Rosso di Montalcino

The story

What you're tasting

Rosso di Montalcino is a separate DOC denomination, not a DOCG or a shorthand for Brunello. Its legal specification regulates its Sangiovese composition, the Montalcino boundary defined as at 30 November 2011, yields, release, and place of production. Producer, vintage and sensory guidance require separate sourced research.

The European geographical-indication register records Rosso di Montalcino as protected in the European Union. The current published specification governs the denomination and its amendments must be monitored.

Know it

Before you buy

Say it: ROHS-soh dee mohn-tahl-CHEE-noh
Color: Red
Grapes: {"Sangiovese (100% by specification)"}

The making

How it's made

The specification requires exclusively Sangiovese, regulates vineyard and finished-wine yields, requires vinification, conservation and bottling in the defined zone, and permits release no earlier than 1 September of the year following harvest. It provides a conditional Brunello-preparation-to-Rosso designation route when both specifications are met.

Rosso di Montalcino is a legally distinct protected denomination within the Montalcino wine landscape. It must not be treated as a generic substitute for Brunello di Montalcino.

Demijohns and barrels in an old Italian cantina

Verified details

Each statement below is linked to the record or institution that supports it.

Rosso di Montalcino is a protected DOP/DOC denomination reserved for red wine that complies with its production specification. It is not a DOCG denomination.^1,2

Rosso di Montalcino must be made exclusively from Sangiovese grapes under the current legal specification.¹

The specification defines the production zone as the administrative territory of Montalcino in the Province of Siena, as delimited on 30 November 2011.¹

Rosso di Montalcino may not enter the market before 1 September of the year following the harvest.¹

The specification sets a maximum yield of 9 tonnes per hectare and 63 hectolitres of finished wine per hectare; for registered vineyard sites it states 8 tonnes and 56 hectolitres. The maximum finished-wine yield is 70 percent.¹

Vinification, conservation and bottling must take place in the defined production zone. A wine initially in preparation as Brunello di Montalcino DOCG may be designated Rosso di Montalcino when both specifications are met and the Brunello yield rule remains satisfied; the specification does not imply the reverse direction.¹

Sources and citations (2)

Ministero dell'agricoltura, della sovranità alimentare e delle foresteRosso di Montalcino DOC production specificationArticle 1Read source
European Commission, eAmbrosiaRosso di MontalcinoRegistered PDO recordRead source

Where it's from

The land behind it

RegionTuscany

Same shelf

More like this

All foods