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THIS WEEK @ HSA…

We are getting giddy over Italy!! We are super excited to welcome that Violante Gardini, daughter of the “Lady of Brunello”, Donatella Cinelli Colombini.

The roots of the Colombini family in Tuscany go back to 1592, and their tradition of excellence in winemaking began in 1790 with the founding of the Fattoria dei Barbi. It was in the 1960’s that Francesca Cinelli Colombini, also known as the “Lady of Brunello” made a name for herself as the stalwart leader of Barbi’s top wines. When the next generation came into the spotlight, her son Stefano took over the family estate, while Francesca placed her daughter Donatella in charge of farming the neighboring property, Azienda de Casato.

Donatella officially inherited the Casato estate from her mother in 1998. If her brother Stefano at Fattoria dei Barbi represents tradition and continuity, Donatella Cinelli Colombini is all about new beginnings. Softly spoken but extremely determined lady, Donatella has embarked on an endless succession of innovative projects. One of her first missions was to create a winery exclusively staffed by women (there’s a story there). She is also completely replanting her vineyards on the hills north of the village. She ferments with strains of indigenous yeasts, selected on the estate. Her latest innovation is to move over to conical cement fermenting vats – cutting-edge stuff for the region.

CAN.NOT.WAIT. See you Wednesday!

See y’all Wednesday at The Art of Cellaring located at 2301 Portsmouth St. Street parking is available as well as in the lot across the street. Please plan to be on time as the doors here will lock at 10:30AM to reduce interruption and distraction out of respect for our speakers. Remember, EARLY IS ON TIME!! Professional attire is encouraged… please.

Also… please keep in mind that we are all doing this on a volunteer basis (no one is being paid for this) Please stick around to help clean up… Polishing glasses and resetting the space. It takes a village.. 😄