ROSSO DI MONTALCINO DOC

Montalcino is a small hilly village in Siena province, south west of Tuscany. so small that only 5000 people live there. Montalcino hills stand like an Island in the heart of Tuscany, in a area which is far from main communications roads. The pure air together with the weather and soil make Montalcino a perfect place to grow grapes for wonderful red wines.

TUSCANY

Montalcino is not a common place, it’s a special land for wine. For this reason, for the first time in Italy, producers from this area were allowed to obtain from the same vineyards, two denomination of origin wines, based on precise technical evaluations: Brunello, destined to age for a long time, and Rosso di Montalcino, a younger wine that combines with its superb structure, attributes of particular vivacity and freshness. This allows Brunello producers to make an earlier releasing wine that can generate cash flow while their Brunello di Montalcino age for their complete duration.
 
The consortium of brunello di Montalcino is responsible to control the production of 4 wines: Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, Moscadello di Montalcino e Sant’Antimo

The rules established by the consortium are as follows:

- Production area: Montalcino Township
- Variety: Sangiovese (also called “Brunello” in Montalcino)
- Maximum yield of grapes: 90 quintals per hectare
- Ratio of grape yield to wine: 70%
- Ready to be sold: 1rst September of the year following the harvest
- Minimum alcohol content: 12%
- Total minimum acidity: 5/lt
- Bottling: can be done only within the production area
- Packaging: Rosso di Montalcino can be sold only if it is bottled in Bordelaise
type bottles.

Rosso di Montalcino is brilliant and limpid with a composite ruby colour.  To the nose it has a good intensity and fragrance, in which one recognizes scents of fresh fruit.
To the taste it is harmonious and dry, with vigour and freshness and a good persistence. It is a particularly tempting wine ready to be drunk. Not to be kept for long, a wine that prefers to be drunk in its youth even if it can be aged.
It goes well with dishes of medium structure, such as pasta with meat sauce, poultry, mushrooms or truffles, composite risottos; main courses of pork or veal with sauce.

It should be served in crystal glasses for red wines at a temperature of about 18°C.

• BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
• COL D'ORCIA