Gourmet getaways

Which wineries to visit
On our private wine tours we first of all offer our clients a general overview of what the region has to offer. That means they will get to know and taste all official grapes that are allowed in the area.
And then of course we compare many wines: grand cru's of Alsace, premier and grand cru's from Burgundy and docg's from Tuscany.

We always end a tour in the afternoon at one of the top wineries in the area. The customer having tasted and learned a lot during the tour day(s), often knows which wines would be most worthwhile to finish with.
I, as a wine guide spending the time with my clients getting to know them, can often predict which wines would be most interesting for them to try and buy at the end.
These are some great advantages of a private tour with a knowledgeable wine guide (...)

Maybe I should stress the fact that I do not do the same tour every day. I select the wineries to visit in a more or less logical order for driving but I also will build up a variety. If communicated before, my selection of wineries for the visits is also based on the clients preferences and suggestions.

Lunch and dinner

For lunch I always select at least a good restaurant. I want to present my customers the great (local) food that the region has to offer.  And quality goes over quantity! Too much food for lunch can ruin the following afternoon tastings. And people need to save some space for dinner in the evening too of course.

Michelin stars

A lot of my clients ask me for the possibility to include lunch and/or dinner in a Michelin starred restaurant. After all they are on vacation and doing an exclusive wine tasting, so often they are in the mood to give their taste buds a food treat too.
In some cases they just want to experience the having been in a famous Michelin starred restaurant. In other cases they have read about a special menu, the chef, a dish etc..
Last but not least: in such a restaurant a wine and food pairing will be perfect!

I often discuss possibilities with the restaurants sommelier beforehand and also sur place we can discuss wine pairing details with the very knowledgable sommeliers.

Budget
Here is another advantage of a private tour. In a mixed group I cannot force people to spend more money then they might have expected for let us say "just a pizza" or a "tarte flambee".
Normally we spend 25-30 Euro p.p. without drinks.

In a private group we can discuss things beforehand and reserve an exclusive table..
By the way: many Michelin starred restaurants offer lunch menu's for about 45-55 Euro p.p. during the week. Sure, a little more expensive, but a pleasant surprise for lots of people.

Michelin in Alsace, Burgundy and Tuscany
The Michelin restaurant guides are well known all over the world. In countries like France and Italy they are very important.
I sometimes go to dine there in private, but thanks to you: "the JoliSoleil wine tour customers" I have visited a lot of them in my area's quite a few times now.
Over the years I got to know a lot of chefs and sommeliers personally, which absolutely adds to my job satisfaction.

Gourmet Getaways
As a logical answer to the demands of a group of customers JoliSoleil now also offers: "Gourmet Getaways".
This is something special  for a special occasions like a romantic weekend, a wedding, a special business achivement, etc.
They are always private events

In a 3 -, 4- or 5- day Gourmet Getaway  you will enjoy:

- lunches at Michelin "Bib Gourmand" or "Star restaurants"
- an introduction and wine tasting and at your hotel
- visits and tastings of the top wineries of the area (4 per tasting day, so for example 8 visits on a 3- day Getaway
- at least one 5-course dinner with matching wines in a top Michelin * restaurant.
- you will meet many wine makers and chefs personally

We can assist you in booking a room in a 5-star hotel either in a city like:

• Colmar or Strasbourg in Alsace
• Beaune or Dijon in Burgundy
• Siena or Florence in Tuscany

In all areas are also beautiful resorts in the country site.

To give you an idea: prices for a 3 day Getaway start at Euro 1.250,= p.p., but better mail us to get a personal proposal for your private tailor made Gourmet Getaway.

The best Tuscan wines for 2014 according to Gambero Rosso Magazine

Gambero Rosso is a gastronomic magazine that selects every year the best wines of Italy that are classified with ” 3 Bicchieri (glasses) ” 
from each region of Italy.

