Italian Wine Travel Pioneer and Writer Filippo Magnani Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Fufluns Wine Travel Concierge in Italy

Celebrating a quarter-century of excellence, Fufluns Wine Travel Concierge, led by Filippo Magnani, commemorates its 25th anniversary, marking a significant milestone in delivering unparalleled wine travel experiences throughout Italy. As a renowned wine travel expert and wine writer, Magnani has spent decades exploring and documenting Italy’s rich wine heritage, showcasing its diverse destinations and the personalities behind its celebrated wines. This occasion reflects not only the success of Fufluns Wine Tours but also Magnani’s contributions to the global appreciation of Italian wine culture through his writings and curated experiences.

Castello di Monsanto, Barberino Val d’Elsa , Chianti, Toscana, Italia

Inspired by the flourishing wine tourism industry in Napa Valley during the 1990s, Magnani recognized Italy’s untapped potential and sought to elevate the wine touring experience in his native country. In July 1999, he founded Fufluns Wine Travel Concierge, pioneering the path as the first Italian wine travel planner dedicated exclusively to Italy’s rich wine heritage. Named after the Etruscan God of Wine, Fufluns, under Magnani’s stewardship, has built a reputation for its immersive itineraries that seamlessly blend ultra luxury experiences with Italy’s undiscovered gems. Fufluns unwavering commitment to authenticity, quality, and personalization has cemented its status as a leader in the industry, creating the opportunity for people from around the world to engage with the wine regions and people of Italy.

“Reflecting on 25 years of Fufluns Wine Tours, I am filled with gratitude for this quest we’ve undertaken,” says Filippo Magnani, Founder and Supervisor, who oversees a team of ten wine expert guides – all holding WSET or Master Sommelier certifications. “We craft a diverse range of thoughtfully designed wine travel experiences led by a team of knowledgeable wine experts, ensuring an authentic and enriching experience for each guest, from avid wine enthusiasts and collectors to wine schools, wine clubs, and industry professionals such as sommeliers and importers.”

Magnani’s extensive experience in the wine trade, including holding the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma (DipWSET), as a wine writer, and wine travel advisor, has enriched Fufluns’ offerings with depth and sophistication. His and his team’s commitment to excellence and their ability to weave together the cultural, historical, and sensory aspects of Italian wine make Fufluns Wine Tours not just a journey, but a celebration of Italy’s enduring wine legacy.

To celebrate the company’s 25th Anniversary, Magnani and his team are thrilled to debut an enhanced Fufluns website, featuring a range of new personalized, comprehensive, and deluxe wine itineraries throughout Italy. Visit www.fufluns.com to learn more. Filippo is also pleased to showcase a refreshed version of his personal website, www.filippomagani.it, focused on his writings and collaborations, consulting experiences, and career achievements.

In addition, Magnani is proud to announce the launch of a quarterly newsletter, along with a new logo ”A Journey Through Italian Wines”. Featuring captivating insights into Italy’s wine destinations, exclusive interviews with key personalities in the wine and hospitality industry, detailed wine tasting notes, and selected excerpts from Magnani’s personal blog, Tales Behind The Wines, this newsletter aims to further enrich the understanding and appreciation of Italian wine culture among enthusiasts and professionals worldwide.

Furthermore, throughout 2024, Magnani will personally lead tours for various wine club groups and private wine collectors across Italy. These tours, featuring long-standing partners and loyal clients, are a special celebration of Fufluns’ 25th anniversary, allowing Magnani to share the beauty and richness of Italy’s wine regions and producers with those who have supported his journey. As Fufluns continues to innovate in the wine travel space, Magnani’s goal is to strengthen his expert team, further enhancing Fufluns’ ability to offer unique and memorable wine experiences while maintaining the personal touch that has distinguished them in the industry.

Magnani will also be participating in a charity auction as part of The Golden Vines Awards this October in Madrid. For this event, he has created a special auction item: “VIP Experience — Discovering the Iconic Bolgheri”, in which he will personally accompany six passionate donors on a visit to the historic estates of this famed Tuscan region. All proceeds will be donated entirely to the Gérard Basset Foundation.

Source: Fufluns Wine Tours

Hedonism Wines Launches Auction Platform

Hedonism Wines, my favorite London wine shop, and Mayfair’s leading fine wine merchant has launched an online auction platform, which is due to go live November 13th!

