Brunello di Montalcino is a red
Italian wine produced in the
vineyards surrounding the town of
Montalcino located about 120 km south of
Florence in the
Tuscany wine region. Brunello, a diminutive of
Bruno, a male given name which means brown, is the name that was given locally to what was believed to be an individual grape variety grown in
Montalcino. In 1879 the Province of Siena's Amphelographic Commission determined, after a few years of controlled experiments, that
Sangiovese and Brunello were the same grape variety, and that the former should be its designated name. In Montalcino the name Brunello evolved into the designation of the wine produced with 100% Sangiovese.