Brunello di Montalcino : vrai scandale ou rumeur tordue et.. vicieuse? Les domaines cités - et maintenant sous enquête - comptent parmi les plus respectés d'Europe!
Posted on March 28th, 2008 by VinoWire
According to a report published today by the Florentine edition of Italy's daily newspaper La Repubblica , winemakers Antinori , Argiano , and Frescobaldi have been implicated in Siena prosecutors' investigation of fraudulent winemaking. The scandal has been dubbed Brunellopoli by the Italian press and blogosphere (a reference to the notorious Tangentopoli or bribesville political scandal of the 1990s). At least four other producers are to be named according to the report.
The Sienese edition of the daily La Nazione also reports today that investigators have issued at least 12 indictments, although officials have yet to release the names of the accused. Investigators have identified 14 Montalcino vineyards, according to the account, where growers have cultivated varieties other than the required Sangiovese Grosso grape.
“There is no basis for such a claim,” said Tiziana Frescobaldi to La Repubblica journalist Maurizio Bologni . “And we have no doubt that we will be able to clear this all up.”
“We will not release a drop of 2003 Brunello,” said Piero Antinori , “even though we could. Before we do, we want this affair to be cleared up and we trust it will be, fairly and promptly as far as we are concerned.”
The report by La Repubblica credits Italian journalist and VinoWire editor Franco Ziliani with breaking the story in Italy.
Posted on March 27th, 2008 by VinoWire
According to a report today by the Italian daily La Repubblica , five Montalcino wineries have been indicted for adding “Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, [and/or] Petit Verdot” to their Brunello (appellation regulations require that Brunello be made from 100% Sangiovese grapes). The article erroneously attributes the initial reporting of the indictments to wine writer James Sucking's blog. News of the indictments was first published by VinoWire editor Franco Ziliani on Friday, March 21, 2008 ( read post in Italian here ). Suckling did publish a post later in the day where he refers to “rumors” of irregularities.
The following is a translation of the report published today by La Repubblica (translation by VinoWire):
The case: “doctored Brunello,” seizures at five wineries… Brunello cut with other grapes, regulations for Italy's most famous wine broken by combining other grape varieties with Sangiovese in the bottle. Prosecutors in Siena investigate top Montalcino producers for fraud. Treasury and Labor Departments have already seized vineyards, cellars, and bottles.
The hypothesis is that those producers used between 10 - 20% of grapes other than Sangiovese in their Brunello. According to appellation regulations, the wine must be made from 100% Brunello grapes. They are suspected of using different grapes – Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot – and sacrificing hectares historically used for the cultivation of Brunello.
Investigators believe that the operation began in 2003 (this vintage was released for sale in 2007). Three or four persons from each winery have been investigated. The intention was perhaps that of producing a softer wine, more appealing to certain palates, like American palates. The first to report the investigation was a blog published by the noted American magazine Wine Spectator . The blog reported that the wine used to doctor the Brunello arrived from the south. But this has been ruled out by investigators. [the blog post in question, by James Suckling, refers to “rumors” that southern Italian wine has been blended with Brunello; but he clearly states that he believes such claims to be unlikely – editor's note]
– Michele Bocci
http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/fraudulent-brunellos-shocking/
http://vinowire.simplicissimus.it/
http://vinowire.simplicissimus.it/
