Montalcino Report

Biologic market in Montalcino this Sunday

If you happen to be in Montalcino on this Sunday, please visit the "Organic Market" mercatino that highlights biologic and organic foods and products of the Val d'Orcia. The market is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today in the Piazza del Popolo in the centre of Montalcino. 

You can see a calendar for the itinerary for the "mercantini" here. Throughout the year, the markets are held in different villages.

The Organic Market features all kinds of the wonderful agriculture products of the Orcia river valley or the "Val d'Orcia". It is a great way to experience the foods of our lands and we highly recommend it.

A beautiful video about the Val d'Orcia (Orcia River Valley)

Even if you do not speak the Italian, I think you will like the beautiful video on the Val d'Orcia, "Orcia River Valley", from the RAI Uno Linea Verde Show. 

Our zone of the Toscana is one of the most beautiful places in the world. In the video, the announcer speaks about the Chianina, a special breed of cattle that is used for the bistecca fiorentina, sheep raising, and also, of course, about the Brunello di Montalcino. It is very beautiful to watch. 

Buona visione!

The Tuscan meal: "eating is important, eating healthy is indispensable".

The friend of Il Poggione wine writer and blogger Franco Ziliani recently reminded us that it was just more than a year ago that one of the great personages of Brunello left us and is still sorely missed. Franco wrote a beautiful and emotional memory of Gianni Brunelli with tasting notes of Gianni's great, very traditional Brunello di Montalcino wines in the Association of Italian Sommelier website. I also remembered another emotional post about Gianni Brunelli by a wine writer in New York City named Susanah Gold She took the photograph of Gianni herewith.

Gianni may no longer be with us but his family restaurant Le Logge of Siena is still one of the great food and wine destinations of our province. I looked at his family restaurant website and found this description of one of his favorite meal:

"Eating is important, eating healthy is indispensable… Three important things: olive oil, wine, and bread are the three basic ingredients of the cuisine of the Mediterranean civilizations. Salads of mushrooms, ribollita (Tuscan twice-cooked bread, Swiss chard, and white bean soup), Swiss chard pies, roasted vegetables, fresh lettuces, and for the finale a Tuscan short bread with strawberries. This is a typical meal".

Gianni was not just a great producer of Brunello di Montalcino. He was also a living and breathing element of Siena and Montalcino and the beloved Toscana. His family restaurant is still a part of him and an excellent place to visit to taste Brunello di Montalcino wines and to have a typical Tuscan meal.

Osteria Le Logge
53100 Siena (SI) - V. Del Porrione, 33
tel: 0577 48013
fax: 0577 224797

Requiescat in pace Gianni Brunelli.

Organic Market today in Montalcino

If you happen to be in Montalcino today, please visit the "Organic Market" mercatino that highlights biologic and organic foods and products of the Val d'Orcia. The market is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today in the Piazza del Popolo in the centre of Montalcino. 

You can see a calendar for the itinerary for the "mercantini" here. Throughout the year, the markets are held in different villages.

The Organic Market features all kinds of the wonderful agriculture products of the Orcia river valley or the "Val d'Orcia". It is a great way to experience the foods of our lands and I highly recommend it.

My father's knife

The other day a friend of our was asking about my father's famous knife. Every where he goes, whether abroad, to America, to Verona for Vinitaly, he always carries his "trusty" knife. He buys his knives at the famous "coltelleria" Saladini in Scarperia in the province of Florence. Scarperia has always been a historic place for the production of fine, artisanal cutlery. We eat a lot of steak "bistecca fiorentina" in Toscana and my father likes to use his own knife to cut his meat whether at home or at one of the many famous steakhouses in America, where they have very high quality beef that goes well with our wines. 

We would like to thank another friend, Rich Cahalan, for including us in this wonderful video of his visit to Vinitaly. Thank you, Rich!