Brunello imported into the United States no longer will have to be accompanied by lab analysis documentation proving it is 100 percent Sangiovese, the U.S. government has announced.
In a circular letter posted on the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau Web site, the agency now is requiring that all importers of Brunello submit “a statement from the Italian government attesting that Brunello di Montalcino meets the requirements of the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG and is acceptable for sale as such in Italy,” to the U.S. Customs and Border agency.
Brunello importers that do not submit the letter will be in “willful violation” and would risk having their importing permit suspended or revoked, while Brunello not accompanied by the governmental letter would not be released.
The controversy was fueled by the discovery that some Italian winemakers were adding other varieties to their Brunello bottlings — bottlings which must, by Italian law and tradition, be made of nothing but Sangiovese.
