Brunello Election

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Dramatic Development to Brunello Election

Source: TWI
-Sorry I can’t find a direct link to this artice

Jun 2nd

In a bid to save traditional Brunello, winemaker Fabrizio Bindocci speaks out on the eve of the Brunello election.

In an unexpected and daring move, venerated winemaker Fabrizio Bindocci, a native of Montalcino and director of the historic estate Tenuta Il Poggione, has publicly declared his bid for the presidency of the Brunello di Montalcino consortium. Another native candidate, front-runner Donatella Cinelli Colombini, of the historic Cinelli Colombini winery, surprised her colleagues yesterday when she told them she was taking herself out of the running and lending her support to Piedmont-born enologist Ezio Rivella. In an open letter sent to and published by Italy’s leading wine blogger Franco Ziliani, Bindocci has publicly declared his candidacy for the first time and has asked his fellow council members for their support (he had previously given his endorsement to Cinelli before her unexpected dropping out of the race).

Bindocci has published an English-language version of the letter on his son’s blog, Montalcino Report (MontalcinoReport.com): \http://bit.ly/aAtiFR

Many fear that, if elected consortium president, Rivella will change appellation regulations to allow producers to add grapes other than the indigenous Sangiovese grape of Tuscany to Brunello di Montalcino. In 2007, Italian authorities forced some of the largest producers of Brunello to declassify millions of liters of wine allegedly containing grapes other than Sangiovese (appellation rules call for the wine to made with 100% Sangiovese grapes).