Brunello di Montalcino between Corona and climate change

^wein.plus: At the end of April, the consortium asked the agricultural council of the Tuscany region to declare a state of disaster for Montalcino. Are the winegrowers in such a bad way?

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "Well, the current crisis could also be seen as a catastrophe, i.e. a destructive natural event. But this is mainly about fundraising, about state aid, which the farms urgently need because liquidity is running out. In addition, we have to rebuild all budgets based on EU support measures to respond to the negative economic situation."

^wein.plus: Are sales down compared to the first months of 2019? How are the markets behaving now? Which countries are recovering?

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "At the beginning of the year, everything was still going well. In the first quarter of 2020, even more state banderoles were delivered to the wineries than in the same period of 2019 (without the DOCG banderole, a bottle of Brunello is not allowed to be put on the market - editor's note). Then came the lockdown and everything suddenly came to a standstill. The markets are recovering only slowly, currently positive signals are coming mainly from Canada, Germany and Asian countries."

^wein.plus: Montalcino lives from wine tourism. Although restaurants and hotels have been allowed to reopen for a few weeks, the summer season will be rather restrained, as elsewhere. How are the restaurateurs doing? Is there a danger that some restaurants will have to close completely?

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "I don't like to imagine that at all. Wine tourism is vital for Montalcino. In 2018 we had almost 200,000 visitors and over 75,000 overnight stays. And that's in a village with 6,000 inhabitants!"

^wein.plus: As you read, the consortium wants to increase investments in advertising and marketing. What strategies will you follow?

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "In order to respond to the crisis, it is necessary to intensify marketing, further strengthen the Brunello brand and at the same time, as in the past, strive for absolute quality in the vineyard and cellar. We are focusing on our premium products and their targeted promotion through a multi-channel strategy, especially digital tools are currently In Focus."

^wein.plus: Fortunately for the winegrowers, the annual important vintage presentation "Benvenuto Brunello" could still take place in February without any problems. ProWein and Vinitaly were cancelled a little later. Will there be further events of the consortium this year?

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "It is still too early for announcements. But we will be active as soon as the conditions are met, both with online events and with real events."

^wein.plus: One of the most important challenges for viticulture is climate change. How are the winegrowers in Montalcino preparing for this?

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "With measures that are also practiced in many other growing regions around the world to counter the rise in temperature without harmful consequences for wine production. These include leaf wall management, gentle tillage, as well as cover crop between vine rows to improve the water balance, but especially the creation of water reservoirs for emergency irrigation."

^wein.plus: Is it possible to move to higher altitudes with the vineyards?

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "Yes, the wineries that have land at higher altitudes have been doing this for a number of years."

^wein.plus: More and more Brunello labels show alcohol levels of over 14.5 percent by volume. How do the winegrowers want to preserve the elegance typical of their wines?

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "The elegance of a wine is always determined by the interplay of several components, it is not solely dependent on the alcohol content. As long as the alcohol is harmoniously combined with tannins, acidity and the other wine ingredients, the typicality of the wine remains."

^wein.plus: Has the possibility of technical alcohol reduction, as practised in other countries, ever been considered?

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "We have never discussed it and see no need for it at the moment. However, producers are open to any measure as long as it is not invasive and does not affect the quality and typicality of the wine."

^wein.plus: The Banfi winery in the south of the appellation is currently experimenting with 25 alternative grape varieties, including one from Georgia. Could the introduction of non-indigenous varieties in the production disciplinary be a possible future for Brunello?

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "Recent consultations with our members have shown that the winegrowers still want to produce Brunello from 100% Sangiovese, we will therefore not change the production rules in the medium term. The wineries are of course free to experiment with new grape varieties that they can use for other wines."

^wein.plus: The trend towards organic wines is increasing in general. How high is the percentage of organically farmed land in Montalcino? Compared to the neighbouring Chianti Classico appellation, the number of organic wines available on the market is rather small.

^{Fabrizio Bindocci:} "In Montalcino, about 25 per cent of the wineries are certified organic or are in conversion. The growing area covers a total of 24,000 hectares, of which only 15 per cent are planted with vineyards, half of which is forest alone. This is invaluable for biodiversity and the protection of the environment."