Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, wine of excellence

A grape variety grown in the Middle Ages and a wine of great value: Brunello di Montalcino DOCG is a treasure to be discovered in all its aspects.

FOOD AND WINE

The panorama of the Val d’Orcia is at times interrupted by long vine rows, parallel lines that seem to meet on the horizon, where grapes of good quality are wisely grown, and vines known all over the world make wines which are even more renowned.

One of them stands out for its importance: Brunello di Montalcino, the prince of the table, has its historical roots in the Middle Ages, when its value was already acknowledged all over the area and the Republic of Siena repressed the local revolts by threatening to destroy the vineyards around Montalcino, thus killing its economy. It was the second half of the 13th century and since then the fame of this wine has grown out of all proportion.

If the first bottle of “pure” Brunello was documented towards the end of the 19th century, it was in the ‘60s that its preciousness was acknowledged with a presidential decree that gave it the designation of DOC and made its name famous. Before then, in fact, “Brunello” was the name that viticulturers used for the Sangiovese grape variety.
A further acknowledgement arrived in 1980, when Brunello di Montalcino became the first Italian wine to obtain the DOCG appellation.

During a stay in Val d'Orcia it is impossible not to stop and taste a glass of this wine which enhances the traditional dishes and accompanies the journey into the flavours of the land, those flavours that tell the story of home-made pasta, salamis and cheese with honey or the artisanal jams.

The tours to the wine cellars allow you to immerse yourself in the production and ageing process, admiring the great barrels and listening to the stories of the wine-makers during a wine tasting, while the grape harvesting time is ideal to experience a unique atmosphere, in contact with nature, enveloped in the scent of ripe grapes. An idea to discover it in depth is visiting the Temple of Brunello, an interactive and sensorial project not to be missed, that includes also a visit to many art places.

Together with the Red of Montalcino and the DOC Orcia, Brunello is one of the wines that are never absent from the tables of the Val d'Orcia, a wine treasure protected by a consortium of wine-makers, Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, that every year organises Benvenuto Brunello, a very important event presenting the new vintage year and gives an award to the best harvest of the year.