Biondi-Santi proposes change in Rosso di Montalcino DOC, allowing other grape varieties
In an interview published Friday, September 5 in the Italian national daily La Nazione, Franco Biondi-Santi (left) — the “father” of Brunello di Montalcino — has proposed a change in the Rosso di Montalcino DOC, making it “no longer a 100% Sangiovese but a mix with other varieties cultivated in Montalcino.” The proposed change would potentially allow for the addition of just a “few varieties” besides Sangiovese, “in percentages to be studied and established with clarity,” grapes that “would express the characteristics of the terroir.” The addition of other grape varieties, said Biondi-Santi, “would help those wineries whose growing sites are not particularly suited for Sangiovese.” It would also help those wineries “to find favor with the palate of a part of the global market.”
“This is a possibility that we can exploit,” said Biondi-Santi, “not a situation that we must be forced to endure. Rosso di Montalcino should not be viewed as a ‘little brother’ but rather as a ‘different twin’ of Brunello.”
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[...] The father of Brunello di Montalcino, Franco Biondi-Santi, has proposed a change in the Rosso di Montalcino DOC that would allow for other grapes besides Sangiovese. Read about it here. [...]
Franco Biondi-Santi proposing other varieties to be part of Brunello? What’s next? I’m not sure I can even come up with a proper analogy.
How about instead making the regulated area for production of Brunello a bit more selective. I’m tired of hearing about “growing sites not particularly situated for Sangiovese.” If they’re not good sites for Sangiovese, why were they registered as Brunello sites in the first place?
Tom Hyland