On the morning of Friday 9 July, the Temple of Brunello was opened, an immersive and emotional journey that invites visitors to discover one of the world’s most famous red wines. The project was part of the cultural project L’Oro di Montalcino at the monumental complex of the former convent of Sant’Agostino near Montalcino. The set-up of the Temple of Brunello was finalised by Opera Laboratori and ETT, for the multimedia part. Its aim is to make Montalcino known in an articulate and in-depth way by offering a complete experience that promotes Brunello wine by recounting the history of the local territory over the centuries. The multimedia itinerary characterises the interiors of the complex and introduces, with suggestions and memories, the aspects that have made Brunello one of Italy’s leading products: ties with the territory, human commitment and care, production processes, stories and colours. The story of Brunello is told to visitors in an immersive and interactive experience: combining history and innovation, the journey culminates in an encounter with the wine that has made Montalcino famous throughout the world from the late 19th century to the present day.
The itinerary of the Temple of Brunello
InChiostro, the first covered cloister of the former convent, is the starting point for the various experiential routes. Involo, in particular, is a series of special exhibits located in different Virtual Reality video stations that tell the full story of the Montalcino territory with evocative shots and drone flights, featuring hills, castles and art. In the underground chambers accessed later in the visit, the hypogea, the visitor is welcomed by sounds that evoke those of the bottling process in a wine cellar, via special sensors activated as they pass by. From here, we continue to the ancient stables of the Augustinian convent where a series of Artwalls consisting of wall and floor monitors tell the story of the territory in its various aspects related to wine production. This is followed by the room dedicated to the Voices of Brunello, which, through interviews and original footage, rare archive materials and computer graphics, tells the tale of this unique product in the words of the people who have gone down in its history. The route through the underground rooms also allows visitors to virtually play with the colours of the wine and the land and create their own, personal work, and to discover the combination of wine and Sienese art, thanks to projection mapping and sound design techniques. At the end of the Brunello learning path, at the Enoteca visitors can share the experience by tasting a glass of wine in a convivial dimension, in a space dedicated to oenology where technological tools lead the visitor to choose the ‘Brunello that is right for you’.
