Brunellopoli

[1][2] The name "Brunellopoli" bears reference to Tangentopoli, or Bribesville, the Italian political scandal of the 1990s,[3] while some English language reporters have applied the name "Brunellogate".

[5] The story received wider attention on April 4, 2008, when the Italian newsweekly L'Espresso reported that 20 firms were suspected of commercial fraud after investigators alleged that possibly millions of liters of Brunello di Montalcino had been cut with grapes of other varieties in violation of the purity requirements of Brunello's commercial certification.

[7] While unlike earlier Italian scandals regarding tainted or fraudulent wine, there was no health risk feared,[8] many observers suggested that great damage to the reputation of Brunello di Montalcino would result in lasting economic effects.

The prosecutor handling the case, Nino Calabrese, stated that the relevant commercial fraud charges carry a maximum sentences of up to six years in prison.

[9] Some winemakers, such Argiano, have moved to decertify all the bottles that have thus far been impounded by the prosecutor's office in an effort to allow them to bring them to market, albeit under a different name and at a significantly lower price, rather than wait an indefinite length of time for a court resolution.