Performance ##### in America’s favorite past-time- Merlot in Italy’s coveted Brunello di Montalcino
For those who do not troll wine-websites and blogs all day as I do, the region of Montalcino, Tuscany, is in a scandalized coup that seems to parallel Baseball’s “juice” problem. In the DOCG wine Brunello di Montalcino, only 100% Sangiovese is allowed in the bottling. If any other varietal is blended into the wine it is immediately brought to IGT status which has no fixed price-point. I think for most, connecting steroid use to supernatural performance is a lot easier to do than linking a grape to a…um….grape. Why would someone do this? Why would someone risk their wine being declassified which would in turn lock in a lower selling price and thereby costing already struggling wineries thousands of dollars? And more importantly, why would anyone care?
By Jeremiah Henderson
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Comments
Jeremiah,
I have a question for you. Do you think this change in the making of Brunello will cause the government to modify the current wine laws? In other words, if we have been drinking Brunello (with Merlot) for the past five or six years then in the mind of the consumer, that is how Brunello should taste. If the laws remain and the enforcement becomes more strict, then the taste of Brunello will have to change and we will be left with something that doesn’t necessarily taste like Brunello as we know it. Correct me if I’m wrong, but a similar shift occurred in Chianti. I believe that the change in Chianti was not riddled with such controversy, but eventually the laws morphed and began to allow grapes like Cab and Merlot into the blend as long as a certain percentage remained Sangiovese. I take it that you don’t think that this Tuscan “steroid” use is a bad thing. But, I would like to hear more of your opinion on the matter.
Cheers,
Posted by Ben on 04/22 at 04:53 PMBen
That’s a very good question. It’s hard to speculate on just what the Italian government will do at this point. Although, with the recent news of Antinori and Argiano declassifying their once Brunellos into IGT wines, this might actually indicate a stricter direction rather than a liberal shift in the DOCG wine-laws themselves. At this point, I think it’s beneficial to the wine-world in general. Those savvy enough to seek out the 0 Sangiovese/classic-style Brunellos understand the rewards of this world-class wine, especially with a little patience. I think with Chianti now allowing up to %20 Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the blend and the all wonderful Maremma and Bolgheri IGT’s out there, we now have plenty of room for Cab and Merlot in Tuscany. Let’s keep them out of our Brunello.
Posted by on 04/29 at 04:13 PMApparently we keep bumping into the same thinking in different areas too. We are all familiar with politics in drug testings for steroids and now this wine issue. I guess some things just don’t have an explanation.
Posted by on 03/12 at 11:23 AMhttp://www.steroidsources.com/steroid-articles.php