Inspections may solve Brunello flap

From Bloomberg News Service:

Italy's Agriculture Ministry is introducing inspections of Brunello di Montalcino wine, ending a two-month spat with U.S. trade officials who had threatened to block imports of the wine over doubts about its composition.

Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia signed a decree in Montalcino, Italy, today calling for inspections of all bottles of Brunello di Montalcino destined for export, an e-mailed Ministry release said.

"The Ministry will guarantee the 7 million bottles of Brunello di Montalcino that are sold around the world,'' Zaia said in the statement.

The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau had warned Italy that imports of the wine, which is supposed to be made exclusively with Sangiovese grapes according to standards set in 1888, would be blocked by customs unless there was certification on its composition. Brunello is one of Italy's best known and most expensive red wines, and is produced in the Tuscan region around Montalcino, a town located some 70 miles (113 kilometers) southwest of Florence.

(Go here for the rest of the story.)

To Dowd's Spirits Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.