US ambassador vouches for Italy's scandal-hit Brunello wine

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

MONTALCINO, Italy (AFP) — US Ambassador to Italy Ronald Spogli on Thursday vouched for the purity of the famous Tuscan wine Brunello di Montalcino, hit by suspicions of tampering to please the American palate.

Brunello di Montalcino "will continue to be a symbol of excellence in the world" despite a probe into allegations that some wines sold as Brunello were not 100 percent from sangiovese grapes as the appellation requires, Spogli told a news conference.

At least four Montalcino vineyards have been implicated in the probe, including the region's top producer, the American-owned Banfi.

More than a million bottles of the coveted red's 2003 vintage that went on sale in January have reportedly been impounded as authorities investigate whether they contain...