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Appellation · Italy

Rosso di Montalcino

Brunello’s younger sibling from the same vineyards, released after one year instead of five, and the best value in Tuscany.

Rosso di Montalcino DOCmediterraneanwarm
What to expect in the glass

Medium-to-full bodied dry red with red cherry, plum and herbs, high acidity and moderate tannin. Drinkable on release and good for five years.

About Rosso di Montalcino

Rosso di Montalcino is the same grape from the same delimited area as Brunello, made and released young.

It exists so that producers have somewhere to put younger vines, declassified parcels and fruit from difficult vintages, which is exactly what makes it good value: in a poor year for Brunello, more good fruit ends up here.

It is fresher, brighter and much more approachable than Brunello, and it costs perhaps a third as much.

What the name means

Legal name
Rosso di Montalcino DOC
Type
Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)
Set by
Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, under MASAF
Recognised
1984
Regulates
Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields, minimum ageing.

The delimited area, permitted varieties and their proportions, maximum yields, minimum alcohol and — for riserva and similar terms — minimum ageing.

Worth knowing

100% Sangiovese from the same delimited area as Brunello, with a minimum ageing of one year.

Grapes

The rules for this appellation restrict which varieties may be used. See the rules below.

Wines from here

red

Rosso di Montalcino

Brunello’s younger sibling: the same grape and hill town with a far shorter ageing requirement, and often outstanding value.

Rules worth knowing

Confirmed in the EU register

Rosso di Montalcino is registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), file number PDO-IT-A1456, protected at EU level since 1996.

Article 107 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013

Specification published: Ares(2016)948266 · Official Journal

Only the rules that change what to expect in the glass or on the label. WineHQ does not reproduce production specifications, and each entry carries the date it was last checked because appellation rules change.

Geographical scope

Rosso di Montalcino is produced from Sangiovese grown in the same delimited area as Brunello di Montalcino, with a shorter minimum ageing period of one year rather than five.

Why it matters. It means the difference between the two is ageing and selection, not location. A reader wanting to know what Montalcino tastes like without waiting or paying can learn most of it here.

Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, under MASAF · Consistently reported, not read at the regulator · checked 2026-08-16

Permitted varieties

Rosso di Montalcino must be made entirely from Sangiovese, as Brunello must.

Why it matters. The two wines differ in ageing and selection, not in what they are made from. Knowing they share a variety is what makes Rosso a genuine way into Montalcino rather than a different wine with a similar name.

Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, under MASAF · Consistently reported, not read at the regulator · checked 2026-08-16

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Rosso di Montalcino

Serve at 15–17°C (cellar cool).

Try with roast chicken, fillet steak or pork.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • Brunello di Montalcino — Sangiovese alone, from one warm Tuscan hilltop, held for five years before release — Italy’s most powerful expression of the variety.
  • Chianti Classico — The original Chianti — the hills between Florence and Siena, delimited in 1716, and a separate appellation from the Chianti that surrounds it.

Sources

Sources consulted