According to CEO Tatiana Fokina, the inaugural sale will comprise 100 lots, featuring a selection of the world’s most exclusive labels of both wine and spirits. As a further enticement, bidders will be charged zero commission on their purchases.

“This transparent approach ensures that bidders only pay for the lots they win, with no hidden fees,” said Tatiana Fokina.

“We are ecstatic to embark on this new chapter with our devoted clientele,” said Tatiana Fokina, CEO at Hedonism Wines. “This platform is not only a testament to our commitment to innovation within the industry but also our dedication to providing unparalleled value. By waiving commission fees and delivering on speed, we’re promising a seamless, customer-centric experience like no other.”

Hedonism also promises that “winners can expect their prized bottles to arrive at their doorsteps in just one to two days, marking one of the fastest delivery turnarounds in the industry.”

The initial offering is a collector’s dream: a magnum of Lafite Rothschild 1989, Dom Perignon 1990 and Meursault Goutte d’Or Comtes Lafon are among the luxury brands being auctioned, in addition to some rare bottles of bourbon.

Here is the link to the auction site:

https://hedonism.co.uk/auctions-at-Hedonism

400 Drones Light Up The Sky At The Bordeaux Wine Festival

The Bordeaux Wine Festival was held June 22nd to 25th, where attendees were part of wine-tasting programmes and other fun experiences. But the highlight of the festival was the spectacular drone show.  The Bordeaux Wine Festival 2023 took an environment-friendly approach to replace its annual firework with drones.

Over 400 drones lit up the night sky over the Garonne River in Bordeaux. There were 20-minute shows held on both Friday and Saturday where the drones created stunning formations of wine being poured into a glass from a bottle, a vineyard, and the drones went into formation spelling: ‘Bordeaux celebrates wine’ in bold letters in the stunning night sky. The drones were operated by the French company Dronisos.

The 2022 Golden Vines® Awards will be held October 15-17 in Florence

The 2022 Golden Vines® – a definitive fine wine experience for 275+ guests will be held in Florence, Italy, for three days October 15-17 2022.

There were 450 wine professionals from 55 countries who voted for last year’s winners. This year’s event in Florence will have over 275 guests over a period of four days, and will feature wines & spirits from Dom Pérignon, Krug, Trimbach, Château Cheval Blanc, Solaia, Emidio Pepe, Taylor’s Port, Château d’Yquem, Hennessy Cognac and The Macallan.

The Oscar’s style awards ceremony & dinner to celebrate the world’s best fine wine producers & industry legends will be held at Salone dei Cinquecento, Palazzo Vecchio.

The three-day event will also feature:

  • 3 Michelin Star fine dining experience prepared by Chef Massimo Bottura and Osteria Francescana team
  • 500+ bottles of fine wine & rare spirits from Dom Pérignon P1 & P2, Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune,Château Cheval Blanc Château d’Yquem & The Macallan
  • Marc Almert @marc_almert, The 2019 ASI Best Sommelier of the World as well as The 2020 Michelin Sommelier of the Year, as The Golden Vines® Head Sommelier
  • The Golden Vines® Fine Wine, Rare Spirit & Experience Global Online Charity Auction with 100+ Auction Lots
  • The Zachys Fine WineGolden Vines® Live Auction

The target for The 2022 Golden Vines® is to raise over £1.2 million for the Gérard Basset Foundation – to fund education, learning & career opportunities for young wine professionals with a focus on global diversity, equity & inclusion-related wine, spirits & hospitality industry education programs.

PLUS:  A Gala Dinner celebrating The Golden Vines® Scholars, featuring:

  • Davide Oldani, 2 Michelin star chef of D’O, and Matteo Lorenzini, 1 Michelin star chef of Osteria di Passignano
  • Entertainment by Alessandro Ristori & The Portofinos
  • Masterclasses with Hennessy, Dom Pérignon, Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, István Szepsy, & 4 leading Brunello di Montalcino vineyards

As well as other Private Tours, Tastings & Lunches, featuring over 500 bottles of wine from Marchesi Antinori, Emidio Pepe, KRUG ChampagneRuinart, and Richard Hennessy.

