Brunello

noun

Bru·nel·lo brü-ˈne-lō

variants or less commonly Brunello di Montalcino

-dē-ˌmän-täl-ˈchē-nō

plural Brunellos also Brunellos di Montalcino

: a full-bodied red wine made from Sangiovese grapes that is produced in the Tuscany region of Italy

Three impressive reds in particular—Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello di Montalcino—have acquired a devoted following among American oenophiles.—

Alexis Bespaloff, Elle, January 1987

Word History

Etymology

Brunello borrowed from Italian, from bruno "dark in color, brown" (going back to Vulgar Latin *brūn-, borrowed from Germanic) + -ello, noun suffix (going back to Latin -ellus, originally diminutive suffix, variant of -ulus with stems ending in r); Brunello di Montalcino borrowed from Italian, literally "Brunello of Montalcino" (town in southern Tuscany)

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of Brunello was in 1973

See more words from the same year