U.S. Treasury requests Brunello analysis by June 9 and threatens to block U.S. imports, Italian website reports
The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (known colloquially as the TTB) has threatened to block U.S. imports of Brunello di Montalcino if producers do not submit analysis of their wines by June 9, 2008.
According to WineNews.it, a website based in Montalcino and closely associated with the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino (association of Brunello producers), the Italian embassy has received a letter requesting analysis data from the TTB dated May 7, 2008. According to the report (posted today on the site), the TTB made repeated requests for analysis data beginning April 9.
The author of the post reports that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection department “has threatened” to block the importation of Brunello unless the TTB receives results demonstrating that the wines are made from 100% Sangiovese grapes (as required by the appellation) by June 9.
Editor’s note: the editors of VinoWire will continue to report on this breaking story as it develops.
Filed under: News
[...] Dato che ormai non so più tenere una penna in mano e la mia calligrafia ormai è al tardo sumero come chiarezza, uso il blog per indirizzare al Sindaco di Montalcino una lettera petizione lanciata da Daniele Cernilli, direttore Guida dei Vini del Gambero Rosso, che mira a far fare un atto di trasparenza e rilancio dell’immagine di correttezza e pulizia del Brunello di fronte alle ultime preoccupanti notizie internazionali (vedi KelaBlu, WineNews , Vino al Vino e VinoWire). [...]
Si puo’ accedere alla petizone tramite il sito di Jancis Robinson, http://www.jancisrobinson.com/.
You can access the petition through Jacis Robinson’s web site.
[...] author of Vino al Vino and co-editor of VinoWire.com, interviewed me about the fallout of the Brunello controversy for the Associazione Italiana Sommeliers (Italian Sommeliers Association or AIS) [...]