The town of Montalcino is located in the centre of the Brunello wine growing area. The entire zone covers around 240 square kilometres and is some 42 kilometres south of Siena. The area is dominated in the south by the brooding Mt Amiata, a dead volcano that protects the surrounding land from the Sirocco, a wind that blows all the way from Africa.
History
Documents held by the Municipality show transactions regarding the commercialisation of wine from the 1200s when most wine was made for the churches which stand within the zone. It has a long and illustrious history that goes on from that date.
The wine that is Brunello today was once called Vermiglio and it received rave reviews from wide and far. During a siege in 1553, Marshall Montluc said “we made our faces red with robust vermiglio”. By the 17th century it had become moscadello and was still revered. In the 17th century Dutchman, Francesco Scoto, was quoted as saying “Montalcino, celebrated for its Moscadello wines” in his travellers guide Itinera Italiae.
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