Montalcino e il suo Brunello : evoluzione e affermazione

There is a crucial question, related to the reasons why Montalcino, a land where its wine is appreciated for centuries, until the end of the Sixties of the Twentieth Century, has not developed the wine potential production that it held. It is a complex process which interweaves the most important historical events of the Italian Twentieth Century and often played a key role in the realization of the enormous heritage that Montalcino people had at their disposal. Two world wars, the economic boom of the Fifties and the serious state of crisis, in which the countryside went through, didn’t certainly encouraged a production that only in the Eighties became a real source of pride for the Italian viticulture in the world. The winning formula for Brunello di Montalcino was the fellowship between tradition and marketing, respectively represented by Biondi Santi family and Villa Banfi, after having achieved the authorization for DOC before and DOCG after. The history of this famous wine and men, who have been able to build with wise dedication the value and image of Montalcino, outlines a process in which the original values of the rural world are completed in a more modern approach to doing business. Even after the unpleasant events of Brunellopoli, Montalcino, already strong and aware of the immense heritage in its possession, managed to release an icon that, though for short time, was likely to be compromised.