The next series of wine I am tasting is an Italian varietal called Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  If you know anything about Italy, you’ve probably guessed that this varietal comes from the Abruzzo region along Italy’s Adriatic coast.  And if you know your wine grapes you probably guessed that it’s made from the Montepulciano grape, which is believed to be native to the Abruzzo region.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo tends to be a soft, fruity and approachable wine.  It’s less acidic than other popular Italian wines like Chianti and its tannins are bit sweeter.  It is typically a “drink it now” type of wine.  While there are some producers who make pricey bottles, there are plenty of value-priced ones available.

The first wine in this tasting comes from Farnese, a producer that’s been in wine making for over four centuries.  Farnese was founded by Princess Marguerite of Austria, daughter of Emperor Carlo the fifth and wife to Prince Octavio Farnese.  So you can tell yourself that you’re royalty when you drink this wine… that what I did.

This is a very approachable wine.  It’s a little bit old world in it’s overall characteristics, but not too much.  It has smoke and cherry on the nose and a touch of vanilla.  The palate is a bit grapey.  It’s soft, yet interesting with smooth tannins, blackberry, cherry and a hint of black pepper.  It is a good example of varietal character at a very good price if you’ve never tried Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.   I picked this bottle up for $6.99 and the rating came in at an 86—pretty good, but not extraordinary.

Wine: Farnesse
Varietal: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13% 
Rating: 86
Price Paid: $6.99