Happy Hours

BY: EMILY HALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF GUDRUN CUILLO

There are not enough hours in the day for Mar-a-Lago Club member Gudrun Cuillo. In addition to running Casalvento, an Italian winery in the Chianti region of Tuscany, and the nearby Livernano, a medieval village restored to its former beauty complete with a boutique hotel and restaurant, Cuillo is debuting her romance novel, Casalvento House of the Wind (Greenleaf Book Group), later this year.

She is the widow of Bob Cuillo, who owned automobile dealerships and the former Cuillo Centre of the Arts in downtown West Palm Beach and also produced Broadway musicals. She was born and raised in Leibnitz, Austria, and now divides her time among three homes: one in Palm Beach; another near Salzburg, Austria; and a third in Tuscany, where she heads the Italian winemaking and hospitality businesses.

Gudrun learned about winemaking during her years with Bob, whose parents were immigrants from southern Italy. In 1997, a realtor alerted Bob about a thousand-year-old farmhouse located atop a hill in Tuscany. Since the entrepreneur wanted to create a legacy for his parents, he bought the property. Not long after, he met Gudrun, who had moved from New York — where she was working and studying — to Palm

Beach after traveling throughout the U.S. and exploring new cities. When the couple visited Casalvento and the hilltop farmhouse, Gudrun liked its charm but knew some renovation was needed. “I loved the house and its potential yet was also excited about the nearly 19 acres of Chianti Classico and the idea of producing wine from the grapes,” Gudrun says of the opportunities available in Radda in Chianti, Italy. “In Austria, my grandparents built wine cellars, and my dad had a hobby of brewing beer. So it is in my blood.”

For Gudrun and Bob, learning the wine-producing business was a labor of love that became an all-encompassing passion. In the beginning, they weren’t going to make the wine themselves — they would have people from a neighboring estate do that. But things changed as they became more familiar with the region. “Since I was so intrigued with doing the whole process and with the selection of wines, Bob told me I should become a farmer and winemaker!” she says.

About two and a half years into planting Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot, and Alicante grapes, it became a reality, although “people laughed at us in the beginning,” she admits. “But I loved all of it and learned so much from a variety of experts, including how to speak the Italian language.”

During this time, they discovered the village of Livernano, which they could see from their farmhouse. The couple learned that a Swiss man was making wine as a hobby on an estate there. They were fascinated with the property and agreed to buy the village in 2002, the same year they were married.

They researched the history and then re-created the village (which dates back to 500 B.C., according to Palm Beach Illustrated) to resemble the original plan, adding modern touches where needed.

They planted the acres with Cabernet, Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewürztraminer and also expanded into other farming areas, like growing vegetables. They rehabilitated and added trees, including olive trees, and even introduced beehives to make honey.

As winemakers, the couple’s first vintage was a tasty 2004 Janus made in their Casalvento garage. From there, the winery dream grew into a professional operation that is now capable of producing about 15 wines, such as Janus; Livernano Purosangue; Livernano L’Anima, a Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blanc blend; Chianti Classico from Livernano; and Livernano Jupiter.

“It took us nearly a decade to complete the winery and cellar built into the mountainside beneath our home,” Gudrun says of her holdings, which include 540 acres of hills that comprise Livernano and Casalvento, plus the land in between.

Now Gudrun employs 18 full-time staffers in both wine and hospitality and has implemented a reduced production schedule that has made her business more of a boutique winery, creating only the best of the best vintages.

“We are insistent on quality wine and only make what is best in a single year,” she explains. “Each wine is different, and each year is different. We do express ourselves best through Tuscan wines. And I am 100 percent involved. I even have an import company where I sell wine in the U.S.”

Thoroughly enjoying her work, Gudrun believes that owning a winery is exciting because each day is different. There is nothing routine. As a wine connoisseur, Gudrun loves the tasting after fermentation because she gets a charge out of seeing how the grape juice turns into wine.

“It all comes together in a bouquet of smell with a wonderful taste in my mouth,” says Gudrun, who quips that she has red wine in her veins. “I also love to cook, so I invite friends to come visit me in Italy. I couldn’t boil an egg when I met Bob, but I got interested because I prepared what was in the garden. Now one of my favorite dishes to cook is lemon pasta.”

Another nice touch in Gudrun’s life is that she wants her staff members to feel like family. To keep that fresh, she arranges regular dinners with them when she is in Italy. “We really are like a family,” she says. “We discuss many things while dining together. It promotes goodwill among all of us.”

Her winery and hospitality businesses also offer many other options to guests and visitors. In addition to the extraordinary views, which combine romance with scenes from Italian cinema, there are overnight stays at the charming inn for wine tasting, tours of the area, and lazy holiday respites. The property also includes a chapel for weddings and other special events. Gudrun employs a chef so the ceremony and reception can be held without driving elsewhere.

To get to the winery and inn, Gudrun suggests flying to Florence because the property is about 45 minutes south of the city and 50 minutes north of Siena. Once in Florence, travelers need to hire or rent a car for the remainder of the trip, which lands them smack-dab in the middle of the Chianti region.

With Gudrun’s busy schedule, travel is a way of life. A normal year is a whirlwind of packing, planes, and people. Since she runs the wine operations and the inn and restaurant, she is always on the go.

In March, she opens the hotel for the season and stays for two weeks. “I do the wine blending for the season, concentrating on what is good that year,” she explains. “In June and July, I am very hands-on in the Italian wine cellars and with grapes where I am involved in the long organic process.”

In August, she goes back to her home in

Austria to see family; in September and October, she returns to Italy for harvest. For Christmas, she heads to Austria for a traditional family holiday before landing in Palm Beach by Jan. 15, where she frequents The Mar-a-Lago Club, her favorite home away from homes.

“I love Mar-a-Lago,” she says. “It was my idea to join when Bob was alive. I like the atmosphere and have friends who belong. The staff is friendly and knows my name. When I walk through the gates, I leave any problems outside.”

On March 14, Gudrun plans to host Italian Night, a wine dinner at Mar-a-Lago. The club already serves three of her Italian wines: Chianti Classico, Purosangue, and Janus. But the wine dinner gives her the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of her labor and happily share with others.

During the day, she maintains a healthy lifestyle, keeping fit and energetic by exercising for an hour. She favors a combination of bike riding, beach walking, Pilates, and yoga, all “good for the mood,” she says.

Her future goals are to keep hosting at Livernano, making fine wine for people around the world at Casalvento, and writing about her life in both fiction and nonfiction.

“Wherever I am, I write four to five hours a day,” Gudrun says. “I stay up late at night, and in addition to fiction, I write poetry and describe sunsets, gardens, and other things that I love and see in my travels. My life is focused on writing and making the best wine and hospitality experience possible for my guests in Italy.”

“Before

K.D.

Glamoclija, R.N. Founder & Administrator

Juan