BENVENUTO BRUNELLO: OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS, THE VALUE OF MONTALCINO’S VINEYARDS HAS RISEN +2000% (2 BILLION EURO). THE VALUE OF THE WINE IS +300% STUDY ON THE “BRUNELLO ECONOMY”, MONTALCINO IS HOME TO PROFESSIONALS FROM 70 COUNTRIES, UNEMPLOYMENT IS ALMOST ZERO (2%) AND WINE TOURISM IS BOOMING

BENVENUTO BRUNELLO: OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS, THE VALUE OF MONTALCINO’S VINEYARDS HAS RISEN +2000% (2 BILLION EURO). THE VALUE OF THE WINE IS +300%

STUDY ON THE “BRUNELLO ECONOMY”, MONTALCINO IS HOME TO PROFESSIONALS FROM 70 COUNTRIES, UNEMPLOYMENT IS ALMOST ZERO (2%) AND WINE TOURISM IS BOOMING

(Montalcino – SI, 20 November 2021). The birth of the first wine district of the modern age, an exponential increase (+1.962%) in the value of vineyards and the success of an “agricultural counter-revolution” which has rethought the evolution of a territory around the development of the quality of a product linked strongly to its roots over the past three decades. Thirty glorious years of Montalcino, the economic miracle of the prince of Tuscan reds which, for the 30th anniversary of “Benvenuto Brunello”, the event which invented the “Anteprime” of Italian wines in 1992 in this village, celebrates the achievements of one of the symbols of excellence made in Italy, from a simple product of the land to a case study in Italian and international winemaking. The subject of a historical reconstruction entrusted by the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino to the trade magazine WineNews, the thirty-years between 1992 and 2022 bear witness to the virtuous circle of an area which, with pioneering spirit, found the key to success in the triptych of environmental, economic and social sustainability, right from the start. “The concept of quality is no longer limited to the wine alone, but embraces a much broader sphere,” says Fabrizio Bindocci, president of the Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino. “An increase in the quality of Brunello corresponds in a directly proportional way to an increase in the socioeconomic wellbeing of the community on the territory”.

THE RECORD INCREASE IN LAND YIELDS

And the figures of the WineNews analysis are proof of this, documenting a transversal growth of the territory, driven by the boom of its ambassador product. If a hectare of land planted with vines for the production of Brunello di Montalcino was worth 40 million old lire (36,380 euros today according to the ISTAT coefficient for the updating of values) in 1992, today its price is about 20 times higher, at 750,000 euro, with a record markup of +1962%, which reaches +4500% if we go further back in time to 1966, when a hectare of land planted with vines cost 1.8 million lire. According to the Consorzio's 2020 estimates, the “Brunello vineyard” is now worth a total of about 2 billion euro, and continues to attract investment.

THE “BRUNELLO” EFFECT ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Since the early 1990s, the production of Brunello has brought professionals from 70 different countries to Montalcino. Not only is it a veritable melting pot of experience and know-how (15.8% of the total population are foreigners, twice the Italian average), it is also a virtuous example in terms of employment, especially of young people, absorbing a large part of the labour force of the neighbouring municipalities. And the rate of unemployment is below 2%. Almost half of the more than 1,500 businesses operate in the agri-food sector, and 300 of them are directly linked to agriculture. The last 30 years have also seen a tenfold increase in catering and hospitality businesses. On the strength of the beauty of the area and its association with the other “Excellences of Montalcino” (white truffle, oil, honey, saffron, cheese, plums, pasta and spelt), the medieval village has been a trailblazer in the field of wine and food tourism too. It welcomes over a million wine tourists and 'big spenders' every year (with almost 200,000 presences and more than 75,000 arrivals before Covid, according to statistics compiled by the Region of Tuscany), 7 out of 10 of whom are foreign and come from over 60 different countries.

THE GLOBAL MARKET

As far as the product is concerned, there are currently 14 million bottles on the market (of which 9 million are Brunello di Montalcino and 4 million are Rosso di Montalcino). They are made by 218 companies (147 in 1992) on more than 4,300 hectares of vineyards cultivated predominantly with Sangiovese (3,150 of which are registered for Doc and Docg wines, with almost 50% being organically cultivated). Exports, which accounted for 45% of sales in 1993, now represent 70% of the business, which reaches more than 90 countries around the world annually, with the United States, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom leading the way. Also interesting is the figure for bulk yield, which has increased by 300% over the last three decades. Lastly, according to the analysis, the stocks kept in barrels in the cellars are already worth 400 million euros, which will rise to as much as 1.2 billion once the Brunello is bottled and ready for sale.

This evening's 30th anniversary focus will be attended by the president of the Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino, Fabrizio Bindocci; the historic president of the Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino, Enzo Tiezzi; the author of the 1992 commemorative tile, Roberto Turchi; the director of WineNews, Alessandro Regoli; the president of the Consorzio del Rosso and vice-president of the Consorzio del Brunello in 1992, Andrea Costanti; the master of wine, Gabriele Gorelli.