© Azienda Agricola Specogna

Friuli is the latest region to be dogged by allegations of illegality.

Another scandal hits Italy's wine industry, as investigations continue into the use of illegal additives.

The world of Italian wine is still reeling after Italian authorities raided 17 wineries and the laboratory of at least one winery consultant in northeastern Italy last month.

According to reports published in Italian media, investigators suspect them of using prohibited additives to enhance the aromas of their wines.

Although they are confident that the additives pose no health risks, Italian officials believe that winery consultant Ramon Persello, who has worked with numerous wineries in Friuli, used an unspecified "magic potion" to create atypical aromas for Sauvignon Blanc.

Some of Friuli's highest-profile producers of Sauvingon Blanc have been named in the ongoing investigation, including Tiare and Specogna.

In statement released by Tiare owner Roberto Snidarcig shortly after news of the investigation broke, the winemaker wrote: "We would like to make clear that we have nothing to do with this whole affair, which is gravely damaging our reputation."

And this week, in an interview published on the Italian wine blog Intravino, Cristian Specogna declined to comment on the allegations but told interviewer Elena Di Luigi that he believed he and his winery would be cleared of any misconduct.

In May of this year, Specogna's Sauvignon Blanc was named best in Italy at the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon (International Sauvignon Competition), the sixth such event to be held. Tiare was named "best up-and-coming" winery by editors of the Gambero Rosso Guide to the Wines of Italy in September of 2014. Both wineries are held in high esteem by consumers and trade observers alike.

According to an employee of one of Friuli's most popular wineries who asked to remain anonymous because of the delicate nature of the ongoing investigation, many in the Friulian wine trade speculate that the use of "aroma enhancers" is widespread and has been practiced for many years.

In a story op-ed on wine blog Do Bianchi, revered Collio grape grower and winemaker Nicola Manferrari noted that "for years now, there have been rumors that the aromas of certain Sauvignon [wines] have been adulterated. But then again, there have also been all kinds of rumors that were often disproven by the facts. People like to speak ill of others."

"The investigator's allegation that additives have been used to accentuate aromas," he added, "still needs to be proven."

"The inquiry," he wrote, "was borne out of a suspicion in turn owed to the intense aroma of certain Sauvignon [wines]. These wines have a pungent character that doesn't align with traditional-style wines produced here. This wouldn't matter much if it weren't for the many leading trade publications, not to mention the experts who judge international [wine] competitions, who have devoted ample attention to these wines and have made them the standard-bearers of classic Friulian Sauvignon."

In a press release issued this week, the editors of the 2016 Gambero Rosso Guide to the Wines of Italy informed readers that they have "suspended" an undisclosed number of Friulian producers of Sauvignon Blanc from the list of Tre Bicchieri (Three Glass) winners, the publication's highest honor.

They have released the names of winners of the prestigious award, they wrote, "with a reduced flight [of wines] because of ongoing legal questions … for which we have preferred to suspend our evaluation."

When news of the investigation broke, Intravino contributor and highly regarded Italian sommelier Andrea Gori sharply criticized the Gambero Rosso editors, noting that they had used descriptors like "elder, mint, and passionfruit" to describe Tiare's Sauvignon Blanc and had praised it for its "varietal" character, an assessment that does not align with typical tasting notes for Friulian Sauvignon Blanc.