Quattro Mani Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
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
The Montepulciano is made by Attilio Pagli, the winemakerfrom Ercole Velenosi. He has won 12 Tre Bicchiere awards for his work in Le Marche. The Montepulciano is the first wine in the Quattro Mani series, the other three are in production, but it’s too early to publicize the details. However, it is safe to say that based on how the Montepulciano overdelivers, especially for that price, the next three wines will make everyone happy.
Thank you for the additional information, Tim. It is helpful. I am looking forward to trying the other wines in the Quattro Mani series.
There is also a Quattromani (Four Hands) Merlot del Ticino that is produced in Ticino, Switzerland that retails for about 50 CHF that blows this Italian Quattro Mani away. I have not been able to find it in the States though. The four hands here are Angelo Delea, Guido Brivio, Claudio Tamborini and Feliciano Gialdi.
Just tried this wine tonight (the 2008 vintage), and agree that it has a really nice finish. It goes great with Eggplant Parmesan, and is generally mild enough for most who drink wine (no harsh tannins, etc).
Thanks for the comment, Sassy. I’m glad to hear the 2008 vintage is good too. I’ll have to give it a try.
I tried this wine tonight. This wine has a fruity bouquet. There is a meduim fruit forward which hints of blackberries and dark cherry. I would call it a medium red wine with a dry finish which lingers for a moment then ends with a little kick of pepper. I favor heavy earthy reds without a dry finish, but this one was nice to try. I paid more than $8.99 for the bottle though.