“BRUNELLO MUST BE OBTAINED EXCLUSIVELY FROM VINEYARDS COMPOSED OF SOLELY SANGIOVESE GRAPES, CALLED, IN MONTALCINO, ‘BRUNELLO’”: A PETITION SIGNED BY 149 PRODUCERS (THE MAJORITY OF MEMBERS OF THE BRUNELLO CONSORTIUM)

“Wine with the controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin Brunello di Montalcino must be obtained from vineyards composed within the company’s environs of exclusively Sangiovese grapes (called, in Montalcino, ‘Brunello’)”: this is the request that has been made by 149 producers (from Frescobaldi to Soldera, Fattoria dei Barbi, Tenuta il Greppo di Franco Biondi Santi (which is the first on the list), Tenuta Col d’Orcia, Poggio di Sotto di Piero Palmucci, Argiano, Il Poggione, Altesina, Caparzo, and so on for another 139 names of producers in Montalcino), or rather, the majority of producers who are members of the Brunello Consortium and those who, “do not want to create any modifications to the production discipline of Brunello di Montalcino”.

As well, these 149 signers also requested an urgent meeting recently of the Brunello di Montalcino Consortium “to affirm this in an unequivocal and definitive manner”.

“The signing of the petition took place” – explained a press release – “following a decision by the Brunello di Montalcino Consortium to bring into discussion during assembly five hypotheses for modifications to the production discipline which completely distorts the history and tradition that has carried the economy of Montalcino to levels of excellence”.

The list of signers was sent to the Minister of Agriculture, Luca Zaia, to the Mayor of Montalcino, Maurizio Buffi, and to the President of the Brunello di Montalcino Consortium, Patrizio Cencioni. Cencioni has already called a member meeting for October 27th, an assembly during which the fate of one of the most important wines in the world could be determined.