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The Wine type Brunello di Montalcino

Prestigious Wines from Tuscany

The Brunello di Montalcino is one of the iconic wines that are produced in this reputed wine land of Italy.

I would say this is the most popular, as well as the most prestigious wine of Italy. Being a wine lover, you must be aware of the great-tasting wines from Italy’s Tuscany.

It’s quite natural for us to get lost in the rich taste of the wines that are produced here.

The term Brunello di Montalcino refers to the Italian red wines that are being produced in the vineyards surrounding the Montalcino Town of Tuscany.

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Now, let’s see more about the wines from this region here…

History of Brunello di Montalcino Wines

The history of Brunello di Montalcino can be dated back to the early fourteenth century.

However, it can be observed that the present form of these wines emerged only during the 1870s. This was only after the unification of Italian regions into one state.

We can see that the efforts of Ferruccio Biondi-Santi were critical for the evolution of these wines.

It has been noted by the people that Montalcino had the finest Brunello-producing estates and it was here that some of the novel winemaking techniques were developed. These factors revolutionized the wines not only in Montalcino, but in the whole Tuscany region.

Unique Approach of Biondi-Santi

As some of you might be aware, the current day Brunello di Montalcino wines are made exclusively from Sangiovese grapes that are cultivated on the slopes in and around the Montalcino region.

As I said earlier, the present of these wines emerged only during the 1870s.

These wines were getting results of a unique approach that was adopted by Biondi-Santi, a soldier. We could say that he was the person who took Brunello to the next level by subjecting the Sangiovese grapes to vinification as separate from other varieties.

Until this time, it was a common practice in Tuscany to ferment all the varieties together. These wines that were produced by Biondi-Santi were something of a novelty.

Furthermore, these wines turned lively and fruity with the secondary fermentation, a standard procedure in Brunello di Montalcino wine production.

Another important thing that is to be noted here is that these wines are subjected to aging in wooden barrels and sometimes, the aging period will be more than a decade.

Wines from Brunello di Montalcino

 Italian Red Wine - Italian White Wine - Italian Rosé Wine - Italian Sparkling Wine, Prosecco - Beer from Italy 

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Climate and Geography of Montalcino

We could see that Montalcino is having one of the warmest, as well as driest climates in the whole Tuscany.

Hence, the grapes in the region are found to get ripened little earlier than the surrounding regions.

This arid region is found to receive a median annual rainfall of 700 mm. Here, the microclimates are found to be varying from one vineyard site to another, depending on the exposure to sunlight.

Therefore, the grapes that are cultivated on the northern slopes are producing some racier styles of wine, whereas, those that are cultivated on southern/western slopes are producing more complex and stronger wines.

Brunello di Montalcino Wine Production and Regulations

The Montalcino region, which only had around eleven producers during the 1960s, was awarded the DOC status in the year 1968.

In the year 1980, it was promoted to DOCG during when it had about 200 producers.

This was the first Italian region to be awarded the DOCG status. According to the wine appellation laws, these wines should be produced from 100% Sangiovese grapes and must be aged for at least four years.

The wines, thus produced will be elegant with brilliant garnet hue and a hint of earthiness. Right from the traditional times, these wines are being subjected to an extended maceration process during which the colours and flavours will be extracted from the grape skins.

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Author

Tharani Rajamanickam

Tharani Rajamanickam

Winewriter

I am Tharani, I have Bachelors degree in Biotechnology. I am passionate about the wine industry and continue to explore, learn and share and I bring in a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help you keep updated with best wines in the world. Stay tuned..

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