News

The United States has threatened to block imports of Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy's most famous wines, unless it receives assurances over the type of grapes used, a U.S. official said yesterday.

Italian authorities last month seized hundreds of thousands of bottles of 2003 Brunello di Montalcino because of suspicions that winemakers were using grapes other than sangiovese, the only ingredient allowed in the premium Tuscan wine.

The allegations were first made in a news magazine report.

A letter by the U.S. Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to the Italian embassy in Washington said U.S. customs authorities had been told to "withhold the release of all shipments" of the wine from June 9 unless Italian officials or importers could demonstrate only sangiovese grapes were used.

The letter, dated May 7, said the decision had been made after Italy failed to provide information on the producers, brand names and any other vintage wines affected by the investigation.

"The Brunello di Montalcino case presents an issue of deception of the American consumer," the letter said.

"Once you provide the list of producers and brand names and vintages of the affected products, we can narrow our request (to customs authorities) for the withholding of the release action just to those brands and vintages."

A quarter of Brunello di Montalcino's annual production of 6.5 million bottles is sold in the United States.