GIRO D’ITALIA: ON 19th MAY THE BRUNELLO WINE STAGE FINISHES IN MONTALCINO

ELEVEN YEARS LATER, THE PINK RACE RETURNS TO THE LAND OF THE WINE THAT SYMBOLISES ITALIAN EXCELLENCE WORLDWIDE

(Montalcino - Siena, 17th May). Relay race in Montalcino today, with the last day of Benvenuto Brunello passing the baton to the Giro d’Italia. After 11 years, on 19th May, the Pink Race will once again speed along the roads of the small and ancient medieval Tuscan village for the Brunello Wine Stage in the land of the wine that symbolises the excellence of Italian products throughout the world.

“We are archiving an in-person Benvenuto Brunello event that set record numbers in terms of both the market and the green trend of our vineyard,” states Fabrizio Bindocci, Chairman of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino. “In the first four months of this year, the stickers issued for the two 2015 and 2016 super vintages increased by 38% versus the same period in 2020. Green propensity is also on the increase,” adds the Chairman of the Consortium, “with 4 wineries out of 10 that have been certified as organic or are in the process of being converted. This means that almost 50% of the Montalcino vineyard is organic. Now,” he concludes, “we look forward to the Brunello Wine Stage of the Giro d’Italia, a stage sponsored by the Consortium with a view to territorial marketing.”
Brunello wine is Montalcino and Montalcino is Brunello wine. Back in 1986 Luigi Veronelli wrote that “it is worth the trip” and today it is still worth the ride, even on pedals.
A record-breaking wine and a global brand - protected by the Consortium of the same name which is a partner of the stage - Brunello di Montalcino boasts as many as 10 million bottles uncorked each year around the world, with thousands of labels on the wine lists of the best restaurants, from Singapore to New York, passing through Las Vegas and going up to Toronto. But there is more! The king of Tuscan wines is the first Italian wine to have been exported to the United States in the 1930s and later, in 1960, the first Italian label to have been served at a reception with heads of state, including Italian President Giuseppe Saragat and Queen Elizabeth II.
A record-breaking wine from a record-breaking territory of origin. Montalcino is the birthplace of the phenomenon now known as wine tourism. In the late 1940s, a historical winery opened its doors to the public for guided visits and tastings, an unprecedented initiative indeed! And this small Tuscan municipality is also the location of the very first Italian public wine shop for the sale of local wines and other products.

The charm of Brunello di Montalcino and of its land has inspired poets, journalists and authors. Mario Luzi described in verse the roads that lead to the heart of Brunello as “The winding road that leads from Siena to Orcia - across a stormy sea - of washed out clays - covered in March with green fuzz – is an out-of-time road, an open road - that twirls towards the core of the enigma.” Mario Soldati, when referring to Brunello, said that “Wine is not just an item of consumption: in some cases (...) it may also be considered a work of art.”