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STOP PRESS: Castello Banfi joins Bibendum - 09/06/2009

Bibendum has signed an exclusive UK distribution deal with Castello Banfi, undoubtedly one of Tuscany's biggest names.

Castello Banfi is a household name as far as Brunello di Montalcino is concerned. Although family owned, it is the largest contiguous estate in Europe, combining a sense of tradition with a modern and commercial perspective and has helped bring Montalcino to the world's attention in less than 20 years. It has a well-grounded environmental and social responsibility programme, conducts extensive research in new Sangiovese clones, and to top it all, runs an award winning hotel, Il Borgo, in an 11th Century castello.

We start working with Banfi on 1st July 2009 and to be honest we can't wait! Bibendum's Stuart Grundy said:

"I could have counted on one finger the number of Brunello estates that Bibendum wanted to work with. Yes, you guessed it...Banfi! It is quite rare to encounter a beautiful estate with such fabulous wines, such a strong identity, and such commercial savvy. And from Banfi's point of view, access to an award-winning national sales network was an absolute priority for their brand and sales development in the UK.

This really shows the ambition of Bibendum's buying policy. Even during tough trading conditions we are committed to selling wine with the sort of values that put this company on the map. And with UK Sales Manager Dante Cecchini already well known in the market, we'll have a great head start in building some strong trade relationships."

We will be focusing on a core range of 7 products:

Le Rime Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio Toscana 2008

Col di Sasso Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon Toscana 2007

Pinot Grigio San Angelo 2008

Rosso di Montalcino 2007

Brunello di Montalcino 2004

Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura 2004

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio all'Oro 1999/2004

Alongside the blue chip wines, we are excited to be working with an estate whose environmental initiatives dovetail so closely with Bibendum's 'VIVID' strategy. Banfi practises low input and eco-balanced farming and has one of the highest ratios of forest to cultivated land among European wine estates. In addition to this the Mariani family is strongly committed to maintaining biodynamic diversity, erosion control and water conservation. Castello Banfi is the first winery in the world to be awarded international recognition for exceptional environmental, ethical and social responsibility (ISO 14001 and SA8000) as well as an international leader in customer satisfaction (ISO 9001:2000).

"The fit with Bibendum is perfect as we share the same passion for wine and the desire to succeed. It's great that their customers are becoming increasingly aware of environmental concerns in the wine industry and we look forward to getting our message out to them.

Another major factor for us in choosing Bibendum was their unparalleled reach into high quality restaurants, hotels, wine shops and caterers on a national scale," Dante Cecchini, Castello Banfi UK Regional Manager.