Cristina Mariani-May & Castello Banfi stars of Simple Wine News Magazine, May 2010.

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).

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.

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.