US Takes On Brunello Imports
Staff Writer - May 13, 2008
It all started with the sensational cover of the Italian weekly, L'Espresso, which came out the opening day of Vinitaly, the huge five-day wine trade show held in Verona, Italy, from Thursday, April 3, 2008 to Monday, April 8, 2008. "VELENITALY" (or "POISONITALY"), screamed the cover in a play on words which blended the word Veleno (poison in Italian) with Vinitaly, the name of the world famous wine fair.
Now, it has gotten to the point that the United States has threatened to block all imports of Brunello di Montalcino starting June 9, 2008. The US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) instructed the US Embassy in Rome on the matter with a letter dated May 9, 2008.
"Starting on June 9, 2008," said the president of the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino (Consortium of the Brunello di Montalcino Wine), Francesco Marone Cinzano, "the US will block all Brunello imports, unless the wine is accompanied by laboratory analysis proving that the wine is [made with] pure Sangiovese."
This is bad news, as the US represents Brunello's largest market, in taking around 25% of total Brunello production.
According to the very strict production rules, the prized Brunello di Montalcino must be made exclusively with 100% Sangiovese grapes, of the local variety known as grosso (big), cultivated in a limited area around the medieval town of Montalcino.
According to the L'Espresso magazine article, Italian law enforcement agents from Siena found that other grapes had been added by certain producers to wine labeled as Brunello. That sparked a widespread investigation which has shaken up the world famous small Tuscan town where this superior DOCG wine is produced. In addition to breaking the Italian production laws, the addition of grapes other than Sangiovese Grosso is in violation of the strict labeling policies existing between the US and the EU, as well. The agreement stipulates that what is on the label MUST guarantee what is in the bottle.
We must point out the vintage which was found to be fraudulent is the acclaimed 2003 vintage, which was just recently released. The other vintages under inquiry, from 2004 to 2007, have not yet been release on the market. Most Brunello currently for sale in the US is the excellent Brunello 2001 Riserva and the 2002 regular.
According to various reports, starting April 9, 2008, that is, the day after the Vinitaly wine trade fair closed, the Italian Embassy in Washington had received numerous written TTB requests for more information on the grape-blending scandal, specifically for lists of the producers, labels and vintages involved in the enquiry (see copy of a letter sent to Mr. Stefano Beltrame, head of the Economic, Commercial and Scientific Affairs Office of the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on May 7, 2008).
Even though the investigation is ongoing, said Art Resnick, a spokesman for the TTB: "These wines are not properly labeled ... we don't know what the consumer is being sold."
"It is all about truth in labeling," said a source at the American Embassy in Rome. "It doesn't matter if it is Parmigiano cheese or wine, the Italian product has to be what it says it is on the label. It's about protecting the [US] consumer."
"We have a general assembly in two days," said Marone Cinzano on behalf of the Consortium. "Organizing laboratory analysies (for the wines involved) will be our number one priority, to ensure that Brunello will continue to be imported into the US." He added that analysis can certify the authenticity of wines produced with three grape varieties only: the Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir. "Based on the level of anthocyanins, tests can prove whether wines made with any one of these three varieties are pure or if they have been blended with other varieties. We now need to act rapidly to reassure consumers in the US, and everywhere, of Brunello's authenticity," added Marone Cinzano.
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