Brunellopoli

Brunellopoli is the name given by Italian press for a scandal involving producers of Brunello di Montalcino under suspicion of wine fraud, first reported by Italian wine journalist Franco Ziliani and American wine critic James Suckling of Wine Spectator. The name "Brunellopoli" bears reference to Tangentopoli, or "Bribesville", the Italian political scandal of the 1990s, while some English language reporters have applied the name "Brunellogate".

On March 21, 2008, Ziliani and Suckling reported that an investigation had begun into allegations that some Brunello producers had secretly and illegally added other types of grapes into what are by law wines made only from Sangiovese, allegedly to inflate production and increase profit on this typically expensive product.

The story received wider attention on April 4, 2008 when the Italian newsweekly L'espresso reported that 20 firms were suspected of commercial fraud after investigators alleged that possibly millions of liters of Brunello di Montalcino had been cut with grapes of other varieties in violation of the purity requirements of Brunello's commercial certification.Vineyards were quarantined and hundreds of thousands of bottles were seized by investigating magistrates. In addition, prominent producers such as Argiano and Castello Banfi admitted that they were under investigation. While unlike earlier Italian scandals regarding tainted or fraudulent wine, there was no health risk feared, many observers suggested that great damage to the reputation of Brunello di Montalcino would result in lasting economic effects.

The prosecutor handling the case, Nino Calabrese, stated that the relevant commercial fraud charges carry a maximum sentences of up to six years in prison. In addition, any winemaker found guilty of violating the purity rules set down by Brunello's controlling body, the Consorzio del Vino Brunello, would probably mean expulsion from that group. The Consorzio has around 250 members, all of whom are bound to follow specific standards for winemaking, most importantly that only Sangiovese grapes are used. Some have asserted that the alleged substitute grapes used to cut wine production by fraudulent winemakers were cheap grapes that probably came from vineyards in southern Italy.

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