THE BRUNELLO CONSORTIUM DEFENDS ITSELF FROM RUMORS OF “TAINTED” WINES

THE BRUNELLO CONSORTIUM DEFENDS ITSELF FROM RUMORS OF “TAINTED” WINES In response to the rumors that began to appear recently online, with accusations that the production discipline for Brunello di Montalcino denomination wines has been violated, the Brunello Consortium has published the following declaration:
“Since 2004, the Brunello di Montalcino Consortium has been invested by the Italian Ministry Agriculture and Forestry Policies with the power to conduct controls on Brunello di Montalcino vineyards and wine products with Brunello di Montalcino denomination. And, as in other occasions, the Brunello Consortium was among the first to be invested with this role.
Therefore, in reference to rumors that have appeared recently on web sites with allegations of the violation of Brunello di Montalcino production practices, the Consortium makes the following declarations:
1 – “Rumors” that producers in Montalcino have used wines from Southern Italy in Brunello 2003 vintages: this is a very grave accusation that we find hard to believe and which the Consortium has no evidence of whatsoever;
2 – As for the purity of Brunello vineyards, in 2007, the Consortium completed an inspection of over 1,667 hectares of enrolled vineyards. With these inspections, which began in 2004, only 17 hectares of vineyards were revealed as non-conforming, equal to about 1% of all vineyards that were controlled. It can, therefore, be confirmed that over 99% of vineyards enrolled under the Brunello di Montalcino denomination, completely adhere to production disciplines.
It is the declared intention of the Board of Directors of the Brunello di Montalcino Consortium, as it has always declared as its task, to safeguard the wines of the four denominations in the Montalcino territory, with both the tools for control imposed by the government and the ever more stringent rules of the Consortium itself”.
Source: Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino www.consorziobrunellodimontalcino.it