«
»

Can an American Teach the Italians to Make Wine?

Depends on who you ask.  Hint:  don’t ask the Italians.

The people you can ask are John and Pam Mariani, who, in the early 1970s, journeyed to the heart of Tuscany and bought themselves a castle.  A real one, with towers and parapets and all the other stuff a castle is supposed to have, except I don’t remember seeing a moat.  As you exit the autostrada coming into the Montalcino area about 35 miles south of Siena, the ancient fortress rises in the distance to your left, looking, one can imagine, much as it did in the days of the Medicis.

Castello Banfi in Tuscany

Castello Banfi in Tuscany

 

John Mariani, Jr., had done quite well as a wine and spirits distributor in Long Island, partially because he and his brother were the first to introduce Lambrusco to the United States.  Under the Reunite label, they sold a ton of the stuff, which gave them the resources to go shopping for vineyards in the Brunello region, and if the property happened to have a castle on it, well, they wouldn’t mind too much.  The incredible success of Reunite convinced John that he knew what kind of wines Americans would actually buy and enjoy.  Remember, this is back when all we knew about Italian wines over here was that the bottles came in cute little baskets and they made great candle holders for our dorm rooms and apartments. 

The balsamic vinegar cellar at Banfi

The balsamic vinegar cellar at Banfi

 

John and his family had some extraordinarily deep roots in the country.  When his father was nine years old, his mother took him from their home in Connecticut to live in Milan.  They boarded with his aunt, Teodolinda Banfi, who just happened to be director of the household staff of the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, Achille Ratti.

The Archbishop, being more than capable in his profession, enjoyed some mild success and became Pope Pius XI.  One of his first official acts was to bring Teodolinda to Rome to run his household in the Vatican.  She was the first woman in history other than a nun to live in the Papal residence.  Caused a bit of a stir.

Debi with Tina Goldstein at Banfi

Debi with Tina Goldstein at Banfi

 

From those roots, the Mariani family has cultivated a wine producing and importing enterprise that does nothing but win all kinds of awards.  Not only do they produce best-selling Brunellos and other Sangiovese varietals, they have purchased vineyard estates in other parts of the country, and they recently turned the castle into a luxury hotel.  When John and Pam showed us around the place a few years ago, the remodeling had just begun, but all reports say the end result is spectacular.

That’s just for starters.  At the famous VinItaly trade expo, their estate has been named Italy’s Premier Vineyard Estate for 11 consecutive years.  They are also the first winery in the world to be internationally recognized for exceptional environmental, ethical and social responsibility as well as for being an international leader in customer satisfaction.  As if they needed a bit more ego support, they’ve been recognized as Winery of the Year by both Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits Magazine.  Their Brunellos are usually found among Wine Spectator’s Top Ten Wines of the Year.

So what does that mean to us, the thirsty persons of Southwest Florida?  Only that we’ll have a unique opportunity to sample Banfi’s wines at the Grand Tasting and Auction on February 27 of next year, and that when you hold out your glass, Virginia Mariani-Kitt will pour for you.  Virginia is joining us as a representative of the family’s third generation, in her role as Director of Hospitality for Banfi Vintners.  I wouldn’t be a bit surprised, either, if she gives us a chance to bid on a stay in the castle.

I can’t wait.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 12:53 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.