Say it with me: mon-tuh-pul-CHEE-an-no dah BROOT-zo. 

It’s one of my favorite Italian wines and not just because it’s fun to say.  It’s a very approachable Italian country wine that is often overlooked.  Yet it is very enjoyable and can have as much complexity as more popular varietals.  It’s much less acidic than many other Italian wines, such as Sangiovese or Nebbiolo, and it has soft tannins.

Montepulciano is the grape and Abruzzo is the region, which you’ll find 70 miles east of Rome and continuing to the Adriatic Sea.  To be clear, there is also a community in Italy named Montepulciano, but that is not the source of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.

Old World Meets New World

One of the things that I really enjoyed about many of these wines is that they have a nice blend of old world and new world wine characteristics.  They have some of the earthiness and complexity you would expect from an old world wine with a fruit-forward palate that you would expect in new world wines.  At times I am a fan of both (old and new), so when I can’t decide which I want, this is the perfect choice.

Over the past few weeks I’ve reviewed several bottles of this delightful Italian wine and it’s time to summarize the results.

Top Picks

My top pick from this series is La Valentina from Fattoria La Valentina.  This wine showed outstanding complexity and was enjoyable all around.  At $13 it is reasonably priced.

My second choice is Masciarelli, which shouldn’t be a new name to fans of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  This is a popular choice for many, and for good reason.  It has great concentration, good complexity and is a bargain at $9.

Another pick that I’ll have to call the best deal is Farnese Vini – Farneto Valley.  This wine has smoke and cherry aromas on the nose and a berry-filled palate.  This is a great way to try Montepulciano d’Abruzzo for only $7.

Most of the wines I tasted ended up somewhere in the mid 80′s.  So there are several decent choices available.  Here’s the full list.

Rubiro Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is (from what I can tell) a second label from Villa Cervia where oenologist Rino Moretti has been producing wine since 1989.

This would be a good choice if you want a red wine that’s not too aggressive.  It’s approachable and soft in every way, making it easy to pair with a variety of foods. 

The nose is rather subtle but has aromas of plum, cherry and a wee bit of barnyard (not in a bad way).  The palate is very soft and a bit short of concentration.  It’s mostly just plum and a bit of earth.  The tannins are also soft, but prevalent enough to give a full mouth feel.  There is a hint of spice in this one too, but again it is very subtle.  When I first opened the bottle it had a touch of effervescence, but it quickly went away with decanting.

Overall this is a pretty good wine that is a bit softer than some of the others I’ve tried in this varietal.  It would pair nicely with a bowl of pasta, pizza, cheese or a number of other foods.  As I mentioned, this one is quite food-friendly.  I found it for $13.99 and it earned a score of 85.

Wine: Rubiro
Varietal: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol: 13% 
Rating: 85
Price Paid: $13.99

I’ll keep this one relatively short as there’s not much to get excited about. This review adds fodder to my “there’s better places to shop for wine than Trader Joe’s” rant. Yep, it’s another wine from Trader Joe’s that rates less than 80.

The fruit is soft in this one. It has a little leather and currant on the nose, but it lacks intensity. If you’re looking for consistency with that lack of intensity you’re in luck as the palate also lacks concentration. What flavor is there is a bit of blackberry and currant. The tannins are soft and are probably the best aspect to this wine. In general this is also a bit off balance on the acidic side. Did I mention that it’s a very light wine?

The good news is that it was only $6.00. I may be dramatizing my distaste a bit only because I grow frustrated with all the people I meet who rant about Trader Joe’s as the place to get good cheap wine. In my experience, it’s not. This wine rated at a 79, so it’s not disgusting but you can find others that are much better without spending much more. Like Masciarelli, for example.

Wine: Villa Cerrina
Varietal: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 79
Price Paid: $5.99

Azienda Agricola Masciarelli operates 13 estates across Abruzzo totaling about 300 hectares with lots of Montepulciano vines, plus other varietals such as Trebbiano, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cococciola and one hectare of Falaghina.  They also have olive groves on many of their estates and are well known for their olive oil sold under the Cvetic name.

The estate was founded by Gianni Masciarelli in 1981 and they’ve established quite a presence in Abruzzo in less than 30 years.  With many wine producers in the area having vineyards that were passed down from one generation to the next, this is a relatively young producer.

I found the 2003 vintage on shelves in my area and I was a bit surprised that I wasn’t finding a more recent vintage but I was glad to give this one a shot.  This is another wine that is a nice marriage of old and new world styles.  It has a few characteristics that make it a bit dirty and interesting in an old world way, but enough fruit to appeal to fans of new world wines.  It has a slightly smokey and dusty nose with dark berries and leather.  There is very good concentration in the palate.  Cherries, blackberries and chocolate all have a strong presence. There is a lot of fruit, but the fruit is a touch young tasting—keeping this wine very dry.  It has a medium length finish with smooth tannis and a hint of chocolate.

I found this for $8.99 and it is an excellent wine for that price.  I gave it an 87.

Wine: Masciarelli
Varietal: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol: 13% 
Rating: 87
Price Paid: $8.99

La Valentina is a much younger producer than many of the others I’ve tasted for this series, but they produce a classic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  They were established in 1990 and currently manage over 40 hectares.  They have two vineyards in Abruzzo and the grapes for this label are from the San Valentino vineyard, about 20km from Maiella mountain (one of the highest peaks in Italy). The vines in this location are 100% Montepulciano planted over 30 years ago.

