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| Luca Zaia, Agriculture Minister of italy |
The minister, Luca Zaia was present with the US Ambassador to Italy Ronald Spogli at a press conference. Zaia said he had worked with U.S. Ambassador to Italy Ronald Spogli
to reach an agreement that would avoid a trade blockade on the Brunello exports.
The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau had warned Italy that imports of the wine would be barred after June 23 unless a satisfactory solution was found.
On the evening of June 21, the Director of the Consorzio, Stefano Campatelli who had just returned from Rome to join the Indian delegation at a farewell dinner at the Caparzo winery looked relaxed when he said,' We have been assured by the ministry that the problem would be resolved within a week,' indicating of the parlays at the politician's level during the last few weeks.
As a part of the agreement, the inspection certificates for all Brunello shipments to the USA will be issued by the Florence-based agency of the Agriculture Ministry that monitors food quality.
Moreover, US importers will respect the decision of Italian authorities who clear Brunello di Montalcino wines for export, both Spogli and Zaia said
Spogli admitted that he was very confident about the purity of the famous Tuscan wine 'which will continue to be a symbol of excellence in the world despite the allegations that some wines sold as Brunello were not 100 percent from Sangiovese.'
Four or more Montalcino vineyards have been implicated in the probe, including Antinori which was cleared of the charges last week.
Significantely, the region's biggest producer Banfi is an American owned company and was also involved in the investigation.
About a million bottles of '03 vintage released in January had been reportedly impounded by the magistrate of Siena, as it was discovered that 17 hectares of the appellation vineyards were growing non Brunello (Sangiovese Grosso clone is known as such here) grapes.
According to AFP Banfi has reportedly exceeded the production limit of 80 h/L per hA for the appellation. Most quality producers maintain yield to less than 70 or even 60 hL in order to keep the fruit concentration high and get a better ageing wine.
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| Patrizio Cencioni President of the Consorzio Del Vino Brunello Di Montalcino |
Adding merlot or Cabernet to Brunello makes it rounder and more pleasing to the Americans who are the biggest importers, buying 25% of the Brunello exported and naturally they could exert a lot of influence on the style.
``We reached an agreement that will ensure that what is exported is 100 percent Sangiovese,'' Spogli said in a taped audio interview distributed by the Agriculture Ministry.
According to American Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer, ''the Brunello problem was never about a health risk, it was about truth in labelling''
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| Franco Biondi- Santi |
President of the Brunello Patrizio Cencioni informed delWine that it was the Consorzio which had uncovered the 17 hectares with 'illegal' grapes that had been reportedly planted in the appellation territory. It was media which had leaked the information resulting in the prosecutor's taking the action.
Franco Biondi Santi whose grand father Feruccio Biondi Santi had invented Brunello as a single varietal quality wine in the late eighteen hundreds, is a traditionalist who believes in the dictum.
However, when Arora asked him why no tolerance had been allowed, he insisted, 'this was a mistake of the politicians and bureaucrats. When my grand father created Brunello, it was with 100% Brunello grape. When the appellation was formed in 1966, no one thought of keeping any tolerances. It may not be feasible to ensure every vine is 100% Brunello. 'Sometimes, it is impossible, to weed out a small number of other vines that may creep in,' while adding that 'I am sure there is nothing wrong in the wine they Americans are complaining about and things will settle down soon.'
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