The idyllic Frescobaldi vineyard, nestled in the Tuscan hills near Montespertoli, was abruptly invaded by police last week in a surprise action to verify charges that one of the most important wine making companies in Tuscany was not following regulations and was mixing their grapes. An ex-employee of the company had reported that, against certification rules, Frescobaldi was mixing their own grapes with grapes imported from Puglia. Company owners and head oenologist, Nicolò D’Afflitto immediately denied charges and explained that the grapes imported from Puglia were destined solely for their vino sfuso, wine sold in bulk, and would never be used to mix with other grapes destined for bottled wines that are labelled otherwise.
If the company had been mixing the grapes incorrectly, it would be a violation of their IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) label which, according to guidelines, prohibits the use of more than 15% of grapes coming from areas outside of the indicated geographical area.
The Frescobaldi dynasty has a 700 year history of wine making and, today, transforms over 3,000 tons of grapes into high and medium quality wines. This is much more, however, than the 700 tons their vineyards manage to produce. They must import grapes to keep up with demand, and the accusation has been made precisely about the origin and destination of these imported grapes.
