Donatella Cinelli
Colombini Dinner

Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s daughter, Violante Gardini, is the sales director for her family’s winery. Together with Damien Detcheverry, Sommelier and sales rep at Le Sommelier, she will lead us through the wines of this historic Tuscan estate, paired to a multi course dinner prepared by LUCA.

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Donatella Cinelli Colombini left her family’s estate  in 1998 to start her own, made up of Casato in Montalcino, and Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda. Along with the vineyards and with the farmhouses to be renovated, Donatella received a quantity of Brunello di Montalcino, and needed a cellar master to oversee its barrel ageing. She called the Enology School in Siena, asking for a good student to hire. They answered that they had none; cellar masters had to be booked years in advance. They mentioned, however, that they had many female cellar masters available, since no important winery wanted to employ them.

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Donatella didn’t just hire a woman cellar master for her project. The entire staff are women, including world renowned consultant winemaker, Valérie Lavigne, and Donatella has become a beacon for women in the wine industry, not only in Italy, but globally. Violante has grown up in the winery, working and learning alongside her mother, and oversees sales internationally.