COMMENTS ON THE INTERNATIONAL EVENT ‘WELCOME BRUNELLO’, HELD IN MONTALCINO, BY FIAT’S SERGIO MARCHIONNE: “THE WORK DONE BY FIAT CAN ONLY HOPE TO RECEIVE THE RECOGNITION THAT BRUNELLO HAS ALL OVER THE WORLD”.

“The work that FIAT is doing can only aspire to receive the type of recognition that Brunello has all over the world”. These are the comments made by Sergio Marchionne, the administrative director of FIAT, in an interview with WineNews.tv during the Benvenuto Brunello (Welcome Brunello) event held recently in Montalcino to present the 2007 harvest of the most famous Tuscan red (which, for 2007, was given the top five-star rating during this event, promising to be an excellent vintage).

“I have spent most of my career abroad” – continued Marchionne – “and if there is one thing that everybody recognizes for its quality and excellence, it’s Brunello, an icon that represents Italy. It helps give our country the capacity to produce things that are truly excellent”.

Marchionne confessed that he didn’t start drinking and appreciating wine until he was 43 years old, and it was Brunello that was his “downfall”.

The collaboration between Brunello di Montalcino and FIAT began this year with the realization of this year’s traditional plaque that celebrates the rating of each harvest. Roberto Giolito, designer at the FIAT Style Center (one of the top automobile design centers in Turin, the city that was elected in 2008 as the world capital of industrial design), created the plaque.