The thing I like about this wine is that it’s the best of both worlds.  A bit old world and a bit new world.  The nose on this is new world leather and dark dried cherries, plus old world barnyard, mushrooms and black olives. There’s also a bit of licorice on the nose.  The palate is nice and fruity with plum and dark cherry, but it’s not a fruit bomb—there is just enough frutta.  The fruit is complemented by some black pepper and a hint of mid-palate chocolate.  The finish is long and fantastic.  It’s a fairly fruit-filled finish with a return of the licorice that was on the nose.

This isn’t going to be the best wine you’ve ever had, but it’s a solid Italian red and it’s a great example of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  And at $13 it’s an affordable way to try this varietal.  Wine Spectator gave this an 87, but my numbers came in a notch higher at 88.  I know there’s not much difference, but that’s how it worked out.

Wine: Fattoria La Valentina
Varietal: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13.5% 
Rating: 88
Price Paid: $12.99

The next wine in our series on Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is Majolica from producer Podere Castorani.  The Castorani name comes from the family of surgeon Raffaele Castorani who invented the first surgical procedure to treat cataracts and owned the property in the late 18th century.  The property has since gone through different owners and the winemaking traditions on the property were all but lost until a group of four partners banded a few years ago to renew the winemaking traditions on this property. 

An interesting note is that one of the partners in Podere Castorani is Enzo Trulli, father  of Formula One driver Jarno Trulli.

Podere Castorani actually produces four other Montepulciano d’Abruzzo labels and this is the entry-level (i.e. most inexpensive) label they produce in this varietal.

Overall, this wine has strong old world characteristics.  It has decent fruit but if you’re partial to new world, fruit-forward wines I would say this isn’t a pick for you.  The nose of Majolica Montepulciano d’Abruzzo features violet, vanilla and a touch of blackberry.  The fruit is really a secondary aroma.  The palate is also more earthy than fruity and has subtle blackberry, earth and smokey tannins.  It’s a little bit more acidic than preferable, which hurt the score slightly.  It’s a decent pizza wine for $10, but not really a top pick for me.

Wine: Podere Castorani Majolica
Varietal: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13% 
Rating: 82
Price Paid: $9.99

The Filomusi-Guelfi family in Abruzzo, Italy are the producers of this Montepulciano.  The family has been in the region since the 16th century where they have a vineyard of over 9.5 hectares.  The majority of the vineyard (78%) is Montepulciano grapes.  There is so much history behind the vineyards producing Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that it makes me want to visit the Abruzzo region of Italy.  Abruzzo isn’t a common vacation destination, but with everything from 14th century castles to beaches to mountains and national parks it is my kind of place to visit.  And of course vast vineyards and an abundance of wine attract me as well. 

Perhaps someday I’ll visit Abruzzo.  In the mean time, I’ll try to be satisfied by buying the wine that gets exported.  This bottle, from Filomusi Guelfi, is exported by Marc De Grazia Selections who represents over 90 small Italian producers.

This is one of the more expensive examples of Montepulciano that I have tried, at $15.99.  And while it was good, the quality wasn’t any better than some lower priced bottles I have tried.

The nose is very herbal.  I get mostly tea leaf, rhubarb and sour cherry aromas.  The palate has a crisp acidity.  It’s perhaps a bit too acidic but it’s not overwhelming.  The flavors are spicy sour cherry, plum and a hint of caper.  The finish is long and dry.  There is also a hint of a metallic aftertaste, although it is very subtle.  Overall, this is a decent example of varietal characteristics for Montepulciano D’Abruzzi but it’s not exceptional and in my opinion is over priced for the quality.

Wine: Filomusi Guelfi
Varietal: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol: 13.5% 
Rating: 85
Price Paid: $15.99

Quattro Mani translates to mean “four hands” which supposedly represents four celebrity Italian winemakers who produce wines from indigenous Italian varietals, such as Montepulciano.  I tried to find out who these “celebrities” are but I couldn’t find any info on them. If anyone knows, please post a comment.

I also tried to visit the website of the bottler, Velenosi and that too was unavailable.  I’m having no luck on the research behind this bottle.  It was imported by Domaine Select in New York, but all they say is that it’s produced by four celebrated Italian winemakers.  That doesn’t help me either.  Sigh.  All I can give you on this is my tasting notes.

Barley and vanilla aromas with blackberry and cherry cola on the palate.  This is a very soft, simple and approachable wine filled with a nice abundance of fruit.  The finish is fairly long and it is well balanced.  It’s a decent and enjoyable pizza or pasta wine, but it’s not extraordinarily elegant. 

Wine: Quattro Mani
Varietal: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13% 
Rating: 85
Price Paid: $8.99

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is often thought of as a table wine.  Something that is not sophisticated and meant for casual drinking.  Because of that fact it is sometimes not given the attention it deserves in production resulting in a less enjoyable product.

This isn’t the case with all Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  In fact there are some very interesting and enjoyable bottles out there and I hope to highlight them in this series.  This was not one of those exceptional bottles.

Low alcohol content and overall lack of concentration make this a mild, subtle wine.  The dominant feature on the nose is tobacco.  It’s hard to find anything beyond that, except maybe a hint of plum.  The palate is plums and spice.  It has surprising heat for the alcohol level, but it’s an acidic heat.  Too acidic in my opinion.  The finish is quick.  I can’t recommend this one and it only got a 69.

Wine: Stella Italia
Varietal: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 69
Price Paid: $7.99

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