THE CONSORTIUM: A "DEVELOPMENT AGENCY" OF THE TERRITORY, WITH WINE CELLARS AT THE CENTER, A NEW "CODE OF ETHICS", TRAINING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND MORE: FABRIZIO BINDOCCI, CONFIRMED AS CHAIRMAN OF THE CONSORTIUM OF BRUNELLO, SPELLS OUT HIS GOALS

The Consortium acting as a "development agency" of the territory, with the cellars in the center, a new "Code of Ethics", training for the young producers and not only: these are the goals laid out by Fabrizio Bindocci, confirmed today as president of the Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino (www.consorziobrunellodimontalcino.it), for the next three years by the Board of the Consortium (as Wine News anticipated at the end of May).
"I want to thank you for placing your trust in me” said Bindocci, “I am committed to developing the projects already in the pipeline and to pursuing the unity of the Consortium that will work to better meet the needs of producers. This mandate”, continued Bindocci, “is rooted in the knowledge of the vital union between producers, the Consortium and the territory. The dimensional dichotomy, according to which the interests of large producers and smaller ones remain hopelessly distant, does not apply in Montalcino.
Indeed, the reciprocity between the big producers, representing some of the most important players of the national wine system, and the small vintners, guardians of tradition and fine craftsmanship has made Brunello wine great. Thanks to them”, continued Bindocci, “the Consortium will take on more than the role of " denomination manager" to become a true "regional development agency and "catalyst of energy" for production and promotional purposes. The Consortium of Brunello will become a bridge, where the brand value of the land is more easily communicated to meet the needs of small and large companies, but also the requests from the world of politics and institutions. In a word, the new frontier will necessarily end up being called “promotion of the territory”.
The Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino will implement a series of "seasonally adjusted" events to animate the territory even during periods of the year that are less frequented by tourists and / or fans”.
"Montalcino is a unique area”, added Bindocci, “and a point of reference for many: this uniqueness should be valued on all fronts and it is for this reason that the synergy between the Consortium and the Administration is so important.
The "St. Augustine Project”, which sees the community taking back the antique structure, is one example. The Consortium could find there a permanent home for its offices, a space for a modern tasting room and a unique place, which will ensure adequate logistics and a frame of absolute beauty for "Benvenuto Brunello". On the other hand, the Administration may establish a permanent center for documentation, taste education, a museum and sensory experiences with training programs related to activities such as bars, studios and workshops, able to seasonally adjust the tourist offer and create a virtuous circle of "Made in Montalcino".
Another important aspect for Bindocci is training for young producers, "courses dedicated to improving their skills and increasing their preparation, in a wine world that is increasingly geared to globalization and competition. Then there is the novelty represented by the code of ethics for members of the consortium. It is a sort of self-certification form with which those who want to voluntarily join this project will undertake to pursue the highest degree of fairness in relation with the other members, beyond, of course, staying competitive on the market”.
"Last”, said Fabrizio Bindocci, “but not least, I believe that the Consortium must work with renewed commitment to start a project for the diversification of the areas, which does not mean qualitatively prioritizing Brunello, but it is a sort of orientation map for customers and / or fans, that the market is already asking for and to some extent, is already forming. The physiognomy of the Brunello production of is not unique, monolithic and all the same”.
Alongside Bindocci, there are also 3 new vice-presidents of the Consortium: Patrizio Cencioni, Bernardo Losappio and Francesco Ripaccioli.

Focus - The numbers of Montalcino
In 2012, in Montalcino 9.200.000 bottles of Brunello were produced and 4.500.000 of Rosso di Montalcino, 40.000 bottles of Moscadello and 360.000 bottles of Sant'Antimo with a of total export share of 65%.