Francesco Marone Cinzano, president of the trade body, the Brunello Consorzio, said the news came via a letter from the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to the US Embassy in Rome on 9 May.
'Starting on 9 June, the US will block all Brunello imports unless the wine is accompanied by laboratory analysis proving that the wine is pure Sangiovese,' he said.
Since Brunello must by law be 100% Sangiovese, adding other grapes would be a violation of a strict labelling convention between the US and the EU that stipulates that what is on the label must guarantee what is in the bottle.
According to reports, the Italian Embassy in Washington had received numerous written requests starting on 9 April from the ATTB for more information and verification on the grape blending scandal that has recently battered the denomination.
The fact the requests were ignored led to this more aggressive stance, sources say.
'We have a general assembly in two days, and organising laboratory analysis will be our number one priority, to ensure that Brunello will continue to be imported into the US,' Marone Cinzano said.
He added that the latest generation of laboratory analysis can certify the authenticity only of wines made with three varieties: Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir. 'Based on the level of anthocyanins, tests can prove whether wines made with any one of these three varieties are pure or if they have been blended with other varieties.'
'We now need to act rapidly to ensure consumers in the US and everywhere of Brunello's authenticity.'
In New York City, Sergio Esposito, proprietor of retailer Italian Wine Merchants, said it is wrong for Washington 'to penalize Brunello for blowing the whistle on itself.'
'Consumers have a right to know what they are drinking,' he said. 'But everybody in the wine trade knows that blending goes on in every region and every country. This means that, to be fair, the US should spot-check imported wines from everywhere that critics give 98 points or more' in order to make sure the contents are authentic.
Additional reporting by Howard G Goldberg in New York
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These wines are expensive. It is not always easy to return a wine which is not obviously flawed. It is easy to label a wine as something other than what it is. Taking all these facts into account, the consumer needs all the protection he can get. Mostly it is a matter of trust - and when trust is betrayed, it is likely to take a long time to re-establish it.
The fact that there may be other wines which are not what they purport to be is not a reason to ignore a case where it is known that the producers have lied.
The USA has taken the correct stance. Why does the UK not do the same?
Jack Hydes
According to Mr. Esposito, it should be perfectly acceptable for producers of Brunello di Montalcino to break the law that was established for their wines by illegally blending just because "it is done in every region and every country." However, any purist will inform him that such blending is done according to the laws of the denomination/appellation. This is absurd!
The purpose of appellation laws is most importantly a guarantee of authenticity. It is not any type of guarantee that the wine will be at its peak of enjoyment immediately upon release (the real reason cheaters started doing this in the first place). Let's realize this is the real purpose of wine laws, not the idea of making the wines change their styles to meet a public that likes wines that are different than any of the appellation's founders imagined.
Kevin Beck, Tulsa, Oklahoma USA
In January in Belgium, 3200 bottles of American "champagne" were seized
and poured out...and rightly so, because, well, it's NOT "Champagne".
Last year, seven people were indicted in Italy for passing cheap white table wine off as IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica)wine.
So why should "counterfeit" Brunello be allowed into the US and sold, when it may not in fact be authentic Brunello?
If the wine labeling standards of the world are to mean anything then we all have to play by the rules.
And we should want to.
David Gaier
With all the seeming persiflage going around on a very serious subject, my questions are 2; has there been ANY proof that the Brunellos are not 100% sangiovese? Or are we just going on the idea that of course the producers are lying and EVERYONE knows that blending goes on in these Brunellos? Are we to assume that the same is true of Barolo? And if a good producer wants to produce a Super Tuscan in Brunello why aren't they honest and just do it??
John F. Keegan, Oxford, OH USA
And here I thought the object of wine making was to make a product that tasted good. Once again, it appears that the ATTB is championing form over substance. And this from a group that lets Central Valley producers label their plonk "Napa" or "Calistoga" because their labels were grandfathered in. If truth in advertising is paramount to taste, at least show some consitency. This move reeks of protectionism.
Jeffrey M. Howard, CA, USA
je m'en fou - faite du bon vin c'est tout
I dont care ,make good wine that's it
Jean Pierre Lortie, Sommelier ,Quebec, Canada
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