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THE BIRTH OF A FESTIVAL: WAITING FOR MONTALCINO JAZZ & WINE 2013

As every year Montalcino's Jazz and Wine festival takes its time with letting us know who'll be in town and who won't. So far there's only one thing set. The dates. 

Be sure to book your hotel room in the week from Tuesday 16th to Sunday 21st of July 2013. 

You don't make a down payment, unless you know the gig? If you're already out here in June or early July, look up the program of one of Montalcino's two twin cities when it comes to Jazz & Wine. Because, yes, Banfi and Brunello town aren't the only Italians to blend jazzy vibes with classy wines. 

You know how some generations are full of Kevins and others abound with swarms of Jennifers? The same thing happens with festivals. In the 90s Italy gave birth to one Jazz & Wine festival after the other. And like the pairing of cheese and wine, the combination was meant to stay. 



Fortress in Montalcino, home to the Montalcino Jazz & Wine festival
Montalcino's fortress: from medieval battlefield to Carnegie Hall

Calling in summer, the Zola Jazz festival near Bologna is already in full swing with concerts in wine cellars and a Modern Art Museum all through June. The festival in the hills of the Pignoletto DOCG will close on the 6th of July with a not to be missed piano solo of Danilo Rea. Which leaves you with 10 days to travel down to Tuscany. 

Then, enjoy a week in Montalcino to listen to... I don't know who yet. But no doubt, the concerts will be stellar as every year. Spend August and September back at home and then come out again for the Jazz & Wine of Peace Festival from the 25th to the 27th of October in Cormòns in the North Eastern part of Italy. The small town lies right next to the border of Slovenia (which may account for the peace in the festival's name). 

Now, we can only hope that the three festival organizers don't just exchange tips on gigs, but also cases filled with bottles. Pignoletto DOCG in Emilia and the Collio Goriziano DOC around Cormòns produce great Italian white wines - something that's always welcome on a hot summer night in Tuscany. 


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