Tenuta Torciano @ Duquesne Club Pittsburgh
RELIVE THE EVENT
Pierluigi Giachi, together with some members of his Staff, returned to the Duquesne of Pittsburgh after 4 years for an incredible Italian Wine Dinner in front of about 90 people, all members of the prestigious American club.
The event took place on the second floor of the building, one of the most elegant rooms of the Duquesne Club, with a delicious 5-course menu specially designed by the Chef and a tasting of the best wines of Tenuta Torciano perfectly explained by Pierluigi for an elegant wine/food combination. All accompanied by a professional waiters and sommeliers Staff who made the evening flawless and organized in great detail.
A very special occasion for Pierluigi to present also the new Bolgheri Gioiello and all the Luxury reserve wines (Alligator, Leather Reserve 1996 and Tobacco Reserve 1997) together its “cult” wines such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Baldassarre, Cavaliere, Bartolomeo and Terrestre Super Tuscans.
Members of the club, including some distinguished guests, thoroughly enjoyed the evening, the excellent food and wine.
The Cannellini beans stew with noisette of tuna, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, wax beans and saffron, seasoned with Torciano Extra Virgin Olive Oil, has been accompanied by Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Chianti.
The pan roasted duck breast with cherry reduction, braised cabbage, pancetta and chestnuts has been paired with Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino.
The roasted fields lamb with ricotta ravioli and truffle flakes have been paired with Baldassarre, Cavaliere and Bartolomeo Super Tuscans, while the selection of cheeses, embellished with a drop of Balsamic Vinegar, Truffle Oil and Pepper Oil, have been combined with Terrestre Gold.
Before the dessert, a tiramisu torta with chantilly cream, blackberries and dark chocolate, guests tasted the 1996-1997 vintage reserve for a closure in great style.
The evening ended in the Duquesne’s Cigar Room where guests could continue to have a conversation with a cup of tea or coffee.
History
The Duquesne Club was founded in 1873. Its first president was John H. Ricketson. The club’s present home, a Romanesque structure designed by Longfellow, Alden & Harlow on Sixth Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh, was opened in 1890; an addition designed by Janssen & Cocken that included a garden patio, barbershop, and new kitchens was constructed in 1931. The building achieved landmark status from the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation in 1976, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The Club voted to admit women for the first time in its history in 1980. A health-and-fitness center was added in 1994, and the Club was ranked as #1 City Club in America in 1997, an honor that would be repeated in 2001, 2003, and 2006. In 2009, the Duquesne Club was ranked as the second best city club in the nation, behind the Union League Club of Philadelphia.
Among notable guest to the club are U.S. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Herbert Hoover, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton as well as Colin Powell, Polish leader Edward Gierek, Jungle James, Tars Cornish, Charles, Prince of Wales and Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. As of 2007, membership at the Duquesne Club consisted of about 2,700 men and women. Though the Club does not discriminate in its selection of members, membership is by invitation from an existing member only.
Thanks to all our friends who have decided to organize a Wine School with us.
It is truly a great honor for us to bring the culture and the Tuscany traditions in prestigious locations such as Duquesne Club of Pittsburgh, in all the houses and clubs of the world.
Tenuta Torciano promotes the Italian wine & food culture all over the world. A beautiful Italian experience to learn the best combinations beetween wine & food, the glass etiquette, the secrets of Italian cuisine, Tuscan wine-making techniques and more.
If you want to organize an event with our staff send an email to: wineschool@torciano.com
EVENT GALLERY
Author
Luciana Cilemmi
Luciana Cilemmi, deals with Magazine, Style Director and Co-founder of Tenuta Torciano winery and Tenute Giachi wines and the innovative Viviarium Restaurant of Bottega Torciano- Tenuta Torciano & Winery is part of an international reality that is born in Italy by an initiative of Pierluigi Giachi and Luciana Cilemmi, who have worked for years in the Italian wine market , expanding throughout in the United States, managed and controlled by the american company ' Bellavini winery. Luciana Cilemmi was born in San Gimignano to a family of artists specialised in the restoration of medieval buildings. Having completed her technical studies, she now pursues the interests passed on to her by her family, like her passion for artistic objects, in particular works of art created in Tuscany between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. But she reserves her keenest enthusiasm for the historic works completed in San Gimignano between 1100 and 1300. Alongside her love of medieval history, she is fascinated in wines produced from Tuscan vineyards, which, together with saffron and wool, were the most sought-after goods traded by the wealthy noble families of San Gimignano already in medieval times. Luciana Cilemmi left San Gimignano at the age of 21 and embarked on a pilgrimage in search of knowledge and to discover the new winemaking skills and products that were then developing both in Italy and in France. In the meantime she added to her knowledge of wine by attending specialised courses and becoming a master of wine. On returning to Siena, she discovered a wonderful area near Murlo where she fell in love with the tiny, unspoilt village of Montepescini. She bought the estate of Montepescini where, based on the experience she had acquired over the years, she found a particular lie of the land, special climatic conditions and an altitude suited to the creation of great wines. With enormous enthusiasm, doggedness and considerable effort, a reclamation programme was started to renew the terrain which was then used to plant 30 hectares of specialised vines. Sangiovese is the dominant vine, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Years of experimentation and the introduction of new winemaking techniques eventually led to the creation of Luciana di Memmi’s prestigious wines. Some years ago, Luciana Cilemmi succeeded in realising her dream of a lifetime: to return to her home town, San Gimignano. She was destined to buy the historic palace with the medieval tower, which had been owned by the prestigious Useppi family from 1200 to 1927 and had then passed to the noble and historic Chigi family of Siena. The Useppi were a powerful Sienese family who owned several castles. This beautiful medieval building has an elegant and distinctive façade full of Sienese and Pisan architectural influences. If you find yourself in San Gimignano, make sure you visit the Chigi Tower and Palace. Luciana Cilemmi holds regular events in the rooms of the medieval tower, such as the presentation of wines, both from her vineyards and elsewhere, attended by international journalists, experts from the sector and critics. She also organises exhibitions of works of art and paintings, and press conferences on the subject of "Wine in San Gimignano during medieval times”. Visiting the home of Luciana Cilemmi is like re-living an aspect of the past that will not return except through the imagination of those who have believed and continue to believe in this story.
