Lošinj Island: A Culinary and Wine Symphony in Alfred Keller Restaurant
Gourmet event of the year in Croatia, powered by Gault&Millau Croatia
Frescobaldi wine: More than 700 years of winemaking through the eyes of artists
The Mid Summer Epicurean Extravaganza, which will take place at the Alhambra Boutique Hotel on the Croatian Island of Mali Lošinj on 7 August, will create an unforgettable fine dining event with four leading chefs. The line up starts with Stefan Heilemann - Swiss Chef of the Year 2021 awarded by Gault&Millau - from The Widder Restaurant, Zurich, (4 toques by Gault&Millau, 2 Michelin **). The top chefs list also includes Christian Kuchler - owner and chef of Taverne zum Schäfli, Wigoltingen (awarded 4 toques by Gault&Millau and 2 Michelin**), Sebastian Zier - chef of Einstein Gourmet, St Gallen (4 toques by Gault&Millau and 2 Michelin **), and their host Michael Gollenz - chef of Alfred Keller, Lošinj at Alhambra Boutique Hotel (2 toques by Gault&Millau). The spectacular multi - course dinner featuring an exclusive tasting menu, paired with the wines from the region: Benvenuti from Istria and Frescobaldi, from Tuscany. Both wineries are family owned and marked with long lasting tradition in producing vine, Benvenuti’s longer than eight decades and Frescobaldi’s more than 700 years.
In such a glorious history of dedication to cultivation and culture, the Frescobaldi’s have shown a keen interest in art. Patrons, commissioners, collectors…. For centuries they have had an affinity with and supported artists. It all began in the mid – 15th century, when Stoldo Frescobaldi commissioned Filippo Brunelleschi to design the Basilica of Santo Spirito on land that he owned in Florence, while two centuries earlier, in 1252, Lamberto Frescobaldi had built the Ponte Santa Trinita over the Arno river to connect Piazza Frescobaldi and the Palace with the other part of the city. Later, in the mid-17th century, Bartolomeo Frescobaldi commissioned from the most famous portraitist of the period, Lorenzo Lippi, a series of painting of the most representative personages of Frescobaldi dynasty. During that period, in fact, the Frescobaldi undertook a series of public works that still partly define the Florentine cityscape. In 2013 Frescobaldi’s opened a new chapter in their relationship with art: Artisti per Frescobaldi Prize has been created by Tiziana Frescobaldi and curated by Ludovico Pratesi.
CactelGiocondo Estate in Tuscany / Photo: courtsy of Frescobaldi
The Prize is connected to the long - standing patronage of the family, who have been supporting the greatest artists since the Renaissance, but follows and is involved with the latest trends in contemporary art and is oriented towards recent generations artists and their expressive languages. A natural choice, in many aspects, for a family and company that has roots in Italy, and Tuscany in particular, and enjoys an international reputation. Every two year Ludovico Pratesi and Tiziana Frescobaldi invite three artists to interpret the CastelGiocondo estate. A high-profile jury, made up of three contemporary art museum directors who change with every edition, present the prize to one of the three works. The three artists also design a label for a dedicated, limited and numbered edition of CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino. A portion of the sale proceeds goes towards supporting contemporary Italian art. On display at CastelGiocondo are all the works created for the Prize from the very beginning. They are by painter Elisa Sighicelli, contemporary artist and film maker Rä Di Martino, and photography artist Giovanni Ozzola, who competed in the first edition in 2013. Sculpture and installation artist Michael Sailstorfer, video artist Yuri Ancarani and drawing artist Jorinde Voigt, participated in the second, in 2014. Screen prints artist Matthew Brannon, Eric Wesley - installation and paintings artist, and the painter Patrizio Di Massimo participated in the third, in 2016. Installation artist Claudia Comte, sculptor Sonia Kacem and conceptual artist Francesco Arena participated in the forth edition, in 2018.
The Artisti per Frescobaldi collection has been kept at CastelGiocondo since 2017. The works made for the prize have been installed in various parts of the estate – from the cellar to the garage and the dining room – to create a constantly evolving contemporary art collection that is enriched with three new works with every edition of the prize. A special area is reserved for the bottles of the dedicated vintage of CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino, a limited and numbered magnum edition with a label designed by the artists.
The Frescobaldi family also devotes itself to another art: 30 generations of wine making. CastelGiocondo, at Montalcino, is one of the seven family-owned estates in Tuscany, and known for its Brunello.
The guests at the exclusive Mid Summer Epicurean Extravaganza, Croatian gourmet event of the year powered by Gault&Millau Croatia, will have an opportunity to taste Frescobaldi’s CastelGiocondo Estate 2008, 2011 and 2013, and Castello di Nipozzano Montesodi 2011.
Alfred Keller Restaurant in Alhambra Boutique Hotel at the Island of Lošinj