For Tuscany they were:

       Biserno ’10 Tenuta di Biserno

       Bolgheri Rosso Sup. Grattamacco ’10 Podere Grattamacco
       Bolgheri Sassicaia ’10 Tenuta San Guido       
       Bolgheri Sup. Argentiera ’10 Tenuta Argentiera       
       Bolgheri Sup. Campo al Fico ’10 I Luoghi       
       Bolgheri Sup. Castello di Bolgheri ’10 Castello di Bolgheri       
       Bolgheri Sup. Ornellaia ’10 Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia       
       Bolgheri Sup. Sapaio ’10 Podere Sapaio

       olgheri Sup. Sondraia ’10 Poggio al Tesoro
 
       Brunello di Montalcino ’08 Tenuta Le Potazzine
       Brunello di Montalcino ’08 Uccelliera
       Brunello di Montalcino Bramante Ris. ’07 Podere San Lorenzo
       Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto ’07 Casanova di Neri
       Brunello di Montalcino Fornace ’08 Le Ragnaie

Baffo Nero ’11 Rocca di Frassinello       Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie ’08 Il Marroneto
       Brunello di Montalcino Phenomena Ris. ’07 Sesti – Castello di Argiano
       Brunello di Montalcino Poggio al Vento Ris. ’06 Tenuta Col d’Orcia
       Brunello di Montalcino PS Ris. ’07 Siro Pacenti
       Brunello di Montalcino Ris. ’07 Biondi Santi – Tenuta Il Greppo
       Brunello di Montalcino Ris. ’07 Canalicchio di Sopra
       Brunello di Montalcino Ris. ’07 Le Chiuse
       Brunello di Montalcino Ris. ’07 Poggio di Sotto
       Brunello di Montalcino Schiena d’Asino ’08 Mastrojanni
       Brunello di Montalcino V. delle Raunate ’08 Mocali
 
       Caberlot ’10 Podere Il Carnasciale
 
       Chianti Cl. ’11 Borgo Salcetino
       Chianti Cl. ’09 Castell’in Villa
       Chianti Cl. ’11 Castello di Monsanto
       Chianti Cl. ’10 Fontodi
       Chianti Cl. ’10 Val delle Corti
       Chianti Cl. Baron’Ugo Ris. ’09 Monteraponi
       Chianti Cl. Bugialla Ris. ’09 Poggerino
       Chianti Cl. Colledilà ’10 Barone Ricasoli
       Chianti Cl. Fizzano Ris. ’10 Rocca delle Macìe
       Chianti Cl. Fontalpino ’11 Fattoria Carpineta Fontalpino
       Chianti Cl. Le Corti ’10 Fattoria Le Corti
       Chianti Cl. Ris. ’09 Badia a Coltibuono
       Chianti Cl. Ris. ’10 Brancaia
       Chianti Cl. Ris.’09 Castello d’Albola
       Chianti Cl. Ris. ’10 Castello di Volpaia
       Chianti Cl. Ris. ’10 Le Miccine
       Chianti Cl. Vign. di Campolungo Ris. ’09 Lamole di Lamole
 
       Coevo ’10 Famiglia Cecchi
 
       Colline Lucchesi Tenuta di Valgiano ’10 Tenuta di Valgiano
 
       Cortona Syrah ’10 Stefano Amerighi
       Cortona Syrah Il Castagno ’10 Dionisio
 
       Dofana ’10 Carpineta Fontalpino
 
       Fontalloro ’10 Fattoria di Felsina
 
       I Sodi di S. Niccolò ’09 Castellare di Castellina
 
       Le Pergole Torte ’10 Montevertine
 
       Montecucco Sangiovese Lombrone Ris. ’09 Colle Massari
       Montecucco Sangiovese ’10 Montesalario
 
       Morellino di Scansano Calestaia Ris. ’09 Roccapesta
       Morellino di Scansano Madrechiesa Ris. ’10 Terenzi
 
       Nobile di Montepulciano ’10 Conventino
       Nobile di Montepulciano ’10 Fattoria del Cerro
       Nobile di Montepulciano ’10 Salcheto
       Nobile di Montepulciano Nocio dei Boscarelli ’09 Boscarelli
 
       Oreno ’10 Tenuta Sette Ponti
 
       Orma ’10 Podere Orma
 
       Paleo Rosso ’10 Le Macchiole
 
       Poggio dei Colli ’11 Piaggia
       Poggiassai ’10 Poggio Bonelli
       Poggio ai Chiari ’06 Colle Santa Mustiola
 
       Rocca di Frassinello ’11 Rocca di Frassinello
 
       Siepi ’10 Castello di Fonterutoli
 
       Suisassi ’10 Due Mani
 
       Torrione ’11 Fattoria Petrolo
 
       Veneroso ’10 Tenuta di Ghizzano
 
       Vernaccia di S. Gimignano Campo della Pieve ’11 Il Col di Santa Chiara
       Vernaccia di S. Gimignano Ris. ’10 Fontaleoni
 
       Vigorello ’10 San Felic

Of course we visit many of these wineries and taste many of these wines during our wine tours.
#jolisoleil

Brunello di Montalcino into a series of sub-zones?

