Every year in February the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino organizes an event called “BENVENUTO BRUNELLO”. On this occasion the new wines on the market since the beginning or the new year are presented to the press and the stars assigned to the new vintage are announced. The event lasts four days in which the new wines can be tasted by the operators in the sector and wine lovers. I was lucky to assist and taste some of my top ten. Montalcino is one of Italy’s most distinctive wine-producing area, it is located about 70 miles southwest of Florence in an arid area of soft rolling hills planted to grain and olive trees. At its heart the village of Montalcino perches on what resembles a towering mountain. The vineyards on this slopes are planted to Sangiovese, the native grape of Tuscany, known locally as Brunello.
Montalcino awaits you with its great wines, its Unesco Heritage land Val d’Orcia: in our bike tours in Tuscany, Montalcino is our ever-present stage, a challenging climb but worth it! Bike tour in Tuscany and Montalcino This year three new vintages were released : Brunello di Montalcino 2010, Riserva 2009 and Rosso di Montalcino 2013.
Commemorative tiles Starting with the 1992 vintage, the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino commissions a commemorative tile to place on the wall of the Town Hall in Montalcino. The tiles are created by people from the world of art, sport and show business, Italians and foreigners alike. They are made of ceramic, measure 30×30 cm and include the reference year and the number of stars assigned to the vintage. The plaques are hunged in February each year during the event. Production Rules of Brunello di Montalcino Brunello di Montalcino is aged for a minimum of two years in wood, either large cask called botti, small French oak barrels, or a combination of these, with subsequent bottle aging also mandated before release. There are many rules established by the disciplinary regulations , the mains are:
– Production area: The Montalcino Township – Variety: Sangiovese (also called “Brunello” in Montalcino) – Maximum yield of grapes: 80 quintals per hectare – Minimum aging in wood: 2 years in oak. Minimum aging in bottles: 4 months – Minimum alcohol content: 12.5% Vol. – Bottling: can only be done with the production area – Ready to be sold: 5 years after the year of the harvest (6 years for the Riserva) – Packaging: Brunello di Montalcino can only be sold if it is in Bordelaise shaped bottles Cicloposse also arrange a full day private wine tour dedicated only to Brunello wine – no cycling! Or a cycling day whose destination is a brunello winery with lunch at cellar.
Cicloposse Team, February 2015