Hail devastates Brunello crop
A hailstorm accompanied by 100km winds devastated much of Montalcino’s Brunello crop earlier this month.
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Brunello on the Brink
An overhyped 2003 vintage, a fraud scandal, and the threat of a US ban has left Brunello in crisis. Could subregions be the answer, asks KERIN O’KEEFE
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Avignonesi sold to Belgian businesswoman
Top Vino Nobile di Montepulciano estate Avignonesi has been sold to a Belgian shipping director for an undisclosed sum.
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Italian wine fraud ‘witch hunt’ spreads to San Gimignano
The blitz on Tuscany’s top appellations has spread to San Gimignano as producers accuse the Italian press of mounting a witch hunt.
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Government and consorzio clash over Brunello
The Italian government and the Brunello consorzio are at loggerheads as to who will take charge of the ongoing crisis over alleged adulteration of the wine.
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Vino Nobile confiscated in fraud probe
Italian officials have confiscated 12,000 litres of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
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Brunello may change ratings system
The Brunello di Montalcino Consorzio is considering changing the way the official rating for Brunello is decided.
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New Chianti incinerator ignites local opposition
A vast new incinerator is planned in Tuscany – a stone’s throw from the celebrated estates of Chianti Rufina.
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The Agriturismo: Italy's best kept secrets
Forget expensive hotels, today’s Italian accommodation of choice is the increasingly elegant agriturismo. More and more estates are converting their beautiful homes for wine lovers, writes Kerin O’Keefe
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Wining & dining in vineyards
Gourmet winery restaurants are popping up all over Italy, making the touring of vineyards less hard work. So get packing for a truly gastronomic break, says Kerin O’Keefe��
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Phylloxera: The great escape
It is rare today to find vines that have not been grafted to American rootstock to counter phylloxera, which destroyed so many of the world’s vines. Until recently, few people had any idea of how this had affected the wines’ flavours, but a few producers are now making wines from ungrafted vines and have discovered a taste of yesteryear, writes KERIN O’KEEFE
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Castello di Ama rejoins Consorzio
Premier Chianti Classico estate Castello di Ama will rejoin the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico – and will have the right to put the Black Rooster symbol on its bottles.
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Antinori hires top architect for new cellar
Lodovico Antinori has just announced that his projected avant-garde wine cellar at the Campo di Sasso estate near Bogheri will be designed by Milanese architect Gae Aulenti.
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Talking wine label to be released this autumn
Italian label manufacturer Modulgraf has just announced its latest venture – the talking wine label.
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Union calls for Gallo boycott
The United Farm Workers union is appealing to the public to stop buying Gallo wine.
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Mondavi brothers plan 'other joint ventures'
Peter and Robert Mondavi are planning more joint ventures after the success of their recent collaboration which ended a 40-year estrangement.
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Sassicaia launches Mini version
Top Italian wine producer Sassicaia has resprayed the Mini Cooper S sportscar to produce 12 limited-edition ‘Mini Sassicaias’.
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Tuscan producers outraged by wind turbine development
The building of ten giant wind turbines in one of Italy’s most fashionable wine regions has just been approved – to the outrage of local wine producers.
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Frescobaldi investigated for fraud
Half a million litres of red wine from two Frescobaldi properties have been confiscated and 12 members of the company are under investigation for alleged fraud.
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Frescobaldi now in full control of Ornellaia
Tuscan producer Frescobaldi has bought the remaining 50% shares of Ornellaia from Constellation and now owns the elite Bolgheri estate outright.
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Italian and other producers turn back to large casks
Orders for traditional large wooden barrels are sharply increasing in Italy and abroad, as barrique imports fall dramatically, according major cooperage Garbellotto.