A small but growing minority of Brunello di Montalcino producers plan to propose that Montalcino’s governing consorzio takes advantage of government funding to map the wine region’s sub-zones.

Proponents argue that zoning would highlight subtle stylistic differences in the wines and could define around twenty micro-terroirs within Montalcino. Currently, Montalcino’s single vineyard wines, labelled ‘Vigna’, are officially mapped but its various sub-zones are not.

Zoning could also lead to better maps for tourists, who often get lost when visiting the area. Authorities have removed all winery signposts from road junctions in Italy’s Siena province, because of accidents caused by drivers slowing down to read them.

Source: Decanter , read more here

About Brunello di Montalcino wine

Brunello di Montalcino wine was invented in the 19th century by a group of grape growers who cloned the Sangiovese grape, discovering the Sangiovese Grosso and it is a wine of great quality and longevity. In fact, it can be aged for a long time (from 10 to 30 years), only improving as the years go by.

It is one of the most famous Italian wines, the “real Italian”, the one that everyone, from wine lovers to VIPs and from collectors to heads of state, knows the world over; a must for unforgettable moments on every “special” table, at the most important events and in dream cellars; the one that guidebooks never fail to award, that ratings never miss, that auctions never leave off the block.

Always up to par, it “dresses up” as an endorser and as a limited edition, as a private label to a work of art, in a pink jersey or as an Olympian, as a “character” in a film or novel. It is signed, designed, autographed, numbered, given as a gift or for a collection, charity or solidarity.
When it suits up as a Made-in-Italy ambassador, where it is called upon to evoke the Italian dream par excellence, Brunello di Montalcino, “shot” by MontalcinoNews, has something to wear for every occasion.

A top pick for those looking for intense emotions in a bottle and even among the pioneers of wine by the glass for a luxurious treat, Brunello di Montalcino is the “wine dream” par excellence of the lovers of good drink, because everyone has a label, vintage, or cellar of the famed red among their favorites to open during memorable moments, to cork and share at “special” tables.

Just like on the tables of leaders and heads of state, where glasses of Brunello have always been raised to accompany official political moments and meetings sanctioned at table – from Queen Elizabeth to Presidents of the Republic, Francesco Cossiga and Giorgio Napolitano, from the Emperor of Japan to the King of Sweden, from the German Prime Minister, Gerhard Schroder, to the wedding banquet of Prince William and Princess Kate.

Even American President Barack Obama, often ad hoc, opens a magnum or jeroboam, or a more original limited edition, perhaps numbered or from a collection.



Limited editions, which Brunello di Montalcino boasts many of, are sometimes designed by famous artists who have created real collections of works of art – from Fernando Botero to Sandro Chia – or made for special events, even on a national level, for anniversaries or centennials, just as old as a bottle of this great red could very well be, even for charity or solidarity.

Without overlooking bottles made especially for sports events like the Giro d’Italia – for the historical Carrara-Montalcino leg including its dirt roads (2010) – the Olympics or co-branding famous Italian brand names and not only, from Poltrona Frau to Harley Davidson. And which have often been the star of special auctions bid on by fervent collectors in special formats alongside true auction experts who, have always had Brunello, or even a vertical collection thereof, among its top lots all over the world.



Brunello is courted by VIPs, who claim to be admirers sometimes with such great fervor that they choose to produce their own or even create a private label, just like Hollywood celebrity Richard Gere, with the many appearances and name-dropping on film and TV, to music – featured in important reviews in Italian music – to literature, design and fashion – designed by some of the most famous Italian designers including Fendi, Ferragamo, Gianfranco Ferrè, even in a negligé.

More and more, Brunello is seen as a star walking the red carpet or the catwalk, starting on the night of the Oscars. And whatever its format, no matter where in the world, one thing is certain: among the unique and prestigious bottles, from all over the world, that should never be missing from the dream cellar par excellence, Brunello is there.

Text: Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino
Original text by Elisa Manieri.