At the current VinItaly just ending in Verona, the big names of Antinori (Stags Leap), Argiano and Frescobaldi (Mondavi) are accused in an article at La Nazione (read at La Repubblica or check out the blog VinoWire) of secretly blending other grapes into their hallowed 100% wines of Brunello. For years, I have heard tales of Burgundian vignerons mixing Languedoc and lesser priced grapes into their Grand Cru pinot. When 2006 futures hover in the stratosphere, which fox is guarding the hen house?
I recently read an article about a service that books accommodations for Tuscan winery visits into lovely farmhouses. Sounds great till I read that Michel Rolland is a partner in this venture. The current "IT boy" of French/Italian/California/World winery consultants (please watch the movie Mondovino) is now making money from bedding down the prospective clients. This is the same fellow who advises the premier winemakers on their winemaking practices and who is now in charge of the bed linens. With these top, hard to find (and very corporate) wines, who is to guarantee that what we are seeking out and buying is all that it is hyped to be? This is also true of corporate muscle trying to re-word organic classification of the food we eat.
I am tired of feeling so defensive and cynical in all that I see around me. I may be tired, but I'm not crazy... some people are taking advantage of the "perceived reality" of wine (or property value or ??). A good web source for Italian wine news is the blog at Mondosapore. At the end of the day, Italian wines are currently a wonderful quality/price experience. K&L Wines in Menlo Park, CA was one of the first retail stores to offer online sales and their inventory is tops, so check them out.
