BRUNELLO CONSORTIUM: 2005 EARNINGS UP BETWEEN +3% AND +5%. 1999 AND 2000 WINES SOLD OUT

Brunello di Montalcino is enjoying perfect health. Evidence of this is the data recently released by the Brunello Consortium on the 2005 earnings of the top 18 wineries of Montalcino who produce over 50% of total bottles manufactured. Their earnings for 2005 increased between +3% and +15%, apart from three estates whose total earnings were the same as the previous year.

Considering these numbers, it can be confirmed that Italian wines are holding up very well, regardless of the difficult global economic situation. Brunello’s continued success has also been confirmed by sales for its last three years: 1999 is completely sold out, while there is hardly a bottle left for 2000, and Brunello 2001 (which will be in commerce starting this year) producers have already asked the Brunello Consortium for over 2.5 million official labels, more than one third of the total production of six million bottles. These labels are requested when sales have already been guaranteed, so this means that even Brunello 2001 has successfully conquered an important part of the market even before it has officially begun to be sold.

In all, the Montalcino wine zone (which includes Brunello, Rosso di Montalcino Doc, Moscatello Doc, red and white wines Sant’Antimo Doc, Supertuscans, and other IGT wines), closed out 2005 with earnings of 143 million euros. The area’s most representative wine, Brunello di Montalcino, confirmed its importance on the international market by selling 25% of its exports in the United States alone, and 9% in Germany, 7% in Switzerland, 5% in Canada. Substantial increases in sales were registered in northern European countries, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.