The United States has threatened to block imports of Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy's most famous wines, unless it receives assurances over the type of grapes used.


Italian authorities last month seized hundreds of thousands of bottles of 2003 Brunello di Montalcino because of the suspected use by winemakers of grapes other than the Sangiovese, the only ingredient allowed in the premium Tuscan wine.

The allegations were first made in a news magazine report and the Agriculture Ministry has confirmed that hundreds of thousands of bottles of the wine have been seized by investigators.

A letter by the US Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to the Italian embassy in Washington said US customs authorities had been told to "withhold the release of all shipments" of the wine from June 9 unless Italy or importers could demonstrate only Sangiovese grapes were used.

The letter, dated May 7 and seen by Reuters, said the decision had been taken after Italy failed to provide information on the producers, brand names and any other vintage wine affected by the investigation.

"The Brunello di Montalcino case presents an issue of deception of the American consumer," the letter said.

"Once you provide the list of producers and brand names and vintages of the affected products, we can narrow our request (to customs authorities) for the withholding of the release action just to those brands and vintages."

A spokesman for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau confirmed the contents of the letter and said "nothing has changed" since it was sent.

A quarter of Brunello di Montalcino's 6.5 million bottles annual production is sold in the United States.

Producers said that if the US import freeze went ahead it would cost them 20 to 30 million euros ($NZ39 million to $NZ60 million) in lost revenues but feared losses could be greater because of the damage to the wine's prestigious brand.

"Our fear is that other countries could follow the United States," Stefano Campatelli, director of the Brunello di Montalcino consortium of producers, told Reuters.

He said producers could not provide the information requested by US authorities, adding that once the wine was bottled it was very hard for lab tests to establish with certainty which grapes had been used.