The 2022 Golden Vines®  are sponsored by:

Marchesi Antinori

Artémis Domaines

Castiglion del Bosco Winery

Dom Pérignon

Casa Ferreirinha

Gucci

Hennessy

The Macallan

Octavian

RIEDEL – THE WINE GLASS COMPANY

Robb Report

Gruppo Sanpellegrino

SGC Wine Estates

Taylor’s Port

VistaJet

Zachys Fine Wine

 

Registration and additional information about the 2022 Golden Vines® Awards can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e6Gf5hRg

 

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Hermitage Launches Online Charity Wine Auction

Hermitage, the Rhône Valley wine appellation has launched its online wine auction, which is now open for bidding until Tuesday, June 21-  4 pm via the fine wine auction marketplace Bid For Wine https://www.bidforwine.co.uk/legendary-hermitage.

The lots available to bid on have been donated by Hermitage winemakers with some unique vintages for wine lovers and collectors.

The Centre Médical de La Teppe (France) and The Epilepsy Society (UK) are the two charities that have been chosen for the auction, with all proceeds being donated equally between the two.

Hermitage is also hosting their ‘Legendary Hermitage’ event at the Four Seasons Hotel, London, at Ten Trinity Square on Monday June 20th. The event is hosted by several of the Hermitage winemakers which includes a tasting of the prestigious cuvées available on the UK market, and a gastronomic dinner curated by award-winning chef, Anne-Sophie Pic. Chef Pic is the most decorated female chef in the world, with eight Michelin stars to her name.

Michel Chapoutier, president of the Hermitage appellation, said: “Our Legendary Hermitage event is an opportunity to share our wines with the UK wine trade, and along with our online charity wine auction, we are also helping out some charities which are important to our winemakers. We can’t wait to meet everyone and allow them to taste some exciting wines, some of which they won’t have tasted before.”

The auction lots include:

Lot 1 – Maison Les Alexandrins 2020, White – 6 bottles

Lot 2 – Christelle Betton, Arpège 2004-2011-2019, White (3 bottles)

Lot 3 – Maison M.Chapoutier, Vin de Paille 1999, Magnum

Lot 4 – Maison M.Chapoutier, Pavillon 2007, Red, Magnum

Lot 5 – Maison M.Chapoutier, De l’Orée 2007, White, Mathusalem

Lot 6 – Maison Jean-Louis Chave, Red 2015, Jeroboam

Lot 7 – Delas Frères, Domaine des Tourettes 2015, White, Jeroboam

Lot 8 – Ferraton Père & Fils – 6 bottles

Les Miaux 1998, White (2 bottles)

Les Dionnières 2001, Red (2 bottles)

Le Méal 2001, Red (2 bottles)

Lot 9- Ferraton Père & Fils – 6 bottles

Les Miaux 1998, White (2 bottles)

Les Dionnières 2001, Red (2 bottles)

Le Méal 2001, Red (2 bottles)

Lot 10 – Maison Guigal – 6 bottles

Ex-Voto 2012, Red (3 bottles)

Ex-Voto 2012, White (3 bottles)

Lot 11 – Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné, La Chapelle 2006, Red, Jeroboam

Lot 12 – Maison Paul Jaboulet Aîné, La Chapelle 1982-1985-2009-2012-2015-2016, Red (6 bottles)

Lot 13 – Domaine des Martinelles – 6 magnums

Domaine des Martinelles 2013, Red, Magnum (2 magnums)

Domaine des Martinelles 2015, Red, Magnum (2 magnums)

Domaine des Martinelles 2020, White, Magnum (2 magnums)

Lot 14 – Gabriel Meffre, Laurus 2015, Red – 3 bottles

Lot 15 – Domaine Marc Sorrel, Le Gréal 2018, Red – 3 bottles

Lot 16 – Cave de Tain, Gambert de Loche 2015, Red, Jeroboam

Lot 17 – Maison Tardieu-Laurent 2006, White – 6 bottles

Lot 18 – Maison Tardieu-Laurent 2005, Red – 6 bottles

Lot 19 – Les Vins de Vienne, La Bachole 2010, White – 2 bottles

Lot 20 – Les Vins de Vienne, Les Chirats de Saint-Christophe 2009, Red – 2 bottles

#rhonevalley #hermitage #bidforwine #AnneSophiePic #rhonewine #wineauction #wine #redwine #whitewine #winelovers #winecollectors #wineinvestors #wineandfood #womeninfood #womeninwine #Michelinstarred #Michelin #chef  #RhoneValleyWines