A record-breaking vineyard (with a total value that has grown by some 4,500 percent in the past 50 years to reach more than €2 billion with an average price of almost €1 million per hectare). And a record-breaking wine.
We’re talking about Brunello di Montalcino, the wine that has become an international brand and that achieves, through the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, the synthesis of a breadth of activities extending from protection to promotion. From planting quotas and yield control, to positioning activities in Italy and abroad and the creation of synergies between the different entities of the local agri-food chain.
The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino was established in 1967 and has always been committed to the enhancement of quality and the territory. The Consortium is an ecosystem comprised of 214 members (representing 98.2 percent of Brunello production). Its protection activities cover a vineyard of over 4,300ha (10,626 acres) in the municipal district, in favor of four of the seven DOP wines of the territory.
Brunello di Montalcino stands out among them, followed by the Rosso di Montalcino, Moscadello di Montalcino, and Sant’Antimo DOC wines. Biodiversity and morphological and climatic characteristics make this territory unique, with 50 percent covered by woods and uncultivated land, 10 percent by olive groves and only 15 percent by vineyards, the remainder being arable land, pastures and other cropland. The predominantly mild Mediterranean climate allows for the optimal ripening of the grapes, also thanks to the continuous presence of wind.
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After two dream vintages—2015 and 2016—acclaimed by national and international wine critics and boasting record sales on the markets of reference despite the pandemic, the Consorzio is now focussing on the debut of the 2017 vintage with a new time slot for Benvenuto Brunello. Indeed, the precursor of all Italian wine previews will blow out 30 candles in November (from 19 to 28 November, 2021, by invitation only). A change of course tailored to specific commercial needs and to new and more incisive promotion objectives.
Green Montalcino
The Montalcino vineyard is turning greener and greener. As well as enjoying a boom in sales despite the full Covid emergency, the land under vine has been revealed to be among those with the highest incidence of organic practices in Italy, the percentage being three times higher than the national average.
An analysis by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino based on data provided by certficiation bodies points out that the excellent quality of the prince of Tuscan wines goes hand in hand with its propensity for green practices. At present, the organic vineyard stretches over almost 50 percent of the total area cultivated for the DOCG designation. The percentage of winemakers converted or in the process of converting to sustainable practice is also very high: 106 out of 257 wineries, more than 4 out of 10.
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In Montalcino, the vineyard has always been respectful of the environment and accounts only for 15 percent of the rural areas in a territory characterized by a remarkable biodiversity. Woodland represents 50 percent of the total, complemented by olive groves (10 percent), arable land, pastures, and other cropland. The organic trend also has an economic rationale if we bear in mind consumers’ buying intentions by type in our key markets.
