino (13th edition): the programme

From 15 July, the festival will move, as tradition has it, to the splendid 14th-century fortress of Montalcino with the unmissable "piano solo" by Danilo Rea, one of the most elegant and eclectic protagonists of the jazz scene and beyond. Maria Joao duo, on 16 July, will open the triptych of female voices that will accompany the entire first weekend in Montalcino. Portuguese from Lisbon, with a peculiar and biting timbre, she boasts many years of experience alongside the greatest interpreters of international jazz. On Saturday 17 July, the splendid voice of Rossana Casale, accompanied by her quartet, will return to the Montalcino stage with the project 'The Wine Concert and Readings', absolutely in keeping with the spirit and roots of the festival. The first week will close on 18 July with Roberta Gambarini 4tet, one of the most appreciated and established female voices abroad thanks to her undeniable improvisational abilities and an interpretative technique of absolute level.

The Mirabassi-Renzi-Parker Trio will open the second week of the festival on Thursday 22 July with a concert that promises to be the perfect fusion of three great personalities of the international jazz scene. Then, on 23 July, it will be the turn of another great trio of refined elegance and great experience, the Pietropaoli-DeVito-Mazzariello with their concert-tribute to Joni Mitchell.On 24 July, the festival will close with the "Avion Travel" orchestra, who will play the best of their latest works: Danson Metropoli and Nino Rota, l'amico magico.

For the thirteenth consecutive year, two such intimate and intense pleasures, jazz music and great quality wine, are celebrating their exciting encounter in Montalcino, the symbolic town of Brunello, with increasing success.

For information contact: Pro-Loco Montalcino - tel. 0577 849331 - Email: info@prolocomontalcino.it

Marketing Banfi - tel. 0577 840 111- Email: marketing@banfi.it

Concerts: 9.45 p.m. - tickets 10.00/13.00 euro - presale c/o Proloco Montalcino

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.

The 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

The prestigious award was conferred on the winery-symbol of Brunello di Montalcino during an exclusive event dedicated to the world of wine, conceived and conducted by Franco M. Ricci 

The Castello Banfi, the winery-symbol of the Montalcino territory, the major contributor to the success of Brunello in the world, is awarded the Special Jury Prize 2010.

International Wine Award 2010

With a very heartfelt motivation, Franco M. Ricci, President of the AIS, presented the coveted award to the large audience in the room: 'Pioneers and protagonists of the ambitious Italian project aimed at the international quality wine market, they have contributed decisively to the success of our country, to the point of making it the number one in the American market. In Italy, their experimentation and research, in the vineyard and in the cellar, have set the standard for the new emerging oenology. A company born with a healthy relationship with the environment, and developed through important investments in culture, which produced a fundamental enrichment of the territory'.

The award was presented on 5 June in Rome during the International Wine Award 2010, the extraordinary event created by Franco M. Ricci. Receiving the prestigious award were John Mariani, founder in 1978 of the renowned Montalcino winery together with his brother Harry, and Enrico Viglierchio, General Manager of Banfi Italia. The event will be broadcast on Rai Uno, on 17 July at 11 pm.

"No single person could have achieved such results," said John Mariani during the award ceremony, "This is the work of a great team, a team that has worked for Montalcino, for Italy, for lovers of quality wine all over the world. Ours is a relentless pursuit of excellence'.

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 thewine tourism, 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.