The world of Italian wine mourns the loss of Abruzzese pioneer winemaker Gianni Masciarelli (left, photo by Gambero Rosso), who succumbed to a stroke on Monday and died this week after being flown to Munich for emergency care. He was 53 years old and is survived by his wife Marina Cvetić, for whom his top [...]
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According to a report published today at Wine Spectator online, Frescobaldi 2003 Brunello di Montalcino has been partially cleared by the Siena prosecutor’s office.
“Local magistrates have released approximately half the production of Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi’s Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 2003 from impoundment,” writes the Spectator’s Jo Cooke, “after laboratory tests concluded that the wine contained [...]
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The 14th annual Friuli DOC food and wine festival will be held September 18-21 in Udine, Friuli. Long considered one of Italy’s top food and wine festivals, the 2008 Friuli DOC fair will feature “hillside” food, wine, culture, and artisanal products from 15 townships.
July 2008 marks the 1-year anniversary of the launch of the [...]
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In December 2009, Ovada producers will be able to send their wines to market labeled “Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore DOCG” or simply “Ovada DOCG,” according to a report published by FocusWine.it. Earlier this month, Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture gave the DOCG the long-awaited green light, which had been delayed by bureaucratic wrangling, according to the [...]
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Last week, in a move that astounded Italian Communist Party (PDCI) members, the party’s convention organizers banned the consumption of Lambrusco at the party’s congress in Salsomaggiore Terme, in the province of Parma — the heart of Lambrusco country. A lack of funds was reported as the reason for the absence of Lambrusco at the [...]
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When Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi compared himself to Brunello di Montalcino in his address to the Coldiretti national convention on Friday, editorialists and political pundits took note (Coldiretti is Italy’s powerful farmers union). As the Brunello inquiry drags on, media-savvy Berlusconi was clearly lending his support to the embattled winemakers of Montalcino and the [...]
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According to Vinowire’s sources in Montalcino, the city’s mayor and the Confederazione italiana agricoltori (Italian Farming Federation, otherwise known as CIA), and many individual winemakers (members of the CIA) have expressed support for radical changes in the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. Some have called for the creation of new appellations within Montalcino and Sant’Antimo and [...]
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The editors of VinoWire encourage winemakers, bloggers, wine critics and writers, and lovers of Italian wine to submit their comments.
Craig Camp, Oregon winemaker and author of one of the most respected wine blogs in the U.S., recently posted the following editorial on the fallout of the Brunello controversy:
The recent “scandal” in Brunello di Montalcino has [...]
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Filed under: Straight from the Hip
This is the second part in VinoWire editor Franco Ziliani’s two-part interview with winemaker Renzo Cotarella of Marchesi Antinori. Scroll down for part 1.
What led to the investigation of Antinori?
In Montalcino, Marchesi Antinori has 62 hectares under vine, of which 31 are registered as Sangiovese for [the production of] Brunello. The rest are in [...]
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VinoWire editor Franco Ziliani spoke recently to Marchesi Antinori’s winemaker Renzo Cotarella about the Brunello controversy. Antinori was one of the first wineries to be named in the investigation: in March 2008, the Italian national daily La Repubblica reported that Antinori’s 2003 Brunello di Montalcino Pian delle Vigne had been impounded by the Siena prosecutor. [...]
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