Wine Industry Report

Tenuta Il Poggione has received product certification from DNV for its Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG and Rosso di Montalcino DOC wines

THe International foundation DNV has certified that the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG and Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG wines produced by Tenuta Il Poggione have even better quality characteristics and production standards than those established by the production specification. A similar certificate was also issued for Rosso di Montalcino DOC.

The special characteristics of the Tenuta Il Poggione wines audited and certified are defined in the Technical Product Specification issued by DNV. For example, Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino and Brunello di Montalcino Riserva are aged in wooden barrels and refined in the bottle for longer than the period established by DOCG regulations. In the case of the Rosso di Montalcino, obligatory ageing in wood has been introduced into the product specification.

Tenuta Il Poggione began the product certification process to enhance the value and promote the unique distinguishing characteristics of its wines more effectively. “We have decided to adopt this tool because certification by an independent third party demonstrates the distinctive quality and added value of our product impartially, and therefore more credibly”, explains Leopoldo Franceschi, one of the owners of Tenuta Il Poggione.

“Specifically, the decision to certify our Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino wines is in response to increasing demand on international markets, which are more sensitive to these issues, for guarantees from third party certification providers”.

The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand and grown using biologically integrating farming techniques. This and other characteristics are specified in the certificates issued for the three wines.

The certification process in this case was particularly complex, because it required a close analysis and reconstruction of all the transitions - from the vineyard to the barrel - in a production process which, in this particular case, is extremely long and complicated. In practice, this has meant reconstructing the “history” of a wine which is sold after a production process lasting five years, retracing the fermentation and ageing processes and specifying the decanting, pruning and harvesting systems adopted.

Tenuta Il Poggione is the estate and wine producer owned by the Franceschi family. Established in the late nineteenth century, with a total of 590 hectares of land, of which 125 are given over to vineyards, Tenuta Il Poggione is a leading producer of Montalcino wines and has played a key role in making Brunello di Montalcino so well known both in Italy and worldwide.

Total annual wine production stands at 500,000 bottles, including 200,000 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino. The goal of Tenuta Il Poggione is to create a typical, traditional product, offering end consumers the distinctive style of classic Montalcino wines, made exclusively from Sangiovese grapes.

Today the company is owned by Leopoldo and Livia Francheschi, with Fabrizio Bindocci, who has worked at Tenuta Il Poggione for more than thirty years, handling the enological and agronomic side of the business.

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DNV (Det Norske Veritas) is an independent international foundation headquartered in Oslo. Established in 1864, its objective is to “safeguard life, property and the environment”, by providing clients with the benefit of its experience and expertise in managing risk in the most disparate sectors. An international organisation with 300 offices in 100 countries and 6,100 employees, DNV is one of the world’s leading certification bodies, with more than 65,000 certifications and revenues of 835 million euro in 2005. DNV has been operating in Italy since 1962, providing nationwide coverage through a network of 10 branches and more than 200 employees. DNV is number one on the Italian certification market, where it has issued more than 16,000 certifications: it is the leading certifier of Quality Management Systems (ISO 9000) with a market share of 17%, and of Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14000) with a 25% market share. Revenues in 2005 totalled 36 million euro, of which 4% reinvested in personnel education and training.