Carlo Conti and Franco Biondi Santi Receive the Title of Honorary Sommelier
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During the presentation of the Tuscan wines which received four and five bunches, the main recognition assigned by the wine guide DuemilaVini 2010, which will take place on Sunday, December 13, 2009 at the Grand Hotel in Florence, the Italian TV announcer from Florence, Carlo Conti, and Franco Biondi Santi, considered the 'father' of the famed Brunello di Montalcino wine, will receive the honorary title of sommelier. This is the perfect occasion for a toast to the Excellency of Tuscan wines.
Florentine TV announcer, Carlo Conti
The appointment for a toast to the Excellency of Tuscany, and the awarding of the honorary title of sommelier to Carlo Conti and Franco Biondi Santi, is for Sunday, December 13, 2009, at the Grand Hotel in Florence, in Piazza Ognissanti. For the occasion, the wines which received four and five bunches by the professional tasters of the guide DuemilaVini 2010, published by Bibenda will be presented. (Download the complete list of the wines which received the five bunches – PDF file, 180Kb).
The motivation behind the awarding of this honorary title extended to well known Italian TV personality, Carlo Conti, by the Associazione Italiana Sommelier (AIS, or Italian Association of Sommeliers) is his demeanor as de-facto ambassador for Tuscan wines and lifestyle.
"The first time that I drank wine in Florence it was a Chianti Classico for sure. I was 18 or 20," said Conti. "On the ground floor of the house where I used to live, there was a vinaio (wine vendor) who filled straw-covered flasks from the barrels, and the perfume which arose from his shop fascinated me. To this day, I still love all Tuscan wines, I am quite parochial about it. When I sit at a dining table, the first thing that I look at is the wine list, looking in particular for the Tuscan wines."
A tribute to the history of enology is the motivation behind the awarding of the honorary title to Franco Biondi Santi, long one of the best know faces of Tuscan quality wine producers.
Franco Biondi Santi
"It was his family who, at the end of the 19th century, invented the Brunello," affirmed the President of the Tuscan chapter of the AIS, Osvaldo Baroncelli, "and, to this day, he is the faithful custodian of one of the most respected enological traditions in the country. In addition to the exceptional and inimitable organoleptic characteristics of his wines," added Baroncelli, "there is the evocative strength of the historic brand... The family and the farm of Biondi Santi continue to represent the history of wine in Tuscany, a genuine expression of this land which is the symbol of the Italian vitiviniculture. The absolute commitment to quality, added to the typicality of the products, represents the centerpiece supporting the estate philosophy, and the Tuscan AIS chapter is proud to award Franco Biondi Santi this recognition."
• Free entry for AIS associates
• €15 non members
Almost 800 Tuscan labels are mentioned in the 2010 issue of the guide, a sign of the continued quality improvement of the regional wines. Close to 300 labels obtained either four or five bunches, with 55 wines receiving the top position, and 241 receiving four bunches.
Information: Associazione Toscana Sommeliers, Via Puccini, 35 ˆ 50041 Calenzano (FI)
Tel. 0558826803 • Fax 055882079 • E-mail: ass.toscana@aistoscana.it
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