US ambassador vouches for Italy's scandal-hit Brunello wine
MONTALCINO, Italy (AFP) — US Ambassador to Italy Ronald Spogli on Thursday vouched for the purity of the famous Tuscan wine Brunello di Montalcino, hit by suspicions of tampering to please the American palate.
Brunello di Montalcino "will continue to be a symbol of excellence in the world" despite a probe into allegations that some wines sold as Brunello were not 100 percent from sangiovese grapes as the appellation requires, Spogli told a news conference.
At least four Montalcino vineyards have been implicated in the probe, including the region's top producer, the American-owned Banfi.
More than a million bottles of the coveted red's 2003 vintage that went on sale in January have reportedly been impounded as authorities investigate whether they contain other grapes besides sangiovese.
In Banfi's case, the grower has reportedly exceeded the per-hectare production limit of 80 hectolitres for the appellation.
Exceeding the limit raises suspicions that the Brunello (as the dark-hued sangiovese is known locally) is being adulterated with other grape varieties grown elsewhere.
Wine experts say that adding merlot or cabernet to Brunello makes it rounder and more pleasing to the Americans, its top consumer outside Italy, importing about one-quarter of total production.
Prosecutor Nino Calabrese acted on an anonymous tipoff just as producers from across the country were preparing for the all-important Vinitalia wine fair in Verona in April.
Flanked by Italian Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia, Spogli said: "What began as a technical problem risked turning into a media problem."
For his part, Zaia warned that "the Brunello affair could have a domino effect" at a time when Italian olive oil and mozzarella have also come under scrutiny.
With the Brunello investigation pending -- one producer has already been cleared -- the United States and Italy have reached a special accord aimed at "closing the matter," Zaia said.
The agreement averted a threatened ban on Brunello imports by the US Treasury Department prompted by the probe.
Under the accord, US importers will have full confidence in Italian authorities who clear Brunello di Montalcino wines for export, both Spogli and Zaia said.
Zaia said the news conference, attended by dozens of reporters and cameramen at the sprawling Conti Costanti vineyard in this mediaeval hill town, was aimed at "sending a positive signal."
"Whenever something goes wrong, it's always our authorities who uncover it," Zaia argued.
