Brunello di Montalcino is a brand of red Italian wine produced in the vineyards
around the town of Montalcino, roughly 120 km south of Florence in the
Tuscany wine region. It is a wine with a formidable reputation dating back
centuries, and is considered one of Italy’s best and rarest wines.
In 1980, Brunello di Montalcino was awarded the first Denominazione di Origine
Controllata e Garantita (Controlled designation of origin) (DOCG) designation.
The DOCG designation is modelled after France’s AOC and used principally for
wines and cheeses.
Recently, the Tuscany authorities were alerted to the suspicious activities of
an alleged counterfeiter. This person is alleged to have obtained fake labels
and certification documents that allowed him to sell counterfeit products in
bulk. The counterfeits were seized from bars, restaurants, and supermarkets in
Tuscany.
The alleged counterfeiter reportedly had the means to deliver 220,000
bottles of counterfeit Brunello di Montalcino, which would have net him a
profit somewhere in the region of $6.5 million. It therefore seems likely he
was not acting alone. The man is an oenologist, and an article in Business
Insider reports that he has now been banned from living in the region.
Importantly, it is not an individual brand which has been counterfeited: it is
instead a geographic indicator of origin which is the subject of the
counterfeiting. With over 70% of the Brunello di Montalcino produced in the
region being exported, the scam would have let counterfeit wines reach
restaurant tables throughout the world.
The biggest issue is of course the loss of profit that should have gone to the
wine producers who went through the painstaking process of producing authentic
Brunello di Montalcino wines. There’s also the risk that the counterfeit
products are subpar, resulting in the brand being tarnished, with consumers
falling under the impression that what they are tasting is genuine.
Italian newspaper II Secolo XIX called it a “vast fraud in the agribusiness”
sector. The Brunello di Montalcino consortium of winemakers and the Tuscany
region are preparing to file charges against the suspect.