Before getting into the characteristics, it is imperative to state that the grape of Montepulciano and the town of Montepulciano are not to be confused. The grape is mainly planted on the east side of Italy, along the Abruzzo. While the town of Montepulciano is home to the wine of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and made of the Sangiovese grape, that marks the region of Tuscany. It is however possible that the grape is named after this town due to the confusion there used to be made between the grapes Montepulciano and Sangiovese, but most like its origin is found in Abruzzo.
Apart from Abruzzo, large plantings are found in the regions of Umbria, Lazio, Puglia, Molise and Marche. Outside of Italy not a whole lot of plantings can be found, apart from the US, New-Zealand, Argentina and even Brazil! Taking Montepulciano d’Abruzzo as a benchmark, we can see that different styles of the grape can occur. With mass production we find that Montepulciano becomes a really friendly, red-fruit juicy wine with supporting tannins and acidity. Higher up, high-quality Montepulciano with a minimum of two years aging it will still display those friendly red-fruit characters, but adding dried green herbs, baking spices and a beautiful tannin structure. On this level sometimes a low percentage of Sangiovese is added, to support the already present acidity.
During the summertime the rosé called Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Cerasuolo, referring to the red cherry colour, will win over hearts all around. It will display a deep red-fruit juicy flavour, filled with lots of summer fruit notes, along with fresh garden herbs.
Aromas
The Montepulciano shows us lots of red fruit characters, and especially red plums, along with dark cherry fruit, raspberries, blueberries. The dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano and due to the aging on oak we find touches of smoked bacon, tobacco and burnt coffee.
Wine Type
Full-bodied red wine
Colour
Medium ruby red
Food Matching
Due to its acidity, it can match, much like Sangiovese, with lots of different pasta dishes that are made with meat and tomato sauce. Sometimes you do not even need the meat! The number of tannins and crispiness will help complement the umami and salty touches of a Pecorino cheese. Looking at meat dishes from the Abruzzo, the best matches are made with Arrosticini, skewers made with lamb and sheep, Coniglio in Porchetta which is rabbit with pork. Or just try it with Salciccia made with fennel. Due to the fruity characters in the wine, the tannins will stay nicely balanced. Which leads to a perfect companion for these local dishes!
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