Philosophy and beauty. (And wine too)
There are lots of famous people – accomplished in other fields – who decide at some point that they ought to make or at least bottle wine.
In Napa, Bordeaux, or Tuscany, they are a dime a dozen.
Now you have – in a category of his own – Brunello Cucinelli, the luxury Cashmere King who lives his brand of “humanistic capitalism” while producing very high-end sportswear from his base in Solomeo in central Italy’s Umbria.
About 15 years ago, Cucinelli began thinking about making olive oil and wine as part of his singularly impressive restoration of Solomeo and its valley.
Brunello Cucinelli overlooking vineyard. Photo by Robert Camuto
His oil is deliciously strong. But as you can imagine, the wine had to smooth as a Himalayan (Cashmere) goat’s under chin fur.
He’s just released the first vintage – 2018 – of his Castello di Solomeo Umbria Rosso, and I visited Brunello in June for the launch.
The price is set high – for Cucinelli’s “quiet luxury” buying public of butter-soft threads.
What justifies it ? Read the latest Robert Camuto Meets… at winespectator.com