Helmut Kocher, founder of the Merano Wine Festival, is also the sole administrator of The WineHunter. He was born in 1959 from a family that has always been linked to the culinary art: his grandmother, a cook at the service of noble families, and his grandfather, a weaver of fine materials, teach the young Helmut the importance of the quality of raw materials. After a trip to Bordeaux, during which he falls in love with wine, Helmut decides to return to Italy and devote himself to his passion.
In 1992 he decided to organize an event in which to enhance the elegance and excellence of the products. Thus was born the Merano Wine Festival, and in conjunction with it Kocher decides to become a Wine Hunter, that is, a wine hunter, always in search of excellent products.
From that moment he is invited to international tastings, which allow him to taste wines from all over the world, and wines whose quality makes them over time.
His motto, in fact, is “Excellence is an attitude”.
Every year, together with a commission, the taste of over 5000 Italian and foreign labels, for the Wine Hunter Award, which aims at researching, discovering and sharing excellences that arise as the union between past and future.
The prize is awarded to wine, culinary, spirits and products, after a careful evaluation that a minimum score of 90 points out of 100 is chosen, in order to guarantee their superior quality.
There are three scoring bands:
The Wine Hunter Awards Red, between 90 and 92.99 points out of 100
The Wine Hunter Award Gold, between 93 and 95.99 points out of 100
The Wine Hunter Award Platinum 96 points out of 100.
The commission that tastes the wines is made up of three members for eight different commissions. These are sommeliers, bartenders, wine shop owners and industry journalists, and all of them are headed by a central commission led by Helmut and two other sommeliers. Each wine is evaluated by assigning a score to intensity, complexity, elegance, personality, raw material, tradition and sustainability.
Tenuta del Buonamico participated in the Wine Hunter Awards by sending its red reserves, the Cercatoja IGT Toscana 2017 and the Fortino IGT Toscana 2017.
The first is the oldest reserve produced at Buonamico, which has remained unchanged since 1975.
It is a blend of Sangiovese (60%), Syrah (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) that ferments in steel for 3 weeks and carries out malolactic fermentation and aging in French oak barrels for 18 months. The nose is intense, with notes of black cherry, figs, plums, undergrowth, licorice and black tea. On the palate it is very structured, elegant and deep, with an evident but pleasantly rounded tannic texture. It is ideal in combination with grilled red meats, such as the typical Florentine steak, or roasted red meats, game and savory cheeses.
The second is a 100% Syrah that comes entirely from the oldest Syrah vineyard in Italy. The fermentation in stainless steel is followed by 18 months of aging in wood, for an intense, full wine, with red fruit in the foreground, a nose of undergrowth, blackberries, balsamic and spicy notes. On the palate it is broad, savory, structured and balanced, with dense and soft tannins. Perfect with red meats and white meats in sauces or grilled, it is also excellent as a meditation wine, perhaps in combination with dark chocolate.
Both wines have been awarded with a Red Wine Hunter Award, confirming once again the success of Tenuta del Buonamico in making excellent products.